Amberjack?

[Jay Burgess]

Well next time we head out on another long range trip we're pretty keen to head out and do a bit of deep jigging. Fairly sure there could be amberjack in the area but have absolutely no idea what to look for. What depths do you guys get them in over there and what do you look for on the sounder? What jig retrieves do they respond well to and what jigs have been pretty successful? Thanks and any help appreciated.

[Graham Scott]

Find a wreck in more than 20m of water.

[Jay Burgess]

mmm Wrecks aren't that easy to come by in some parts.

[Neale Bird]

you'd be set if one of those ore ships went down

[Kasey Leong]

In the absence of a wreck, oilrigs are the key Jay.

[Travis Heaps]

So does that mean the congregrate around any sort of sharp sided, steep structure rising up of the seabed?

[Jay Burgess]

In the absence of a wreck, oilrigs are the key Jay.

mmm.. illegal 

[Marko Pekic]

wrecks as mentioned. Sometimes the amberjack are fussy and have found that they love the japanese style jigs and with a skirt on the assist

[Warwick Joyce]

wrecks as mentioned. Sometimes the amberjack are fussy and have found that they love the japanese style jigs and with a skirt on the assist

Marko, what is the Japanese style jigs? Long or short jigs? Front, center or tail weighted?

Sorry for my ignorance but I thought "Japanese style jigs" covers jigs of all shapes and sizes?

[Marko Pekic]

i probably shouldnt have said style just better quality jigs rather than a cheap river to sea or something like so. Not to say they dont work just diff day diff taste

[Mark Harris]

So does that mean the congregrate around any sort of sharp sided, steep structure rising up of the seabed?

I am not sure what geographic area you are referring to Jay, but in Southeast Asia, big Amberjacks are almost always at depths of 70 metres plus, and yes they like obvious deep reefs and the edges of trench drop-offs. Failing that look for FADs like rigs.

On the jigs and jigging style - go as fast as you can and use long bottom weighted jigs. I am not sure I have ever caught an Amberjack on a fluttery type jig using a slow retrieve.

[Jamie Moir]

Interesting, off fremantle the sambos prefer the big long jigs moved quickly, but the AJs prefer the smaller and slower stuff.

[Marko Pekic]

as jamie said ours do like the smaller jigs. I catch alot on jigs with skirts not sure if it helps or not but yeh we dotn really have many monster amberjacks like other places do but have seen some big ones pulled up at the deeper wrecks (200 metres)

[Mark Harris]

That may well be a difference when Amberjacks and Samson are found together, and when Amberjacks fill the niche alone?

Amberjacks are very versatile fish for sure. Off the eastern seaboard of the US for example I think they target them with surface stickbaits, a bit like Kingfish.  In Southeast Asia they tend to be deepwater lurkers like Samsons are in WA.

[Marko Pekic]

during the winter its usually just amberjacks on there own (here in freo) out at the deeper wrecks and still liked the jigs slowed down a bit but in saying that have still caught them at full speed jigging. In the abrolhos we caught them fishing for demersals so basically not even moving them much at all. When there on theyll take anything me thinks.