Jigging

Jigs are a type of artificial lure, made mostly of metal, and come in numerous shapes and sizes. The most basic, which doesn’t mean primitive or inefficient, ones are simply a sinker with an integrated hook, often hidden by a bunch of natural or artificial hair, and baited with a soft worm or minnow shaped tail. Lures for vertical jigging, which are set in an up and down motion by the hand of the angler, and descend to the bottom, often have a more sophisticated structure. As the lure falls to the bottom, the flow of water around this surface changes its direction, making the movement more realistic. Jigs are mostly used near the bottom, where they perfectly imitate a fish picking up food from it. Their most natural environment is situations where the angler is located directly over the fish - fishing from a boat, freshwater and saltwater, and especially ice fishing, where it’s one of the few technique available to an angler. Jigs are also a highly popular and efficient lure to tie on a conventional spinning rod, to fish from the shore or even from a boat. In this technique you cast and retrieve your jig just as you would a regular spinning lure. To maximise your chances of success, do the interval retrieve, leading the jig in a kind of jumps over the bottom; you may also help the movement of the lure by raising and lowering your line as you retrieve. This method is said to be especially deadly on flounder. However, dedicated jigging requires a specialized jigging rod, shorter and stronger than regular spinning rods. This especially relates to rods for ice fishing, where the shorter the rod is, the easier to operate it in the limited space of the hut, and without hitting the line over the sides of the hole in the ice. There are no special requirements for reels, but the line should be a hard type that doesn’t stretch much. Vertical jigging is gaining popularity for saltwater fishing, and is used to catch a variety of fish, mostly bottom-dwelling predators including amberjack, snapper and kingfish. It can be even used in commercial fisheries, where the rod is usually equipped with a number of jigs, and random catching the fish with the hooks as the lure goes by is as important as a dedicated bait. However, fishing charters and captains also offer jogging fishing trips, and if you’re only wondering whether to take up this type of fishing, it is recommended to start with one of such trips.