Blackfish Jigging

[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

[MrAC1980]

Nice post. My only comment is I don't think people should get caught up with drag capacity. People get hung up on that way too often! If you suggest 30lb top shot then why do you need 20lb of drag? If you use the 1/3 method you only need 10lb drag haha. I think it's more important to use a light setup. 7ft ML spinning rod with a 3k-4k matching reel is ideal. I use 10lb-20lb braid with 3-5ft of 50lb topshot and my goto jig in NJ is 1.5oz.

[Andreas Toy]

Using light spinner with 1.0-2.0 oz , jigs with 30lb leader
In moderate current, 60feet or less. To each his own.

[Sharkyispy]

Been on the jigging bad wagon for some time now after reading several articles and being exposed to some long time jig users who were willing to share technique. This ultimately led to fabrication thereof in various styles for me. It is a different challenge catching on the jig but very rewarding. I also agree spinning outfits are better but I personally also use conventional set up with lighter line, etc, It's really a personal preference. And YES, I have been busted or sheered off with lighter set up on jigs, it is the risk that I accept fishing this method. I'll liken it to tuna. Chunking and bait dropping is always/usually a productive method, BUT, nothing like dropping a STINGO jig down and feeling the bump and then the hit to fight the fish on a jig.....

[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

[O'Connor]

I'm still confused as to the jigging part. It's nothing more than putting bait on a lead head. Correct? If you put bait on it your simply bait fishing. Just s different way of presenting a crab.

[NJ Dave]

Originally Posted by O'Connor

I'm still confused as to the jigging part. It's nothing more than putting bait on a lead head. Correct? If you put bait on it your simply bait fishing. Just s different way of presenting a crab.

Exactly. There is no jigging involved, just the term used since the rig is called a black fish "jig"

[Sharkyispy]

Originally Posted by NJ Dave

Exactly. There is no jigging involved, just the term used since the rig is called a black fish "jig"

You mean...I'm....NOT....supposed.....to bounce them.....like a bucktail?? Keep them still instead?

That is a misconception when people ask me about jigging.....It's ok to lift and drop occassionally, /bouncing to find the "holes" in the bottom structure, which I might add also seem easier to find and tell when you're "in" with a jig on. To Gerry's point, the lighter set ups give you more sensitivity and feeling....Less snags I find with jigs too......Side note if using sinker/hooks, flat sinkers better for same reasons....less snags...my .02

[Jarhead]

Good article Gerr! I tried the jig recently and was pleasantly surprised. There is a learning curve, but I got to novice level fairly quickly on borrowed gear. Gotta go buy my own set up now because I'm sold on this early season technique