Bryce was stoked with this snapper.
The author and a solid spanish mackerel.
Top jigging tips
S The author scored this nice yellowfin kingfish.
Ben Glass scored a diamond trevally.
Bryce with a nice amberjack. Page 52 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, May 2022
OUTHEAST Queensland has an incredibly special offshore fishery, and we’re currently in the middle of when cold water meets warm, so there is an abundance of species to chase. Personally, vertical jigging is by far my favourite go-to fishing style. There is something very satisfying about tricking a fish into smashing a chunk of metal and devouring the hooks. Surprisingly, it is much easier than newcomers to the jigging scene think and, once you dip your jig into this world, I can guarantee you’ll be hooked, particularly with how many fish this style can produce. First, you need to understand the jig that is to be used, in what situation and for your target species. At Top Dog Tackle, we have slow pitch jigs – these have a few names such as butterfly, flutter or even slow pitch. To look at, they are short, wide and often
vary in weight from the front to the back. Jigs can have a range of different assist hooks on them – from single hooks to double hooks and even hooks off the top and bottom of the lure. There is no right or wrong here – it comes down to what you the angler is most confident with. When slow-pitch jigging, I use a doubleassist hook with glow fibres and feathers. The super-sharp double assist allows a better hook-up rate if the fish is coming in only to have a look and when they are a bit tentative on the bite. As the names suggest, they ‘flutter’ on the drop and this drives demersal fish crazy. I’ve caught almost all the fish species anglers want to eat – from coral trout to red emperor and the humble snapper and, more often than not, if the fishing is slow on bait, the jig will get the bite on the better fish. As a general rule of thumb, when selecting
what size jig to use, 1g per 1m of water is a good start. So, let’s say you’re fishing in 60m of water, you’d use a 60g jig. The more you become familiar with your jigs and depths, the more confidence you’ll gain to play around with this technique. I’ve used 130g jigs in 30m of water, bashing the big weight to the bottom around zombies to get big angry trout to the big profile jig – the 1g per 1m is a good starting point. The most common type of jig that people recognise is the knife jig. These are long skinny pieces of metal that sink fast and need to be retrieved quickly to get the pelagic and oceanic fish to eat. The knife jig is generally used in deep water situations and even in shallower water when the current is strong. The slim line profile allows the jig to get to the bottom easier, allowing you to use light* continued P53
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