Thread: Fishing tomorrow!

Originally Posted by veitnamcam

How do you target the bigger ones then ?

Good question. One thing I have noticed with the majority of people jigging on the charter boat is that they all use the same technique. Drop to the bottom, jig rapidly to the surface then repeat. I am lazy old and find that very tiring.
Working on the charter boat means that I when I have the opportunity to drop a line I have keep well clear of the paying customers to avoid tangles or interfering with their fishing. Due to the design of the boat and our survey limits, paying customers are limited to fishing from the cockpit which is large enough to accommodate 26 people. As luck would have it, where I fish places me close enough to the electronics to be able to see the sonar.
Modern high quality commercial electronics with experienced use, can show much much more than just the presence of fish. they can also show different species and fish size and have a number of settings to enhance this. I can also see the jigs as other guys jig to the surface and often note that they pass by bigger fish without a strike. Armed with that knowledge I can pass on that info to the customers. When I jig, if normal methods arent working I present the jig in various ways rather than a simple drop and jig on the retrieve. Both of the kings yesterday struck on what I call 'reverse' jigging.
As the jig was free falling to the bottom, I stop the spool with my finger, lift the rod high in a jerky double motion so the jig jerks up twice then drop the rod to below horizontal which releases about a metre of line before repeating the action. After each stop and double jerk, this causes the jig ( especially Knife jigs) to flutter as it drops. If a fish strikes, the line will normally remain slack rather than regaining tension from the weight of the jig and I will then rapidly wind and strike by lifting the rod tip.

If I dont get a strike on the drop, I let the jig settle to the bottom then instead of jigging rapidly to the surface I slow jig back up through the water column by lifting the rod in 2 or 3 jerks each lift of the tip until I pass through what appears to be the bigger fish. I also vary that movement by dropping the rod tip quickly to create slack so that the jig flutters on the way up.
On saturdays trip I watched a guy jig for about 20mins without a strike using the normal method. I told him to try the above but due to his mind set he couldnt get his head around the mechanics of it.. He finally asked me to demonstrate the method. Using my gear, I threw a jig over the side and gave him a running commentary as I demonstrated the method.....on the 4th lift and double jerk I hooked up a 95cm King, brought it to the boat and to his credit he refused the offer of the fish and we released it... He then tried the same method and hooked up on his first drop..........

It doesnt work everytime, but if the fish wont strike using normal methods then try something else.......

Keep it to yourself my friend, we dont want everyone targeting the bigger ones

Oh, and it the same idea about bigger baits catch bigger fish applies........I look at the size of jigs others are using and go bigger if my gear can handle it......

Originally Posted by Allgood

Good question. One thing I have noticed with the majority of people jigging on the charter boat is that they all use the same technique. Drop to the bottom, jig rapidly to the surface then repeat. I am lazy old and find that very tiring.
Working on the charter boat means that I when I have the opportunity to drop a line I have keep well clear of the paying customers to avoid tangles or interfering with their fishing. Due to the design of the boat and our survey limits, paying customers are limited to fishing from the cockpit which is large enough to accommodate 26 people. As luck would have it, where I fish places me close enough to the electronics to be able to see the sonar.
Modern high quality commercial electronics with experienced use, can show much much more than just the presence of fish. they can also show different species and fish size and have a number of settings to enhance this. I can also see the jigs as other guys jig to the surface and often note that they pass by bigger fish without a strike. Armed with that knowledge I can pass on that info to the customers. When I jig, if normal methods arent working I present the jig in various ways rather than a simple drop and jig on the retrieve. Both of the kings yesterday struck on what I call 'reverse' jigging.
As the jig was free falling to the bottom, I stop the spool with my finger, lift the rod high in a jerky double motion so the jig jerks up twice then drop the rod to below horizontal which releases about a metre of line before repeating the action. After each stop and double jerk, this causes the jig ( especially Knife jigs) to flutter as it drops. If a fish strikes, the line will normally remain slack rather than regaining tension from the weight of the jig and I will then rapidly wind and strike by lifting the rod tip.

If I dont get a strike on the drop, I let the jig settle to the bottom then instead of jigging rapidly to the surface I slow jig back up through the water column by lifting the rod in 2 or 3 jerks each lift of the tip until I pass through what appears to be the bigger fish. I also vary that movement by dropping the rod tip quickly to create slack so that the jig flutters on the way up.
On saturdays trip I watched a guy jig for about 20mins without a strike using the normal method. I told him to try the above but due to his mind set he couldnt get his head around the mechanics of it.. He finally asked me to demonstrate the method. Using my gear, I threw a jig over the side and gave him a running commentary as I demonstrated the method.....on the 4th lift and double jerk I hooked up a 95cm King, brought it to the boat and to his credit he refused the offer of the fish and we released it... He then tried the same method and hooked up on his first drop..........

It doesnt work everytime, but if the fish wont strike using normal methods then try something else.......

Keep it to yourself my friend, we dont want everyone targeting the bigger ones

Oh, and it the same idea about bigger baits catch bigger fish applies........I look at the size of jigs others are using and go bigger if my gear can handle it......

Good to know thanks.
If one thing isnt working I will try anything else till it does

Head light batteries done ....even laid out fishing uniform ...ohhh the long wait ...off to tie rigs ..