High Tech Jigging

[sly_karma]

I have had a drogue and seemed to me they are a waste of time for jigging purposes. They work fine if it is a wind you are trying to combat but if it is tide they are useless-The best method is being right on the motor-either back trolling or moving forward or both-not easy but a drogue will just get in the way-unless it is wind drift you are trying to combat.

Thanks, this makes sense. I'll play around with a bucket before spending money on a drogue. When I'm out there on my own it takes a lot of concentration to handle it all: bumping motor in and out of reverse, adjusting steering, watching sonar screen for bait, avoiding other boats and shoal water. Slowing down wind drift would permit more focus on actual fishing.

 

[adrock1981]

I just want to say Waterwolf, I have checked this thread a few times and finally pulled the trigger on a rod and some flat fall jigs. I got one of the new Okuma Hawaiian Custom 60-120g slow pitch rods, its a very light rod, but our salmon aren't huge where I live usually. I went out last night in my little pontoon boat, found a bait ball and caught a few. What a fun way to fish! Thanks for all your info in this thread, it was a big help.

 

[mbowers]

I want to experimwnt with a drag device this summer, a 5 gallon pail on a leash should do for starters. Thinking I cleat it to one side of the transom and see if that slows down the drift. Back trolling is OK but some directional stability is needed too.

Anyone have some tips for this concept?

I fish with a sock almost all the time. If there's more than a puff of wind the sock is in and it cancels most of the wind drift. A sock works better than a bucket but the bucket will get you started.

I like to attach to amidship especially for a center console style which means maximum distance between angler's but it works ok with a cuddy too. The sock takes out some of the roll of a deeper V hull at rest.

I don't see the point of holding position in the current because salmon usually feed into the current and a small bait fish holding position in a couple knots of current doesn't seem natural to me. Maybe I'll fish with someone who can show me how that works better than a sock. I can see the point for bottom fish but not for salmon.

Bonus of a sock in Florida is any male turtles in the area might try to mate with it!

 

[sly_karma]

Agree that trying to achieve zero drift is counterproductive. My hope is that slowing the drift rate caused by wind will reduce my workload. Less focus on the boat, more on the fishing.

 

[Slabbedout]

I think we learn to jig for salmon with whatever we have our successes on-we start to believe in that jig and fish it with more enthusiasm! I like the flat falls- the Original Riptide (member here) got me going on riptides- they are great!! and Macdeeps I have fished them-they work very well but I've come to realize there are only so many bait balls in a day(scarcer this year) so you go with whatever you have on. I'll put on a Mac Deep for a day-maybe that'll be the ray of sunshine!!

I grew up primarily jigging off CR and the larger 6-8oz riptide needle fish always killed them, find the bait and drop just below.

The issue is finding bait and staying on top of it. When the tide or wind won’t cooperate find a different location or troll

 

[MRWood]

I grew up primarily jigging off CR and the larger 6-8oz riptide needle fish always killed them, find the bait and drop just below.

The issue is finding bait and staying on top of it. When the tide or wind won’t cooperate find a different location or troll

Or quickly run back to the start of the drift and fish through the bait again. I find it almost impossible to stay on top of the bait as it's constantly moving. You just need to try to keep drifting through it and start again. I have tried running my kicker at idle with the TR1 autopilot which can be good when the tide is running but it's still difficult to stay on the bait.

 

[mbowers]

Agree that trying to achieve zero drift is counterproductive. My hope is that slowing the drift rate caused by wind will reduce my workload. Less focus on the boat, more on the fishing.

It will definitely do that. Plus it's quiet. Depending on boat size you might need a big enough sock to see the effect though. A 48in diameter sock has 16x more area / drag than a 5 ga bucket at 12in diameter.

With the sock attached amidship I also turn the steering max to the side the sock is mounted on. Sock on left side, steering is at a hard left. That lets you sort of sail across the wind in the direction you chose. If I want to sail the opposite direction I will move the sock to the opposite side and steering as well.

 

[BananasQ]

WRT to the finding the bait balls - I have been doing this, but not finding fish feeding on them. I think my area is tougher (Sechelt Inlet, very few salmon) - if you are not marking Salmon above the school do you go try find another one?

 

[sly_karma]

WRT to the finding the bait balls - I have been doing this, but not finding fish feeding on them. I think my area is tougher (Sechelt Inlet, very few salmon) - if you are not marking Salmon above the school do you go try find another one?

My experience has been that if you find bait and jig up through it two or three times without a hit, you may as well move on. Same if you're tapping bottom and not being hit, no fish there. Move on. Normally in our waters the bottom is a busy, competitive place, you should be getting hit by something the moment the lure hits bottom.

 

[sherrett]

I've often got 1 or 2 kids aboard so the jigging is also a really nice entertainment for them vs trolling. We often get out trolling and get fish or not, and then do some jigging when they're bored because it offers action. Some of the action may be tangles, snags and 'is my lure on bottom yet?' but it's good fun.

We've also had a few mornings recently at Epsom Point trolling through schools of fish with no bites. Switching to jigging has each time gotten fish on and to the boat.

 

[Rain City]

I used to love jigging. I still don't mind it with one other angler on board who knows what they're doing or when I'm anchored. With the big boat and all the windage I find it now ends up being more stressful with kids and snags and lines tangling in the drives. I'm just "fixing" things constantly for limited results.

 

[MRWood]

I used to love jigging. I still don't mind it with one other angler on board who knows what they're doing or when I'm anchored. With the big boat and all the windage I find it now ends up being more stressful with kids and snags and lines tangling in the drives. I'm just "fixing" things constantly for limited results.

Sounds like you need to be towing another boat, say a 16’ whaler, for jigging. The commander is the home base floating cabin. I have more great ideas if needed

 

[sly_karma]

I used to love jigging. I still don't mind it with one other angler on board who knows what they're doing or when I'm anchored. With the big boat and all the windage I find it now ends up being more stressful with kids and snags and lines tangling in the drives. I'm just "fixing" things constantly for limited results.

I got this one spot over a 30 ft rockpike on a 60 ft bottom where I'll anchor up for an hour and let the grandkids jig undersized lings. I have them drop one at a time and watch the other until they get a fish. Greedy little lings just can't leave it alone so it only takes a couple of taps. One line in the water at a time makes for a lot less confusion and tangles.

 

[Rain City]

I got this one spot over a 30 ft rockpike on a 60 ft bottom where I'll anchor up for an hour and let the grandkids jig undersized lings. I have them drop one at a time and watch the other until they get a fish. Greedy little lings just can't leave it alone so it only takes a couple of taps. One line in the water at a time makes for a lot less confusion and tangles.

Great idea

 

[sly_karma]

Another reason why I love the Trevala rods, so light the six year old can handle them fine, yet they'll dispatch a halibut just fine.

 

[spring fever]

Just to let everyone know that Pacific playground store has a great selection of jigs-all weights and makes-but more importantly they have a very good selection of hi tech jigging rods both in spinning and casting. You never see a selection like this-they are specializing in jiggin gear. Sorry to say I didn't look at their reels-I was trying to replace a riptide stryker I lost the other night trying to release a salmon by the boat. Has anybody seen or heard from Shane lately AKA Original Riptide?

 

[MRWood]

Just to let everyone know that Pacific playground store has a great selection of jigs-all weights and makes-but more importantly they have a very good selection of hi tech jigging rods both in spinning and casting. You never see a selection like this-they are specializing in jiggin gear. Sorry to say I didn't look at their reels-I was trying to replace a riptide stryker I lost the other night trying to release a salmon by the boat. Has anybody seen or heard from Shane lately AKA Original Riptide?

Where is that store?

 

[spring fever]

Where is that store?

Saratoga beach-pacific playground marina, Black Creek--the prices I saw were very reasonable

 

[MRWood]

Saratoga beach-pacific playground marina, Black Creek--the prices I saw were very reasonable

I do need a new jigging rod for my Calcutta bait caster, my Fenwich HMX broke on me late last year.

 

[spring fever]

Quite a few shimano trevalas in various weight and styles. Very impressive