Blackfish Jigging

[Gerry Zagorski]

When these fish are on the chew, you could put a leg of a crab on and it will get crushed.

When the bite is tough and scratchy is when you need to experiment to see what they want and how they want it.

Most times I'll start with a half a crab with the shell on and legs off. If I'm not getting any bites I'll stick with a half a crab but leave some legs on (french fries). I'll also try a small whole crab. When I do this I'll usually crush the shell with my foot or a sinker or cut around the perimeter of the shell and remove it entirely.

Two common things here .. You always want the inners of the crab exposed to get some scent in the water and you always want to run your hook through a leg socket and out another since this is the firmest part of the crab which helps it stay on your hook.

One other thing I've noticed, sometimes a slight movement of the jig will trigger a bite. I'm not talking a big or constant movement here. Just an occasional and slight lift of your pole tip and letting the jig settle back down on the bottom.