Halibut & Lingcod Jigging

[Tower Todd]

I would touch bottom and then speed jig up for 20-30' and then drop back and repeat until I was bit. The first bite doubled over the rod and took some short runs with heavy drag. I really pulled hard on the fish and broke the Flouro trace I was using that was 4' long and lost my fish and jig.

I had one more 250g Abyss jig in a grey color (the first was more orange in color). It didn't get bit as well, but still I managed to catch 2 small halibut and one small ling cod at 400' deep.

I am just starting to get interested in speed / vertical style jigging for more species. Here are my comments about the equipment I was using: The rod is inexpensive and while it is light, I don't care for the action of the rod and would like to test some other types of jigging rods. The Fin Nor Reel worked fairly well for this purpose, but I would prefer a slower ratio for jigging (this reel is a 6.2:1 ratio). Also I have two of these reels and my friend has one and the drags are pretty poor from the factory.

The line held well, but I think I may like to try 40lb. Jerry Brown Solid for 400' deep water so it slices through the water more easily. I feel 40lb. will still be ok as our chances of catching anything over 100 lbs. is very low and the braided line will likely test higher than rated anyhow.

I used a 4' - 40 lb. flouro trace to connect the braid to the jig and it broke on the first fish. I will use a stronger grade next time, probably 50 or 60lb. I don't want to heavy and kill the jig's action.

I like the Williamson Jig, but will probably look for some other brands or colors to go with what I have. Do you think 250G is about right for 400'? That was the largest I had for this trip.

Here are a few pictures of the small halibut and ling cod that I was able to catch and release:




Todd

[paul708]

nice report and pics.
yes a slower gear may be better chioice.
hope to see a few more post and reports

[Sea Draggin]

Great job Tower Todd. Sounds like your off to a great start. Its an addiction.

[silky23]

I would touch bottom and then speed jig up for 20-30' and then drop back and repeat until I was bit. The first bite doubled over the rod and took some short runs with heavy drag. I really pulled hard on the fish and broke the Flouro trace I was using that was 4' long and lost my fish and jig.

I had one more 250g Abyss jig in a grey color (the first was more orange in color). It didn't get bit as well, but still I managed to catch 2 small halibut and one small ling cod at 400' deep.

I am just starting to get interested in speed / vertical style jigging for more species. Here are my comments about the equipment I was using: The rod is inexpensive and while it is light, I don't care for the action of the rod and would like to test some other types of jigging rods. The Fin Nor Reel worked fairly well for this purpose, but I would prefer a slower ratio for jigging (this reel is a 6.2:1 ratio). Also I have two of these reels and my friend has one and the drags are pretty poor from the factory.

The line held well, but I think I may like to try 40lb. Jerry Brown Solid for 400' deep water so it slices through the water more easily. I feel 40lb. will still be ok as our chances of catching anything over 100 lbs. is very low and the braided line will likely test higher than rated anyhow.

I used a 4' - 40 lb. flouro trace to connect the braid to the jig and it broke on the first fish. I will use a stronger grade next time, probably 50 or 60lb. I don't want to heavy and kill the jig's action.

I like the Williamson Jig, but will probably look for some other brands or colors to go with what I have. Do you think 250G is about right for 400'? That was the largest I had for this trip.

Here are a few pictures of the small halibut and ling cod that I was able to catch and release:




Todd

Todd, I had good luck up in alaska on Halibut/ Lingcod with an OTI Jager jig and jumbo, Eastern Tackle has some very nice jigs as well, the potroast color should produce very well for you up there. I also found that anything with glow doubled my hookups, The OTI raptor assist hooks that have the sabiki stuff were phenominal for both h&LC as well. As far as jig weight is concerned in relation to water depth I typically go with 80-100g per 100 ft of water depth. Of course this is just a starting point, I try to find the lightest jig I can use and still keep vertical. Water currents play a big part in this. In alaska I was fishing 270ft but the current was so bad I was having trouble keeping 450-500g jigs underneath me. How the jig is weighted and shaped also plays a big role. this determins how fast it will sink, jig action, and how much drag it will produce when it is retrieved. I've had 120gr jigs feel like 300gr jigs on the retrieve due to it's shape For lingcod and halibut in 400ft i'd probably be selecting something in the 300-350gr range.

As far as line goes, you get what you pay for here, JB products are fantastic if you like fishing hollow core, and yes you must consider line diameter when dropping to the deep, the thicker the line diameter the more the current will grab and drag it and the longer it will take for your jig to get down there. I personally like and use almost exclusively OTI Depthfinder line, it's color marked every 25ft (not meters) so you know exactly how deep your jig is, super thin and round, strong as heck (actual breaking strength way above it's rating), and tying knotts with is is like a dream. My second choice would be Diawa boat braid, it's also color coded but in meters, just remember they sell it as it's actual breaking strength ie 50# will break at 50-55#, when selecting pay attention to it's PE rating ei PE4 = 40# test, PE5=50#, PE6= 60# etc. My third choice would be momoi diamond braid, superstrong, smooth, and round. Momoi is not metered but if you're bottom bouncing color coded lines are'nt a necessity.

Rod's and reels, youre choice's here are endless, I started off with Trevala rods and have since seen the light and moved on to much better rods like OTI jigging rods, Black Hole, and Synit. I used a 600gram OTI jigging rod in Alaska and it was way overkill, something in the 350-400 gram in a good quality rod would be perfect for you. I'f you're on the fence with the rod get ahold of Paul @ JPR Custom rods, He pretty much has the production lines all and can hook you up with a sweet custom if you desire one.

Are you using a conv. or spinning reel?

Hope this helps,
Drew