Trolling or Jigging
- Thread starter Loghauler
- Start date
SpringVelocity
Crew Member
yep
cracked_ribs
Well-Known Member
I used to do pretty well jigging and really prefer the experience, but it's totally dependent on locating bait and I have to admit that since I started fishing mainly at Porlier, Thrasher, or Tent Island, I just don't really have the same sense of where to expect bait.
I never thought of myself as working from memory before, I thought I just had a good intuitive sense of locating bait. But since I moved I'm not doing nearly as well and I'll have to dial in bait finding a lot better if I want to go back to jigging for salmon.
I never thought of myself as working from memory before, I thought I just had a good intuitive sense of locating bait. But since I moved I'm not doing nearly as well and I'll have to dial in bait finding a lot better if I want to go back to jigging for salmon.
Carl Jarrett
New Member
After trying to troll with deep sixes, and considering getting some downriggers, my boat just isn't ideal for that type of fishing. Its a 30ft cabin cruiser with twin V6's and just doesn't seem to like the slow idling around, nor is it efficient.
So we will be joining the non-existent crowd in front of West Van learning how to do a jig.
Best practices for jigging?
1: Find the bait
2: Shut off engine? (or do they care about my engine noise)
3: drop lures just above bait ball?
So we will be joining the non-existent crowd in front of West Van learning how to do a jig.
Best practices for jigging?
1: Find the bait
2: Shut off engine? (or do they care about my engine noise)
3: drop lures just above bait ball?
Carl Jarrett
New Member
I've trolled with guides and others, and have the mounts, but no good way to mount a small outboard onto my transom. Have twin Volvo 4.3's with sterndrives...
mbowers
Well-Known Member
I have of those trolling motors and a few thousand hours of use on it in Florida and Louisiana plus a bit in BC. It's a phenomenal tool and just about every boat up to 40ft in Florida has one now
TM on 33
but it does not help much with jigging in the ocean.
If the tide is moving then holding anchored in one spot puts a lot of drag on the line, you're fishing at terrible angles and not moving along with the bait ball. Generally much better to drift with the tide which keeps the line vertical.
Using the trolling motor in a back eddy seems like a good idea but the currents are so random the poor trolling motor is very confused on what direction to turn and just becomes annoying.
Finally even a small ocean swell on a calm day completely baffles the trolling motor. I was moving maybe 0.5m back and forth in the swell on a glassy day which was basically nothing. When I turned on the spot lock on the trolling motor it tried to keep me within 0.1m or so at all times and had a complete emotional meltdown over that small swell.
If you want to troll with trolling motor it makes a great auto pilot or if you want to "anchor" for bottom fishing it's great but I don't find any use for it while jigging.
A drift sock though will make a huge difference in any wind over 5km/h
Loghauler
Well-Known Member
Couldn’t you follow the bait and maneuver with the foot pedal while jigging? Also thinking it would be awesome trolling no motor noise and hands free
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fishbadger
Active Member
To jig effectively you gotta be straight up n down, so the only use of a motor is to back into the tide a bit to keep you vertical.
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mbowers
Well-Known Member
It is an awesome motor, just not for jigging IMHO.
You could follow the bait but then your lure is being trolled behind the boat. If you want to chase and cast at surface bait balls the trolling motor is great but to jig vertically over bait means the boat must be moving the same as the current.
sly_karma
Crew Member
Wind and current really affect jigging. Most jigs, and certainly the highly effective centre-weighted flat fall types, need to fall vertically to achieve their designed action. In light conditions, a drift sock will slow the boat sufficiently as well as keeping it stern-on to breeze/current. In stronger wind and current, I start the kicker and let it idle, bumping it in and out of reverse as needed. I have the sonar set up on a 10" screen mounted centre of dash so it is easily viewed from aft, and I have the Speed Over Ground value from the GPS overlaid onto the sonar screen. Varies a little with depth and jig size, but generally you'll find that once your drift across bottom reaches or exceeds 0.5 mph, you'll need to put the kicker in reverse to halt that drift. My kicker has remote controls so it's easy to knock it in and out of gear and keep jigging. I can see this being more tricky for tiller control kickers.
Two more variables: jig weight and water depth. Heavier jigs fall more quickly, so you can counter the drift to some degree by switching to heavier jigs. There are limits, of course; jigs that are too weighty will overpower your rod, and the sheer size of the jig may repel smaller but still respectable salmon (not lings, they will eat anything that fits in their mouth). Depth is the other area where you have at least partial control. In shallow water it takes less time for the jig to fall and so drift has less effect. But of course, there's no point in staying in the shallower water if the bait and the salmon aren't holding there.
Two more variables: jig weight and water depth. Heavier jigs fall more quickly, so you can counter the drift to some degree by switching to heavier jigs. There are limits, of course; jigs that are too weighty will overpower your rod, and the sheer size of the jig may repel smaller but still respectable salmon (not lings, they will eat anything that fits in their mouth). Depth is the other area where you have at least partial control. In shallow water it takes less time for the jig to fall and so drift has less effect. But of course, there's no point in staying in the shallower water if the bait and the salmon aren't holding there.
acrowe
Active Member
There is a guy who I have seen fishing around Campbell River who has an electric motor set up that seems to hold him on bait. I have never talked to him about it but it seems to work pretty well. I think its possible you could use it to hold your line more vertical in the current. Normally I have more success fishing slack or places with less current.
Rain City
Crew Member
I agree. Fighting tides or wind makes for unpleasant jigging. When either picks up it's time to go back to the riggers. Back trolling with waves splashing over the back sucks.
spring fever
Well-Known Member
I think you have to be able to troll as well as jig. Sometimes jigging just won't work and I am not going back to the barn!! The other consideration is an hour of trolling puts you further into a tide change and things might have improved
spring fever
Well-Known Member
Yeah we used to rake herring and spin them in the wake--nowdays you think you've won the lotto if you find a few bait balls to jig over
Loghauler
Well-Known Member
I’m beginning to think I’m gonna need to make a few versatile boat additions I thinking of going with the big saltwater min Kota electric paired with sonar/gps and extra batteries and down riggers and if I have to get a kicker might as well be electric on my little 18 it’ll probably run most of the “ fishtime” just use fuel to and from
Just have a feeling electric will be smoother and once a person learns how to program it will be an important tool
Just have a feeling electric will be smoother and once a person learns how to program it will be an important tool
DMan
Member
Big if. But if you’re around the fish the fact is you will outperform trolling seven to one. The reason most troll including me a lot of the time is to move and locate fish. A lot of different variables to add but that’s the bottom truth. There is so much more to add such as techniques. Lures. Time of the bite which is the biggest thing people overlook. To really understand this, go to a location that supports the hatchery program when the fish are in and watch and learn. That’s where I did a lot of my learning for ten years before really putting it all together.
tinboatrobb
Well-Known Member
We still tie the boat to kelp beds until the current is too much.
acrowe
Active Member
An electric motor that worked really well would be great for lots of fishing. I did a lot of lake fishing during the time I lived in Manitoba, electric motors are amazing for many types of freshwater fishing. I don't really know whats available for salt but its hard to beat the convenience in my experience.
