Blackfish Jigging

[reason162]

Originally Posted by bulletbob

all it is is a painted sinker with an attached hook... In no way does it resemble traditional jigging.... I saw a guy last year on an AH boat catching nothing, switch to a yellow sinker on a plain old blackfish rig, and limit out in short order..
I bet if more guys tried yellow, red, orange, or white sinkers, you would find little difference in hookup rate from the jigs. Tog have always liked color for some reason. Fished without a hunk of crab on the hook that "jig" becomes totally useless. Its plain old bait fishing IMHO... no magic involved.... bob

No magic, but there is a difference esp with light jigs in shallow water. Namely there is no "disconnect" between the weight and the crab/hook. A tog picks up the crab on a jig and thinks he has the entire package in his mouth. A tog picks up a crab on a rig, turns and encounters resistance from the sinker.

I'm sure it makes no difference most days, but under certain conditions jigs will outfish rigs by a wide margin, again, in shallow water with 1/4 - 1/2oz jigs. But you're correct, it has almost nothing in common with what most people think of as "jigging."

[Gerry Zagorski]

Originally Posted by reason162

No magic, but there is a difference esp with light jigs in shallow water. Namely there is no "disconnect" between the weight and the crab/hook. A tog picks up the crab on a jig and thinks he has the entire package in his mouth. A tog picks up a crab on a rig, turns and encounters resistance from the sinker.

I'm sure it makes no difference most days, but under certain conditions jigs will outfish rigs by a wide margin, again, in shallow water with 1/4 - 1/2oz jigs. But you're correct, it has almost nothing in common with what most people think of as "jigging."

Picking up what you're laying down here Reason. Seems to me when the bite is a bit more finicky and conditions permit, a jig gives you an extra sensitive feel because of the lighter weight and being directly connected. You also need to match it with a lighter more sensitive rod. The extra feel can sometimes be the difference betweem fishing and catching.

tautog - yeah a lot more swinging when fishing with jigs. You swing at practically everything and when you miss your bait is usually gone so lots of re baiting. Not for everyone and if you're fishing for that one fish, waiting for the right bite is the way to go but for people like me, easier said then done