Thread: vertical jigging

I know this is a pier fishing forum but.... i was wanting to do some vertical jiggin next time i go out on my boat. I would like to target some snapper and maybe grouper and some amberjacks. For those of you that go out and jig i was wantin to know the rigs and techniques to use to catch them my questions are:

1. What is your favorite jig: for snapper, amberjack, maybe grouper.(butterfly or williamson or whatever just your favorite)

2.How do you rig it: ( do you use a wind on leader or just connect the braid to the leader, how long of a leader, what pound, fluorcarbon or mono, are swivles involed or not.) just how do you rig the entire thing top to bottom.

3. The Jig: do yall do anything special to the jig once you buy it. ( buy different hooks or just buy it already rigged.) just anything special to the jig yall do.

4. Reel: as of right now i have a shimano torium 20 full of 300 yards of 80# braid on a shimano trevala jigging rod 5'8" 80-200# extra heavy, medium fast action. will this get er done?

5. Reel: I also have a shimano saragosa 8000F with 300 yards of 50# braid. Its on a shimano terez 7'2" braided line weight 20-50# power is medium action is fast.

Thanks for takin the time to read this long ass thread but i just couldnt find any help on vertical jigging, I know this forum would be the best place to find the awnser. thanks

you tube is your friend for jigging techniques.....attach main line to the solid ring where your assit hooks are, and a split ring to the jig from the solid....if not this way you will loose plenty of jigs (DON NOT ATTACH THE MAIN LINE TO A SPLIT RING)or hooks for that matter if you want to get fish to the boat
60lb braid would be plenty ....jigs depend on your budget, they all work color is something to consider ....depending how far out, once you get past 350ft deep you will need glow painted jigs ....the light doesn't pass any past that depth and getting closer to that depth, wouldn't hurt using glow any way
I like spinning gear for jigging.....but that is personal preference .....bottom bumpnig I will use conventional (live bait)

ripping the jig up in the water column then open bail and let flutter back down....watch the depth finder and target the depths the fish are in
you will find what the fish like ....a white with red head jig is always a good all around color,......pink,blue,green,purple
if there are no fish on the depth finder, you will be wasting your time and energy

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=vertical+jigging&search_type=



Not the wisest to fish everyone on the same side....at least the boat I fished on.....

I did make my own solid rings out of stainless lock washers pinched tight and tig welded closed....some solid rings aren't round and more flat with a sharper edge

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K8PkYEtsJuQ

I'm not an expert by any means but we do some vertical jigging offshore for tuna and AJs and this is my take on it based on my past year in the boat.

1: butterfly jigs of several different brands Shimano and Williamson make great ones but you can find some real steals on Ebay and locally from people that pour their own for a fraction of the cost. It hurts less to lose a $5 jig than a $20 one when fishing in the lower water column for grouper or around rig legs for AJ's. You're gonna lose jigs, just a part of it. Most of mine are 4-8oz.

2: short 15' leader of 40-60 lb mono for blackfin or YFT, 80 for grouper. I have played around with various leader knots and wind-ons, don't yet have a preference.

3: I have found my hookup to boat ratio is better with a single hook than with two. Fish come unbuttoned more often for me after setting the hook when I'm running a dual hook setup. I've read discussions on both but this is only from my experience. Most of my assist hooks are the 5/0 Owners. Tie directly to your welded ring then the jig goes onto the welded ring via a split ring with the assist hook attached to the welded ring. Google a picture of one and it's easy to understand when you can look at a photo.

4: Should be fine. I have the XH Trevala and have boated a bunch of fish with it already this year. I'm in the market for a rod for the Spheros 14000 and will probably get another Trevala from J&M once I sell some of my shark rods/reels.

5: haven't handled the Terez, just watch the weight rating and I'm sure it'll do for lighter jigging applications for suspended fish or shallower water where more weight isn't needed.

thanks for all the tips. It looks like theyve got a ton of shimano butterfly jigs theres
1. shallow water jig series
2.butterfly flat side jigs
3.Butterfly flat-fall jigs
Which ones do yall think i should buy?
Also theres a wind on leader made by shimano should i go 15' or buy the wind on?
And is fluorocarbon a no go or just stick with the 40-60# mono like dutch said?

all up to you....I believe the guys I went with always tied a Bimini twist wind on....jigs depends on depth and current ....what weight you will need, if the fish are hungry sometimes it doesn't matter for style or color....one grouper species liked green of some sort....you might want to make a few of your own, cast in bondo mold ....I made my own mold out of aluminum, but really never got to try them out due to the type fishing going on(trolling and sword fishing), and then our times ended together.

sure wish I could paint better, need to try with an air brush , instead of a small paint brush ....a few of the glow ones

.

those look nice ironman is the first pic a pic of the shimano butterfly jig bag? i was thinkin bout buyin a bunch of jigs and then gettin that bag for em

Originally Posted by southernfishin

those look nice ironman is the first pic a pic of the shimano butterfly jig bag? i was thinkin bout buyin a bunch of jigs and then gettin that bag for em

yes it's the small shimano jig bag, and very nice for transport and storage too

I made 3 different weights ....145gr,195gr and they needed a 10-1/2 oz around 300gr forthe deep water 550 to 800 ft....to drag the bottom for long tailed sea bass when they were deep dropping for snowies or golden tiles.....and in super glow they found while drifting the 800ft they would drag the bottom with the big jig (glow yellow) and catch the long tailed sea bass regular while the electrics were out for the golden tiles

down that deep looks means nothing....it is all the glow then



http://www.youtube.com/user/recessfishing?feature=watch

Originally Posted by Dutch

It hurts less to lose a $5 jig than a $20 one

In addition to ebay homemade jigs, look at Anteaterjigs.com - Products and Vertical Jigs ... handful of other similar jig companies out there, I can't say shimano ones are worth the double or triple price tag.

thanks pierless, on the anteaterjigs.com-products, would the 7 ounce and 6 inch long set be good for catchin snapper, ajs and maybe some grouper. im probly not goin out past 60 miles. Its $30 for 6 which is a great deal.

the 200gr would be plenty heavy and those look very nice too, if in shallower you can get by with 145gr....or the other....it is hard to use the light jig in deeper water with current and takes forever to get down....your line size will dictate that some too....and 80lb braid is too much ....I started with that and reduced to 60lb ....really 50 is enough in most cases the larger diameter the more the current will affect it ....consider that

jigging is a lot of work, don't give up on live bait....that is still the best in my opinion....but then I am lazy too, and enjoy catching the bait for the next days fishing adventure....well used too