High Tech Jigging

[Bowbreaker]

Have a few goals with this and I've had some decent success with a few different variations.
1) Reduce possible damage to the fish of the second hook
2) Making fish easier to release given there is only one hook and minimize that second hook flopping around and getting me. lol

I don't go directly to a split ring. The two ways I have done this is by:
- Siwash open eye big river bait hook to a barrel swivel then to a split ring and to the jig. Allows the hook to rotate and flop around. 3/0 and 5/0 is what I've used here since they are not a short shank hook. This has been my most successful way.
- have also tried single 5/0 and 6/0 owners tied on a short assist cord to a steel ring and then split ring to jig. This also works but i didn't stay buttoned up as often.

I spent 4 weeks out there trying different things and the siwash is the best so far. The factory hooks that come are good but the assist cord to the hook is garbage and had numerous come apart on fish so I started rapping them tight with big fly thread and gluing them right out of the package before they ever touch the water. This got rid of the hooks coming off problem.

Still think the best option will be a good single that holds fish.

Funny you should mention this... We think very similarly!

I spent A LOT of effort on trying different single hook options this summer. I am tired of releasing undersized fish missing an eyeball. Seems like a very unfair way to interact with these fish and unsporting. Also, my hands get abused by the second hook in the net and I am very concerned about my 11 year old daughter unhooking fish with two hooks in the mouth.

Here is what I learned:

*I start to tie my own single hook set ups with a fly tying vice and braid for thread. I used heat shrink tube over the braid connection point. I varied the length of cord and size of hook.
*Smaller owner or gami hooks (2/0 and 3/0) generally straighten out very easily. I lost a LOT of fish from bent hooks.
*Shorter cord length resulted in less solid hook ups. I lost count of how many times my jig would stop falling, I'd "set the hook" and the get a few head shakes before the fish would come free.
*Some days the fish will be more aggressive and my land ratio would be respectable and other days less aggressive (the way I see it anyway) and the hook to land ratio would be dismal (like 5 out of 20).
*I worked my way up to larger hooks (4/0 to 5/0) and longer cord length (2" or so) and still had awful landing ratios...
*What did seem to work well was using the 2/0 owner assist hook (that comes with the smaller flat falls) as a single (cutting off one of the second one).

Overall, not very successful bit of experimenting and I did go back to small, double hooks at the end of the season to land a few more (lost some really big fish that I would have liked to have seen close to the boat). A friend of mine seemed to do OK with singles for most of the summer, so not sure on the difference there. I am using a parabolic, slow pitch jigging rod (Grappler Tyle Slow J) with a strong cranking reel (Shimano Ocea Jigger). That rod was cranked over tight and the hook was still pulling free...

I fished with another diehard jigger this year who uses large open siwash hooks as well and swears by them. This sounds like the way to go and I look forward to giving it a try. Thanks for the tip!

 

[RiverBoy]

This was fun. my brother jigged up a nice keeper ling and the second assist hook was free and it got me right in the base of the nail. thank goodness the barb didn’t slip under the nail because the ling was still thrashing around.

 

[Salty338]

Same experience here on the different days. Somedays they eat it and stay on but other days I think they are slapping at it more and just don't stay buttoned up.

Part of the problem is you have a 3- 8oz jig getting tossed around by big head shakes and it throws the hook easy. I've had decent luck with the 4/0 - 5/0 owners and gammy's rigged as a dual assist. I just use 250# tufline. Durable and I can tie it up quickly. If I run them as a single, I definitely lose a lot more fish. Rigged as doubles they seem to cause a reasonable amount less damage than the hooks that are on the Flatfalls anyways and are also easier to remove.

I think I'm going to stick with the Siwash open eye for now or until I figure out a better configuration. Most fish are in the corner of the mouth, and I did not hook many shakers at all with those hooks. 5/0 and 6/0. I've got 10 and a half months to figure it out. lol. Going to sissy up and get a pair of those jigging gloves for next year. My hands are a wreck.

I also run Shimano Grapplers as my main rods. Type J though. Also, with Ocea Jiggers and a TAC 10. You can really put the wood to the fish and keep tension with that gear which helps to land them fresh, and they go back in the water hot. I did land my personal best fish on a jig on my last morning out this year. Right around the 105cm mark. Thing was a tank! I'm still thinking about it.

 

[Bowbreaker]

105 cm?! Wow. That's a fish of a lifetime IMO. Incredible.

I've been jigging that area for 7 years now and hooked my largest fish this year at 98 cm x 68.5 cm. Right around the 30lb mark. Our boat hooked three in that class in about 20 min. Lost a really big fish the evening we were fishing Wilby (a casualty of the single hook).

@RiverBoy, that nail looks nasty! I once had a 200 g jig fly out of a fishes mouth and one of those large hooks buried itself in the top of my hand from tip to shank. It was gross. I could feel the nerves ripping as it was pulled out...

 

[Northfish]

Regarding assist hooks; I agree those things are absolutely evil. Sure they hold a fish a lot better but the damage to both the fish and hands doesn't outweigh that imo. I've had good success with longer assist lengths to single barbless lazer sharps, extra downrigger line has worked well with heat shrink around the eye and knot. I've also been using flat falls upside down with the assist hook in the standard position, when fighting a fish the line essentially bypasses the weight of the jig and I haven't lost a whole lot more than the double hook rig.

I also picked up a daiwa Lexa and Harrier set up, super lightweight and comfortable to use all day and has the stopping power for big fish. Haven't hooked into a fish over 25 pounds with it yet, but it can muscle lings off the bottom and picks up line very quickly. The level wind is nice to have as well, makes those shallow pitches and resets a lot more convenient!

 

[RiverBoy]

Regarding assist hooks; I agree those things are absolutely evil. Sure they hold a fish a lot better but the damage to both the fish and hands doesn't outweigh that imo. I've had good success with longer assist lengths to single barbless lazer sharps, extra downrigger line has worked well with heat shrink around the eye and knot. I've also been using flat falls upside down with the assist hook in the standard position, when fighting a fish the line essentially bypasses the weight of the jig and I haven't lost a whole lot more than the double hook rig.

I also picked up a daiwa Lexa and Harrier set up, super lightweight and comfortable to use all day and has the stopping power for big fish. Haven't hooked into a fish over 25 pounds with it yet, but it can muscle lings off the bottom and picks up line very quickly. The level wind is nice to have as well, makes those shallow pitches and resets a lot more convenient!

I love my Lexa and can tell you it can handle tyee class fish no problem. where did you get your Harrier?

 

[Northfish]

I love my Lexa and can tell you it can handle tyee class fish no problem. where did you get your Harrier?

Awesome, what area are you fishing?

Pacific net and twine in parksville, helpful guys down there that know their stuff.

 

[Salty338]

Those Lexa HD’s are great user friendly reels that will handle any salmon out there. I have 2 of the 400HD’s on shimano Televera Type J that my Dad used this summer and he did land a Tyee class fish and more than a few in the 25# range.

I prefer conventional reels though still.

 

[RiverBoy]

Awesome, what area are you fishing?

Pacific net and twine in parksville, helpful guys down there that know their stuff.

I’m usually at the CR lighthouse, although the hump was off the chain for me in late july. also focussed a lot on francisco point area this summer

 

[Northfish]

I’m usually at the CR lighthouse, although the hump was off the chain for me in late july. also focussed a lot on francisco point area this summer

Hump is still really good, although I havent yet found a pacific cod off of there yet! Was out today, fish everywhere hitting everything. Francisco seemed to be best at first light, lighthouse was great on the ebb, and the hump was fantastic.

My jigs are getting pretty torn up now, winter refurbishing project!

 

[RiverBoy]

Hump is still really good, although I havent yet found a pacific cod off of there yet! Was out today, fish everywhere hitting everything. Francisco seemed to be best at first light, lighthouse was great on the ebb, and the hump was fantastic.

My jigs are getting pretty torn up now, winter refurbishing project!

i’ve found a few P cod on the west side ( CR side) of the hump in deeeep water.like almost 300 feet.

 

[Deepaaaar]

I'm curious, what do you all use when the fish are feeding predominately on squid? Do you find they still hit flash? I found myself in that situation recently and used the aji-coloured 50g gomame with some success, but I don't have a lot of experience with it.

 

[Wondermur]

I'm curious, what do you all use when the fish are feeding predominately on squid? Do you find they still hit flash? I found myself in that situation recently and used the aji-coloured 50g gomame with some success, but I don't have a lot of experience with it.

I have often wondered if a picture really is worth a 1000 words… but undoubtedly it is worth more than these 9.

used the aji-coloured 50g gomame with some success

 

[Deepaaaar]

I have often wondered if a picture really is worth a 1000 words… but undoubtedly it is worth more than these 9.

You make a very good point. Hah.

This one:

 

[vanisleangler]

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