This summer, we’re supplying our guests with the gear to try a different, fun and highly effective way of catching fish! Your tackle box will now include a selection of jigs as an option to trolling and bottom fishing with spreader bars.
Simply put, jigging is lowering a weighted lure into the water, and repeatedly lifting and dropping the tip of the rod, enticing fish to strike at the active jig. It’s a surprisingly simple and successful way to catch halibut, lingcod, rock cod, and even salmon!
I have spent many successful days on the water with only my jigging lures to keep me busy, and I find it a nice change of pace to traditional fishing. Staying active on the boat, and even having the chance to turn off the engine for total peace and quiet is hard to beat. And nothing is better than holding the rod in your hands when the fish strikes!
Here are a few tips to effective jigging:
Find the right area! For salmon, find schools of bait and jig to the side or just below a bait ball. For bottom fish, look for “humps” or depressions on the sounder and fish a few feet off the bottom.
Once you find the right spot, motor up current and drift back over the zone.
Lower the jig to just below the depth of the bait, then start slowly raising and quickly dropping the rod tip
If fishing deep, don’t let the jig rest on the bottom, to prevent snags.
Keep the lines completely vertical – this can take some practice when driving and working a rod at the same time!
Keep the strokes short, lift the rod tip only 1.5 to 2 feet – no need for big 6 foot pulls!
If you feel the slightest bump, it’s a fish hitting the lure so strike hard and set the hook!
Why not give it a try this season? Ask me on the dock for some of my favourite spots, and I’ll point them out on your GPS!
Tight lines!
Ryan Ashton
