6 Days of Jigging

[Sea Draggin]

6 Days of Jigging Conversation.......a retrospective.

I have just completed two 3 Day tradeshows and talked to a few thousand people about jigging. Here is what I have discovered about our jigging community.

1. There are a few people that are Deep Jigging. By Deep Jigging, I mean 100-400ft of water offshore, which is deep for the majority. Although a very, very few are doing true deep drops in 850 ft.

However, the vast majority of the people that are actually jigging, are doing it inshore. From freshwater bass and stripers....to inshore trout, croakers, stripers and black bass. Also, some inshore grouper in the southern states. Deep jiggers as defined above, are the minority in the jigging community.

2. There are not many high quality jigs, like mine, available in small sizes. Guess what I will be working on today. People want my finish badly, but in 1 and 2 ounce sizes.

3. The vast majority of people are just "hearing" about deep jigging or "just getting into it." Most people have trevala's/toriums and are now looking to learn how to use them. They are starving for real information that will help them catch their first jig fish. So for the majority of the people, they have a starter set of equipment, but haven't hooked up yet.

4. "Jigging saved the day" was a story I heard no less than 25 times. "We had been trolling all day and not doing anything, then stopped on some numbers and put all our fish in the boat, jigging in the last two hours of the day." Many trollers could not believe that I was not taking any bait on trips anymore. ( But for the record, in late April - June, I am likely to be found with a rigged ballyhoo or 36).

As I think of more things, I will try to add to the list.

Cheerio,
Jim

[Ponce]

Nice inf o Jim.

I find that on every trip we stop to bottom fish some, I jig my son and buddies use bait. About 25% of our trips so far have been dedicated to bottom / jig fishing.

Everytime I go out I find more bottom while trolling we fish that day or some time in the future. I would guess that I find 1-3 new pieces of bottom structure everytime I go out. I'm starting to build up a nice little data base of my own numbers with depth and types of fish caught in certain conditions.

Keeping a record with the days conditions is cool and will help pattern. An example the same structure on 1 day all we caught was b-liners, next time differant conditions all Red snapper.

Jim sorry to take the thread off topic, just thought I would throw some more info out there.

[paul708]

i have found pretty much the same thing when i did the shows.
but some of the shows seem to draw striper guys and inshore guys.feedback from what i have heard from other vendors also.

we really dont have a grouper/ tile fish, ect up here close in.
so "deep drop " to us is a long day way offshore for tiles.

the tuna seem to be about 30 miles some days. mostly further out.

and the smaller setups will work fine for 80% of what guys fish for up here.
it seems only the real "hardcore" and people with expendable money. are getting the "high dollar" hardcore stuff.
cheap jigging setups seem to be catching alot of fish.
all depends on your target market.


i really like doing the jigging seminars, it is amazing how many people are intrested.

i have done local club seminars and few at the shop.
which is always available for guys to stop and "get a demo"

i think a lighter lure would be a good thing.
keep us posted.
are you doing any more shows this year?
how did you think attendace was?

[Sea Draggin]

PS. Thanks Di Hrd, WLB and Joey for your help guys. Couldn't have done it with you. You guys are truly great friends.

Thanks.

[Graceland]

I guess I am the exception to the rule. I am normally jigging at least 150 ft of water, and most of the time deeper for sea bass. We usually stick with the 200 gram jigs for this. Whe we drop for groupers and goldens we are usually using 600 grams or larger fishing in 400 ft to 1,000 ft.

I've got a friend who just got into the jig business and he has done a few shows. He said he had sold out of anything 150 grams and smaller for the most part, and was surprised that he wasn't moving that many of the larger jigs.

Maybe there is a perception that fish will shy off a jig if it is too large (read this as too long). I'll admit to being in this camp in the beginning. That was until I dropped a 14 oz, 14 inch Williamson on a wreck one day. The seabass went right after it. The size didn't intimidate them at all.

[di hrd]

I hear you Darren, we catch some tiny fish on jigs larger than the fish. These are the same fish that would pick out the eyeballs of a live bait. Seems they will peck at anything they can hope to tear off. On a jig that would be the hook... sorry for their luck

It was good to see some of the VA guys @ Richmond last weekend.