Jigging Unknown Waters

Saltwater jigging is a technique that is really getting a solid following worldwide, but in Tasmania it is relatively unknown. Tasmania does have the species and the waters to make this work and tackle shop owner Leroy Tirant recently gave it a try with a couple of mates.Jigging lures for fish has been around for many years, but it's only in recent times that tackle and the lures themselves have been specifically developed for this new born form of fishing. High speed reels, braid, and ultra-light, fast tapered rods have come forward in leaps and bounds as this new frontier has been developed.

Australians have only really caught on to these new techniques, after seeing how productive visiting Japanese anglers were fishing reefs for mega samsons, kingfish, trevally and other hard pulling reef dwellers.
Jig fishing fills an angler's mind with hope as he drops his jig to the reef below before winding the lure at high speed back through the water column. Nearly all reef species will take a jig as it looks like a bait fish fleeing from cover.
Reels are generally high speed models, preferably with a retrieve ratio of around 5.8:1-6.3:1 and capable of handling 10-20 + kilo's of drag pressure. Fishing with a near locked up drag is the norm.
Nearly all the major brands produce reels for this form of fishing some of my favourites are the Shimano Torrium and Tica ST 558 or Okuma Catalina for overhead reels and for spinning reels the Shimano Spheros, Pflueger Contender, Tica Cybernetic and Okuma Eclipze EZ. Of course in the higher end price bracket the Shimano Stella and Daiwa Saltiga are the best there is.
If a fish is allowed to run on a normal drag when hooked they will more often than not head back down to the reef they came from and break you off. The idea is to keep the fish from turning their heads and for the angler to dictate the terms of the fight. Overhead and spinning reels are both capable of doing the job as long as they are built tough with drags that are up to the task.  
Braid in the 50-80lb mark are the norm and many brands now have braid that is colored every 10 metres, so that an angler can determine what depth he is fishing at. In Tasmania we don't generally get to target XOS fish so 20 - 30lb braid will often suffice.
Rigs are simple. Tie a short double in the braid and use a double uni-knot to join 1-2 metres of trace with a snap swivel tied to the end. This is a very strong connection and allows the jig to be worked right through to the rod tip. I have caught giant trevally to 65lb on jigs in far north Queensland and have not been let down by this connection. The other rig you may prefer is to tie your double off to a snap swivel and pre rig your jigs by crimping your leaders to them and simple connect by clipping onto the snap. It's also worth mentioning that it may at times pay to have some knottable or rigged single strand wire available as couta can take their toll on jigs.
Rods more than anything else in this form of fishing have changed dramatically. Space age graphites make these style of rods super-light, but with incredible lifting and hook setting power. Some don't look any different than a light saltwater spin rod but can be rated between 20-30kilos. The Tica Boatmaster, Shimano Tcurve, Daiwa Saltiga, and my personal weapon of choice the Silstar Crystal Blue Power tip jig stick are all up to the task. They certainly make jig fishing more effective and give incredible control when loaded up.
The jigs themselves vary like any lure in shape, color, size and weight. Water depth and species being hunted generally dictate what size to use. The jigs are generally called knife jigs because of their long slender shape and have what's called an assist or swing hook secured to the top of the lure via a Kevlar connection or stainless limp wire braided loop. The idea of the hook being secured to the top of the lure is so the angler does not get hooked up to the bottom when the jig is dropped down. Most jigs are designed for optimum performance on retrieve, but also work whilst they are being dropped, as they generally have a fluttering action when falling.
Zest jigs are proven fish takers but River 2 Sea has by far one of the largest ranges of sizes and colors available and I can attest to how well they work. On a recent couple of trips off St Helens my mates and I have caught kingfish, albacore, rays bream, morwong and ugly cod that we couldn't identify. Whilst most of the fish caught were of the 4-7 kilo bracket Mason Paull was been broken off on 50lb braid twice, so there were obviously bigger kings mixed in with the schoolies. Fish can be targeted in just about any depth but cuurent and wind will determine if you can fish effectively as you'll want the jigs to drop as vertically as possible. A drogue may be useful to hold your position better in even a slight breeze.
When looking for areas to fish a depth sounder can be invaluable. Look for reef areas and then concentrate on searching for bommies and peaks on the reefs as this is where predators usually congregrate. Bait schools holding deep is the jewel your normally looking for and if your sounder is showing bigger fish around this school you could be in for a day of hard pulling fish.
Jigs are a very effective fish catching tool so be mindful of how many fish you take for the freezer especially with the small but growing Kingfish population found around the North and East coasts. Jigs can also be used in a multitude of situations, for example whilst berlying for mako shark we often use a jig worked through the berley trail, this technique will often work well on Albacore and although we are yet to catch a yellowfin doing this I can't see why it wouldn't work on them either.
There is a small band of dedicated jig users in Tasmania and it seems the more species that they add to their capture lists the more the group grows in numbers, be sure to join this new revolution and you'll find it an exciting form of fishing.

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