The Basics of Fishing with "Iron Jigs”

Every boat has a some of these fishermen. They are the guys that stand in the bow, waiting for the surface to show any signs of life. Then it happens, the surface explodes with feeding gamefish and they launch long accurate casts toward the excitement. With a few turns of the reel handle you hear them scream, "HOOKUP" !

The following is a basic guide for fishing with jigs. These are patterns and techniques that I have discovered over the past 30 years. Lets start first with the different styles of Jigs. There are 3 basic models, Surface Jigs (Light Jigs), medium weight Yo-Yo Jigs and Heavy weight Yo-Yo jigs. Surface Iron Jigs are light in weight and stay in the upper section of the water column. Some examples of this style are Kicker 25-Light, Kicker 15-Light, Candyman and Iron Man 1 & 2. Yo-Yo Jigs are heavy and stay in the lower section of the water column. Some examples of Yo-Yo Jigs are Kicker 15-Heavy, Kicker 25-Heavy and Iron Man 3, 5 & 6. Light Jigs are best for fishing the upper section of the water column which is approximately just below the surface down to around 25 feet. Light Jigs work the best when fish are boiling, jumping, chasing bait, breezing or puddling. Heavy Jigs are used to reach fish in the lower section of the water column. Heavy Jigs work best when fish are holding deep below the surface, like offshore tuna or fishing over bottom structure.

Try using these basic guide lines when choosing colors and sizes. The following will increase your odds of catching fish on jigs. Try to determine where the fish may be holding and/or feeding within the water column. This will help you determine whether to use a Surface Jig or a Heavy Jig. Then determine what the fish are feeding on, I have found this observation to be one of the most critical. For example, if the fish are feeding on large sardines try to match the Jig color and size to represent that of the same. A Kicker 25, Candyman or Iron Man #6 in a sardine colored pattern would be an excellent choice. If the fish are feeding smaller sized Anchovies, your choice would be a Kicker 15 or Iron Man 1, 2, 3 or 5 in a blue, green or purple color pattern. A good rule of thumb is to take a look at the chum being thrown in the water or take a good look at the bait in the area, then match your jig size and color accordingly. Typically, fish near the boat are feeding on the chum that has congregated around the boat. We call this observation, "Match the Hatch".

Now that you have a jig selected you will need an appropriate rod. For Surface Jigs use an 8-10 foot Jig rod that is slightly parabolic. You will have greater success casting light jigs with longer rods. For Heavy Jigs you can get away with slightly shorter rods in the 6 1/2 - 8 foot range. Heavier jigs are much easier to cast and do not require such a long rod length Speak to your local tackle dealer for some help with your jig rod selection, you will find that most dealers are knowledgeable and helpful.

When it comes to reels, gear ratio and spool size are quite important. For Surface Jigs be sure to use a 3/0 - 4/0 sized reel with a 5:1 or 6:1 gear ratio. This gives you the option of being able to wind the Jig slowly or being able to crank it at a very fast pace. Having varied retrieve speed options is very important and we will discuss this later. Most of the time Heavy Jigs do not require such a high gear ratio because you will typically be using a 4/0 - 5/0 sized reel. These larger reels have larger spool diameters. The spool diameter alone basically gives you the option of a fast or slow retrieve. The larger the spool diameter, the faster the line goes onto the reel. Although, be sure to use at least a 4:1 gear ratio for Heavy jigs. There are many reel manufactures that make quality reels for jig fishing, again, talk with your local tackle dealer about your Jig reel choices.

As for line size you want to use 25 - 60 lb. test for throwing jigs. There are a few reasons for fishing with heavier line. First, you never know what size fish is going to inhale your jig. Second, when a fish eats a jig it is a reaction strike! They are focused on the jig itself, not the line size. Additionally, if you happen to hook a small fish it is easy to bounce the fish on the boat rather than call for the gaff to get your jig back. Bouncing a fish on a jig is very dangerous so please be very careful When you intend to bounce a fish, make sure you have a clear area around you and warn others of your intentions. Then wind down toward the fish leaving about 2-3 feet between the rod tip and the fish. Next, swing the fish just over the rail and immediately put your reel in free spool and lightly drop the fish to the deck. This is the safest method and even this is not recommended for the inexperienced angler. If you have any doubts, do not bounce a fish! Your best choice is to ask for assistance from a deckhand. If you intend to release the fish do not let the fish flop around on the deck. When a fish thrashes around on the deck, it will lose it's slime which is it's protective coating. This slime is an infection barrier. When a fish is released with a spot that is lacking this slime, the fish is prone to infections in that area and it may develop open wound sores and die. Please practice effective catch and release methods, otherwise you are wasting your time releasing injured fish.

Casting is a bit of an art form and takes a lot of practice to master. Some techniques I have discovered over the years seem to really help. Safety is the first of your concerns. Always look behind you through the entire casting motion. Just remember, it's pretty hard to miss the water so you don't have to look at it! When you are ready to cast, drop your jig about half way down the rod length, then follow through with a smooth motion straight over your shoulder. On the follow through rotate the reel toward the water as the line is coming off the spool. In other words, have the reel side plate facing the water as you finish the motion. This helps the line peel off the reel more efficiently, it adds to your distance and helps control frustrating backlashes. Try not to thumb the line entirely itself when casting. What happens is as you cast and retrieve jigs repetitively sometimes the line tends to get wound onto the spool a bit loosely and lumpy. So if you thumb the line as it is being thrown out it will make the line come off the reel inconsistent, which in turn causes a backlash. This brings up another point, be sure to put some tension on the line by pinching it between your thumb and index finger as it is being wound back onto the spool. The line tension is important for two reasons. First, so your next cast will come off the spool smoothly. Secondly and most important, if you hook a fish your line will not bury itself into the lose line and break off at the reel! Also, your drag system works a lot more efficiently when the line is packed tightly onto the spool. So remember, drop the jig half way down the rod, smooth motion straight over the top of your shoulder, thumb the inside of the spool and line and rotate the reel toward the water on the follow through. On the retrieve, be sure to put tension on the line by pinching it between your thumb and index finger and be sure to work the line back and forth so the line goes back on the spool evenly. I recommend practicing a while before trying to cast on a boat. The best time for you to practice is when nobody is watching and when you have time to correct your mistakes. Not when there is a wide open bite!

When retrieving jigs no matter what style, you will have to experiment with the retrieve speed and depth of the lure. You never know what may work for that particular day. Everyday on the water is different! It may be a slow wind on the surface to entice slow puddling fish or maybe a very fast retrieve just under the surface that gets the attention of fish that are boiling and chasing bait. Again, you want to analyze what is going on in the water and try to reproduce that in the way of your jig size and color and on your jig retrieve. Another thing to consider is varying the depth of your lure. Sometimes when fishing with Light Jigs you may have to count to 30 or so before you start your retrieve. When fishing with Heavy Jigs, the fish may be holding at 100 to 150 feet below the surface, so it is very important to find the "Strike Zone" as well as the correct speed. Another important factor is to make sure your jig is swimming naturally. It seems as though most jigs on the market have their own magical speed at which they perform the best.

When we develop Bight Fishing Products, we implement several features into our Jig designs. The features include, an active baitfish swimming action, an effective at action at virtually any retrieve speed, a user friendly product, consistency, realistic baitfish colors and universal applications. Additionally, we were in pursuit of a finish that was durable. After researching all types of paints, we developed our own unique process for our finishes. Our finishes are very durable and somewhat chip resistant. It took countless hours of research and development, but we finally perfected all of the features for the Jigs.
Most of the jigs you see in quality tackle shops will catch fish, our lures just tend to attract strikes more often than others. If a jig swims and looks realistic in the water, it's going to draw Strikes and it's going to get bit when the fish are finicky!

Now you have found the right color, size, speed and strike zone and are starting to attract strikes. Here are a few things to keep in mind when fishing with Jigs. When a fish strikes do NOT swing as you would setting the hook on a fish caught on bait. Instead, when you feel the weight of a strike on your rod tip, let the rod load up (in the bent position) and immediately increase your reel cranking speed until the fish starts to pull drag off the reel. Your hook is now set without the swinging motion. Trying to set the hook on a fish that has hit a Jig is a big mistake. What happens is as you are retrieving your lure the fish is typically swimming toward you. If you stop to swing and set the hook, more often than not the lure will fall out of the fishes mouth or you will end up with an insufficient hook set and lose the fish in the battle. The analogy is, lifting the rod cannot take the slack out of the line as fast as the reel can. So remember to crank faster when you get a strike on a Jig

In closing, you will catch more fish and typically larger fish on jigs, the largest fish of the day is often caught on a jig. There is no time wasted at the bait tank looking around for a hot bait and once you catch a fish simply pull the hook out and check for line abrasion then you are back to casting for the next one. The most exciting part of Jig fishing is the initial strike, your rod is almost yanked out of your hands by a fish that just inhaled your jig. Believe me, it's a great feeling fooling a gamefish into eating a painted hunk of metal which we call, Iron Jigs!

GOOD LUCK JIG FISHING!

Don Baker, President/Founder of Bight Fishing Products