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Luke Wyrsta

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What's your favourite jigging style and for which species?

I am often asked what is the best jigging style/action for a particular species or area. I think it would be useful if we had discussion about this topic and perhaps came to some conclusions on what works and what doesn't.

We all know that there are many techniques to target different fish, of different species, size and in different areas...please share some of your thoughts. This could be used for some kind of fact file or information page on the main GTPopping.com website.

Cheers,
Luke

Brandon Khoo

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I like sliders so the style I prefer is a slower retrieve with a longer action jerk of the rod instead of the short sharp jerks yu use with a faster action lure. I find it works better for me for some reason. I also don't get tired as quickly!  ;D
If it swims; I want to catch it!

Andrew Woodley-Page

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I like sliders so the style I prefer is a slower retrieve with a longer action jerk of the rod instead of the short sharp jerks yu use with a faster action lure. I find it works better for me for some reason. I also don't get tired as quickly!  ;D

Brandon you lazy bugger   ;D ;D ;D

Jigging techniques, like all fishing techniques are dictated by quarry and environment.  Essentially there are two primary jigging techniques, long stroke and short pitch. 

Long stroke, as well described above by berniek, involves having the rod butt already in the fighting harness (jigging speak for rod bucket) and jerk/pull the rod towards the body winding the slack on the smooth downstroke.  From this description, you can see that this technique is best suited to spinning reels, although it can be comfortably done with a conventional reel.  I'm not sure about too slow a retreive though, you must still impart action to the jig or you are just winding up sinkers!  This technique is best matched to centre balanced jigs that will dart on the upstroke and flutter on the down stroke.  This is a medium water depth technique, or atl east only letting the jig decend to a medium depth of say 50-90 metres.  This technique is mostly employed to target mid water pelagic fish such as the tunas but let me tell you there's no slow retreive in those boys technique, they rip it! 

The second 'style' is short pitch, other names include mechanical jigging, underarm jigging & speed jigging.  This technique involves having the rod butt in your armpit and cradling the reel in your left hand.  On the down stroke one crank of the reel is completed by the bottom of the stroke, the rod is then lifted to complete an upstroke.  The length of stroke and speed can be adjusted to suit.  This technique is best suited to conventional reels and long jigs that are heavily bottom weighted.  As such, this style is very good in deep water targeting bottom species such as Samson fish and Amberjacks, but is successfully used for all species.  This technique requires greater experience, practice and skill to become efficient at but once achieved is less exhausting than long stroke.  Taiwanese anglers are the best in the world at this style.

All styles will catch all fish, just choose the technique / tackle set up that suits you and the most likely species to be encountered.  If you fish in wild locations where the fish are loose then sportfish are most likely strongly competing for food and will hit anything, presented at the surface or at depth.

There are other derivations of technique mainly based on the above two methods, I hope this helps.


Brandon Khoo

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that's me!!   ;D

Jigging is really hard work. Just watching some people jig makes me feel tired, let alone doing it myself. These macho men who jig 600g jigs - bloody hell, even thinking of it makes me feel tired!! I would ahve enough trouble trying to reel that damn jig in, let alone try to impart any action on it
If it swims; I want to catch it!

Cam Foley

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my best jig is the one that someone else hooks up on first
AKA STELLAJIGGER
KINGFISH INTERPRETER

dogsoldier

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I would have to say long jerk favourite species would be yellow tail kings and the good old sambo's some of the by catch with the bronzies are good for a bit of fun and a arm strech


Andrew

Brandon Khoo

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mate - if you foul hook a bronzie, you'll really know about it!!
If it swims; I want to catch it!

Tony Jreige

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I would have to say long jerk favourite species would be yellow tail kings and the good old sambo's some of the by catch with the bronzies are good for a bit of fun and a arm strech


Andrew
i find the short jerk armpit a very effective technique for yellowtail kingfish. I fish off sydney and i have bagged out 3 times in the last 4 outings, the day i got 2 fish i was the only one who landed any on the boat. Scotty Thorrington found my technique a little slower than the usual angler on his boat, i landed 7 fish out of 18 between 4 guys that day. i have been working on this technique for a few years now and i wont change it when fishing for kings.
Nonetheless i cant say i have jigged for any other species, althoughi have caught a couple of dollies and striped tuna on jigs, so i am not sure what mid water species would react more to.
I am dying to give the yellowfin in the burley trail a go this winter... we'll have to wait and see on that one.
Tony

Cam Foley

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A lot of guys in NZ jig pretty slow for kings and it seems to work, i don't slow down until i get tired.
AKA STELLAJIGGER
KINGFISH INTERPRETER

Chris Wong

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A lot of guys in NZ jig pretty slow for kings and it seems to work, i don't slow down until i get tired.

most Japanese style jigs don't suit sheer flat out speed. Centre weighted jigs rely on a little slack line or hesitation during jigging so that they can flutter. Most tail weighted jigs are quite streamlined and do require more speed to work. Your technique should depend on jig shape which depends on water depth and jig weight.

I've been trying hard to get kiwi jiggers to slow down, give the jig a chance to work rather than you do the work.  Jigging shouldn't be hard heavy work. When you watch Mogi San jig, then you'll understand what I'm saying -  truely a relaxed individual.

Chris Wong

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Since i am mainly targeting NZ Kingfish, my style is the underarm short jerk technique using an overhead reel with JM rods.  When using shaped jigs like Sanme, I still use the short jerk technique but slow the action down because I am tageting big bottom species like Hapuka or Bass (Wreakfish).  For kingies I use more streamlined jigs like the Zest Super Deep or Zest Deep slim. I jig at a moderate-fast speed.  For really streamlined jigs like the JM Rocket, it's flat out max speed which tests your stamina and technique.  Mr Liu of AG Anglers jig speed is the fastest i've seen, or haven't seen since his hand speed is absolutely blurring. Such high speed does bring its rewards, Mr Liu is probably the best jigger I've seen.

Johan de Vlieger

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I'm jigging about 22 years now...but not as you know it !
I'm fishing mainly in the Northsea (near the English channel) where we search wrecks to jig around.
The technique is very simple : you give line till you reach the bottom than give a long jerk and let it hit the bottom again. Sometimes you need to give some more line out to keep reaching the bottom.
If you then come near the wreck you have big channels around it that are shaped by the current and there...big cod is waiting (see my avatar) ! If you fail to hook up, you catch the wreck.
You probably say: allright but what is the use of this technique in tropical environments ?
Well I've been fishing the Atlantic, the Great and the Indian ocean's qiute a few times and I must say : it's working as well there as it does in colder water !
First time I tried it was under an oilplatform in Gabon : cobia's, big groupers and even barra's near the bottom.
Certainly with the "new style" (assist hooks) it's worthwile trying it.
Fishing is no matter of life or death : it's far more important !!

Graham Scott

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 I'm a bit different too. I grew up during the flat out straight up craze of the 80's. We still do something similar for small mackerel. I have modified this technique to jigging.
Here's my approach. Drop to the bottom. Wind flat out 6 or 8 turns then stop dead, no rod movement at all. Repeat as necessary after say 2 second pause. I catch as many AJ's and trevally as anyone else. Most fish strike on the slack. We use knife jigs in the 180 to 230gm range in 40m of water.
The logic to this retrieve started with mackerel, at flat out retrieve the mackerel used to follow right behind the lure, but would only strike when the lure stopped (and basically they ran into it).

Brandon, I can also guarantee you will last a lot longer than the show ponies trying to rip there rods apart.

Eriko Susanto

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Imho depend on spot,
on spot used to got strong current more than 3 knot.. long slim jig fast sinking... got the bottom then fast jerking /short stroke .. passing those predator depth ( see sounder ).. then suddenly slow jerking/long stroke.... as if bait fish struggling fight the current and exhausted...
on spot used to got slow current.. use slow sink jig ..usually short with fat body..  hit the bottom start with long stroke .. combine with short stroke when near fish depth .. as if running from those predator..
some spot use to have their own habit to get  frenzy..   (for example current change, dawn etc )..

Sachin Chaudhry

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Usually if the sounder is marking a lot of fish on the bottom I tend to slow jig and that is productive.
Mid water for me usually means doggies, YFT, Spanish Mackerel or any other pelagic and I tend to jig  bit faster for these.
Steep (and sometime frustrating) learning curve but getting there.