BLUEWATER JIGGING 101
By Capt. Michael Hill



The following summary on blue water jigging or butterfly jigging as it is commonly called is based on my past three years experience I hope you enjoy reading and understanding the concept and utilize it to enhance your off shore experience. I am basically breaking it down to cover the most important details and provide you with the information to utilize it to your best advantage. By no means am I an expert as I still learn something every time I go and I urge you to give me any positive or negative feed back you learn from your blue water jigging trips.

WHY JIGGING

• The number one reason is it produces. Throw in the fact everyone on the boat can actively participate and your tackle is what I would consider blue water ultra light. None of my jigging outfits exceed 32 ounces this includes rod, reel, line and jig and it just makes for a great off shore experience

• Variety is the spice of life and I haven't met to many blue water fish that would pass up a jig. The following list is what I have had come over the gunnel's from jigging .Amberjack, African pompano, barracuda, bluefish cobia, grouper, red snapper, trigger fish ,king macs, mahi, tilefish, blue fin tuna ,YFtuna. black fin tuna, lots and lots of false albacore, long fin tuna, Wahoo, sea bass, b liners, rosefish, blue runners, squid ,and numerous variety of sharks we did have a big eye tuna to the surface but ended up exploding the rod in three pieces on him.

• It allows you to cover all water columns from the bottom to the top. This is the most important aspect of jigging getting to them quickly and having the ability to keep it in the strike zone be it 400 feet deep or 20 feet deep even when the current is flowing 2.5knots plus.

HOW TO JIG

Depending on the species and the depth it is best to try different techniques but all fish don't react to the same motion this is a learning process that comes from putting in time and utilizing different jigs for different situations but from my experience I can give you these tips I will start with tuna as most people especially charter and a lot of private captains on the east coast still have reservations about jigging for tuna [ you know who you are ] but it can be very productive all tuna like a side to side motion picture a squid darting for its life going from left to right and right to left and you should be reeling as you dart it side to side hands down we have caught most of our tuna from 20 to 250 feet deep on a 5 or 7 ounce shimano regular jig, abyss speed jig or a river2sea turkey slider accounting for its fair share and the largest .Always let the jig go an extra 50 to 100 feet below your marks WE have caught most of our Wahoo and king mackerel when we were bringing the jigs off the bottom from bottom fishing or from under weeds or around buoys you just need to have an erratic and fast retrieve and for bottom fish just get it close to them and give it constant action with out reeling in a lot. Dolphin are typically easy and prefer smaller jigs 2.5 to 3.5 oz. you just need to look down and get them excited and typically it is the larger ones that race in and pop the jig.

It is very important to get a steady rhythm any time you are retrieving the jig this will help you from becoming tired after some practice you should find a motion you are comfortable with and you'll fall into your sweet spot and one very important point to mention is if you create a jerky motion you stand the chance of wrapping the line around the top of the rod I have witnessed this a lot with guys who just have to jerky of retrieve this can create a broken rod or lost fish or both. Just remember these are extremely light rods and they handle very fast so it takes a little practice to get the retrieve down experiment and you'll be fine.

WHERE TO JIG

Geographically speaking I have jigged from Indian River inlet Delaware to Cape look out NC If I had to pick one port as being exceptional it would be Hatteras and this is due to permanent structure in the form of rocks wrecks artificial reefs buoys and towers in every direction. But I can honestly say we have had good luck in all the northeast canyons Don't pass up those lobster pots.

If you want to be productive when jigging it is of utmost importance that you know how to use your electronics and if you can interface your fish finder/sonar to your gps you are golden

• Charts are a valuable source of info but I never rely on them to put me exactly where I want to be.

• Dive shops can be a great source of info if your tactful about the way you ask for info.

• I mostly rely on my electronics and take very good notes and keep a good log.

Structure is the key word here and structure can be any of the following, Temperature change, current line, feeding pods of whales rocks humps,towers,bouys ledges, large bottom shelves wrecks artificial reefs you get the message. I cant stress enough the importance of keeping a log and marking all permanent structure.

If you come across a school of porpoise or a pod of feeding whales work the immediate area real thorough and stay with them my best tuna day ever on jigs was between the Washington canyon and the thirty fathom lumps following the whales for about an hour and a half until we limited out on 45 to 60 lb YFT these fish were keyed in on small bait and we had to change jigs to match the bait but once we found the right one we blistered them on 4inch 3.5oz Daiwa sacrifice jigs.

If you mark pelagic fish typically tuna at say 60 to 80 feet but they wont come up for a trolling spread chances are you have to much current in the upper water column and they are not going to expend the energy if they are feeding on squid or any other forage down below if they don't have to. But if you mark them and set up a drift over them drop a jig down if it comes any where close to them and it is presented right you are going to connect. Keep this in mind also for surface temps and thermo clines some times the fish and or the bait prefer a temp lower in the water column a jig allows you to get to them quickly with out the current being a big factor.



If you come up to a large patch of Sargasso weed. Looking for mahi and don't see any do not throw out a handful of cut bait before you drop a jig down multiple times I typically drop it 60 to 80 feet and rip it back at a high rate of speed don't worry you cant out reel MR WA HOO . if mahi come up as the 43 lb one in the picture did he slammed a jig 20 feet below the boat and came out of nowhere. Do not feed them before you bail as many as you can on jigs and eventually they do get wise to the jigs and we throw cut up squid.





A nice catch of Gaffers, Sea Bass, and Wahoo


Your heading out to the hot bite and your radar sees a bunch of boats all going in circles and your all pumped up you found the fleet your going to have your special spread out within ten minutes and visions are going through your head of tuna coming over the gunnels. You turn up the radio only to find out the bite has slowed up. Don't panic set up a drift get up current from the fleet and drift back down through the area with multiple weight and types of jigs as you feasibly can working the water column. Everyone dropping jigs should drop 10 seconds apart and separate as far as possible on the boat. I sometimes use a drift sock to slow me up always drop lighter jigs first and give them a few seconds to stretch out away from the boat add another element to it and send over a skirted bally hoo or two to ride the drift I usually only do this when I know I am going to have at least a half hour drift and I send it way out it stays up on top sub surface and does not interfere with the jigging. This has accounted for a lot of meat especially Mahi.

Bottom Jigging

If you are going after bottom fish and we do a lot of this as I really enjoy fish tacos ,or deep fried whole red snapper how about crab stuffed grouper with apricot chutney. it takes a little more to get the program down.

first of all they will hit any jig its amazing how aggressive sea bass are they will hit a 14 inch jig with no problem. It is key you use the heaviest jig you can constantly work I prefer a 7 or 9 ounce jig any color with two top hooks and one center hook if I am using an abyss jig. I prefer not to put the bottom hook on as it snags a lot and they are not cheap if you find your self getting snagged a lot you probably have to light of a jig on for the current and your not paying attention to the belly in your line wait until you see your spool stop letting line out and reel in four or five cranks. To keep it off the bottom I fish the first 5 to 15 feet off the bottom. It takes a little time to get the feel of bottom fish snapper and sea bass can be very subtle but with a jig there is no bait so just keep working until you feel a solid hit. With grouper, African pompano and [ reef donkeys amberjacks ] there is no question especially African pompano they hit with wreck less abandon and are incredibly strong fighters pound for pound I have never fought any stronger fish.

Wreck fishing, artificial reefs, buoys and towers

Its no secret all of these hold fish and its especially true to deep water wrecks just keep in mind you have a small window of time to let the jig get in the strike zone again match the jig weight to the depth and current and over time you will put it right on target I like a turkey slider in 9oz. or shimano flat side jig in 7 to 9 oz. to get down really quick and if I am in shore on an AR I lighten up. The only time I fish artificial reefs is if it is convenient to make a quick stop on the way out or the way in. But don't count them out as they have accounted for a lot of fish for us typically on the way in from deep water at the end of the day. buoys and towers are great structure to jig around I always try to head by one first thing in the am as typically by afternoon during the offshore season they get a lot of pressure. If you're the early bird a lot of times you can score on Mahi, Wahoos, cobia, and reef donkeys.

Rocks, drops and natural structure

These I would have to say are my favorite places to jig fish and the reason is this is where variety can really come into play. A grouper on the first drop a black fin tuna on the second drop a king mac on the third drop. Some areas hold more species but for the most part when I am on large natural rocks or shelves with abrupt drops I can count on catching bottom fish and pelagic in the same area. A lot of times I will visit the same rock twice in the same day and find new fish that have moved in on the area

Rods reels and line

• Jigging rods come in all makes and models so I am going to give you the set up I use by all means experiment and support your local tackle stores.

• I use shimano trevala spinning series they are 99.00 or the up graded F series is 199.00 they are also available in conventional series I use to use some conventional but I found my self getting more spools untangled than spending time fishing most any one can pick up a spinning reel and get the hang of it. The reason I like shimano besides being incredibly light and strong is you break it they replace it no questions ask I did explode one in three pieces this past year on a big eye tuna at the point off NC and it was replaced the minute I walked through the tackle store door.

• I typically carry 5 or 6 outfits and they cover MH to XXH any of these will subdue a school tuna but when you get on big blue fins and drop deep for big eye I would highly suggest the XH and XXH I actually just added the XXH to my arsenal after getting spooled at the Tuna hole this past fall on Blue fins I used it on school Blue fins up to 45lbs in early Jan 2008 and it mow hawked em in about 5 minutes flat.

• These rods are very light and incredibly strong and the recovery rate is excellent even on heavy fish this is what allows these rods to subdue and wear down strong and heavy fish and the rear of the rod extends to go under your arm pit this enables you to work the jig in a manner that creates less fatigue and lots of action. If fatigue is an issue I suggest you start with heavier jigs 7 to 9 oz. and relax back to 3.5 to 5 oz when you need to take a break it makes an incredible difference other wise pace yourself.

• Always let the rod do the work on the jig and the fish. I get these guys on my boat that do the Billy bad ass big game jerk and before you know it they are sitting in the bean bag chair tuckered out Once you learn the technique it gets to be second nature and once you learn to use the leverage of the rod to subdue big fish you will understand its capabilities.

Reels

My suggestion is to use the lightest reel with at least 18 pounds of drag minimum a 4.1 gear ratio minimum and a capacity of no less than 200 yds of 80 lb. braid and 15 feet of top shot. I use shimano Stella and Okuma v80 series. I prefer the okuma at 17 ounces for every day jigging and tuna up to 75lbs because it is a lot cheaper it holds plenty of line and the drag red lines at 24 lbs and has held up surprisingly well they provide you with an extra spool which you should have loaded up and ready and a five year warranty no questions ask. I should make you aware if you are going to go play with real big tuna the Stella reels can stop them due to a whopping 44 lbs of drag the okumas cant trust me I know this first hand. A few other reels to consider is the Shimano sustain, Daiwa Saltiga. Van stahl and Penn 750ss



Line

[Braid or synthetic only]

• Using Braid or synthetic line is an absolute necessity to get the maximum performance from your jigging outfit. When you are in 450 feet of water and you drop down to grouper you can literally feel the initial hit immediately. I use power pro 80 lb in green with a bimini twist at the end and a 15 foot top shot of 50 or 60 lb flouro I prefer Seaguar brand as it has less memory than many other types.

• One important note we did have two reels lined with yellow braid and we have since gone to all green as the yellow did not get tuna hits as consistent as the dark green line.

• There are numerous other synthetic lines on the market and using synthetic line is an important factor in jigging. Don't even consider all mono line as you won't detect nearly as many bites and the mono has way to much stretch.

• I have a reel spooled with the new suffix performance braid for 2008 I will let you know if this line is any better once I get to try it out.

KNOTS

Learn these braid to mono knots and you are set for basically any blue water jigging.

Bimini to double uni this is what I use and it has not failed me yet I like it due to the smooth transition from braid to mono and excellent strength.

I also use a knot called the slim beauty, this knot is a little hard to learn but has a very slim profile and it has yet to fail me.

Spider Hitch. I like this knot and its very easy to tie in bumpy seas its also very strong learn it once and I am sure it will come in handy for you.

Stren knot. This is an excellent knot and was developed just for braid to mono.

Surgeons knot. If you have to learn a quick braid to mono knot this will suffice but I wouldn't rely on it for my first choice it is extremely strong but it makes a rather large knot on the spool. You have to remember when you are reeling in large tuna or a big grouper its an extreme amount of pressure on your reel and you don't want the knot to imbed in other layers of the line.

To see great illustrations of the above knots and many more go to [url]www.proknot.com

The following websites below also have great illustrations or useful off-shore knots…

[url]http://www.midcurrent.com/articles/knots/slim_beauty.aspx

[url]http://www.fishnet.com.au/library/knotsrig...eader_knot.html

[url]http://www.fishnet.com.au/knotsrigs/knotsrigs.html

Specialty Tools

I would highly recommend a quality pair of split ring pliers or better yet if you get into this as I have invest in a pair of bay steel saltwater fishing pliers marketed by shimano specifically for jigging they are worth every penny at approximately 60.00. They make life easy in three foot seas when the bite is hot and you have to change up a jig or use the scissors to cut your synthetic line.

IMPORTANT NOTE

The importance of the split ring pliers is I can change a jig out quickly with out putting hooks on another solid ring I just take the split rings off the jig I am using and connect to another jig with the Shimano tool. I can change a jig out within 30 seconds.

Jigs

This could cover a whole page but I am going to provide you with the express version and the brands I use but feel free to experiment there are a lot of them out their to choose from I do want to make you aware they are not all created equal and a lot of times it is the jigs action fluttering thru the water that gets a reaction bite this is especially true on the drop as we have had a lot of initial hook ups in 25 to 60 feet of water when the line came to an abrupt halt. You close the bail and your tight on a fish. This happens frequently with tuna.

• I use a range of 3.5 to 9 ounce jigs

• I prefer to use 4 to 6.5 oz due to the fact I can work these all day and not get tired if the current ramps up past 2.5 knots I bump up to 7 oz

• I use many different brands but these are the jigs I have had the most consistent catches on

• Shimano regular in 3.7/8 to 5.5/8

• Shimano flat side in 5oz to 8 oz

• Shimano has a new line of jigs coming out for 2008 going by the name of lucanus I will keep you posted.

• Williamson abyss speed jigs in 3.5oz to 9oz in I keep a good supply of these in 5oz and 7oz. important note. Abyss jigs have a center wire loop in addition to their top wire loop to connect a hook do not use the solid rings and split rings on the center wire just loop the stinger hook through and your ready.

• Daiwa markets a great jig called the sacrifice and they work great on YFT but they are some what hard to find I haven't found a consistent source for them but if you do add a few to your box.

• River2sea.com puts out some very nice and productive jigs one called the turkey/slider has accounted for quite a few fish in my cooler for some reason the all silver appeal to Wahoo I would suggest 4oz to 7.5oz these also work great in a heavy current.

• River2sea also has a new jig coming out called the spike I have not used it yet but I do believe its going to be awesome and just by its shape it should drive fish berserk I will keep you informed.

• Tormentor makes some nice smaller jigs with single rear hooks we have had good success with.

• Braid markets some jigs by the name of betta and we have done real well with black fin tuna and mahi on these they have a single rear hook and excellent fluttering action on the retrieve but they are a little light for going to the bottom.



Terminal Tackle

• Purchase the following to connect stinger hooks to top of jig

• Owner solid rings in sizes 5 6.5 and 7.5

• Owner split rings in sizes 6 7 and 8

Hooks

• I do not use treble hooks on jigs Period.

• Very important note the assist hook you install on your jig should be a wide gap so as not to foul the jig.

• Most jigging hooks are referred to as assist hooks

• I use size 3/0 5/0 7/0 Wide Gap in medium length loops from Owner

• Owner recently introduced the sabiki assist hooks we have used them with excellent success they have a small mylar wing tied on to the hook this adds a lot of flash.

• River2sea has a new line of hooks out with real stiff loops I used them once in early January and they worked real well with school blue fins up to 45lbs I am actually very impressed with these hooks.

• Mustad has a whole new line of assist hooks out but I have not used them yet.

• Gamagatzu has a decent line of assist hooks at a good price point

• Olde salt markets assist hooks. Don't waste your money

General Info

Shimano has a web site with videos of butterfly jigging you can watch on line at Shimanofishingusa.com Google butter fly jigging and you can see how popular it is becoming.

I am a huge fan of supporting your local tackle store but if you fail to find any jigging equipment you need email me and I will help you out

• Important things to remember when jigging.

• Always have everyone drop 10 seconds apart and the lightest jigs go over first.

• Spread out on the boat as much as you can I fish a Regulator 29 and we comfortably fish four guys jigging and five is not out of the question. From past experience if you hook up with multiple fish get all other jigs out immediately in November of 2006 we hooked up with 4 YFT at one time in the 50# class needless to say we had three get into a cluster----- down below and 80# braid was parting like a hot knife thru butter. If you catch three YFT with shimano regular jigs in sardine pattern in their jaw please return my jigs.

• I urge you to try different jigs if you cant get tuna to bite and your marking them remember elephants eat peanuts its usually a matter of down sizing. This is where your bay steel fishing pliers come in real handy I can swap a jig out in less than 30 seconds when these pliers are close at hand.

• When the fleet is on top of them and the bite is slow up top go down to the fish just remember fish spend a lot of time below water.



In closing I hope you at least give this style of fishing a try I know its hard to grasp and I was a little apprehensive in the beginning but the first time I had a 47lb Wahoo grab my jig and commence to smoke line off my reel at mach 4 or the estimated 150lb big eye tuna we finessed to the surface only to have him get reel po'd and explode my rod into three pieces as he left for deeper water or the countless yellow fins that send electric through your arms as you hold on bent over double with nothing but 28 ounces of rod reel and line between you and the fish .It made a believer out of me and once you see the Regulator leave the dock with 6 jigging rods and only two conventional . Trust me I am not out there doing a research paper.

 Where have I heard that before

A lot of good information...

Now go out and go get'm.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

I'm a Sagittarius...If you don't want to hear the truth then don't ask my opinion!
Then again I'm a "Vacuous Asshat"  

Political Correctness:
A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical liberal minority, and rapidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a turd by the clean end. 

“Tell me who your friends are and I will tell who you are.”

 Century 25' Mirada 350/260HP "ISLAND LADY" >>>> Calera, Alabama    My Pictures

tell me about it..last trip out we lost i bet 20.......

You got that right. It will happen eventually though.

Mako 284 w/ twin 250 verados:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SpmWGjaEjkw

Bob

___________________________________________________________

Team ManFish

Kathryn Lynn

Good luck on that. I lost 5 shimano jigs in a couple of hours a few trips back.

AKA "Jiggin Junkie"

Bob

___________________________________________________________

Team ManFish

Kathryn Lynn