Fishing at sea or in large freshwater areas forces the spinner to stock up on heavy artificial baits. Only in this case can you count on a good catch. One of the most effective types of spinners are jigs for sea fishing. They allow you to hunt both in the vast expanses of the sea and in deep freshwater reservoirs. What are jigs, what types are there, and how to use them?
Concept of jig, scope of application
A distinctive feature of all jigs is the elongated purlin shape of the body. Essentially, this bait is a heavy oscillating spoon. On one side of the jig there is a soldered loop for fastening with fishing line, on the other end a treble hook is attached to the same loop. To give the bait more mass while maintaining a narrow elongated body, manufacturers use several technologies.
- The simplest way to make spinners of this type is to use a profile wheel. The workpiece is cut on both sides at a certain angle, holes are made at the ends or loops are soldered.
- Many spinning anglers are familiar with the homemade tube bait. Some jigs are made from a tubular material that is then filled with lead.
- A number of manufacturers cast all bait from lead in special molds. As a result, the body of the jig resembles a live fish.
- Triangular baits are made from a metal sheet, which is first bent into a triangular profile, followed by soldering the seam. The internal cavity is filled with molten lead.
Photo 1. Installation of the jig.
Jigs can be used both in open sea conditions and in wide freshwater areas. Drawing a line between marine and freshwater models is quite difficult.
- In general, jigs for sea fishing are distinguished by their larger dimensions and greater weight. Such properties of the bait allow you to successfully hunt cod, halibut or catfish. Fishing is carried out from a boat or ship in a vertical position.
- You can catch freshwater predators such as pike perch and asp with more compact models. Since fishing is most often carried out using the jig method, the flight characteristics of baits come to the fore. Although vertical fishing from a boat is also quite effective.
Attention! The main advantage of jigs over other spinning baits is the ability to catch predators in any horizon. By changing the weight of the spoon and the wiring, you can catch fish both at the bottom and in mid-water.
Features and types of jigs
In the classical sense, a jig is a heavy, narrow-bodied spoon, the ratio of length to width is about 6:1. Many models have a round, hexagonal, rectangular or square section. The weight of the bait is decent, allowing you to quickly deepen it and keep it in the fishing zone, regardless of the strength of the current.
This category of baits is widely represented on the market. However, many models have a high cost, so anglers make jigs with their own hands, giving them the necessary characteristics, adapting them to specific fishing conditions and types of predatory fish.
Broadly speaking, the category of artificial lures “pilker” includes diverse narrow-bodied oscillating spoons. They can be divided into the following groups:
Sea jigs have a weight that can even reach a kilogram. They are not suitable for use in freshwater bodies. But small models of these spinners have taken great root among spinners and are used on rivers, reservoirs and lakes, catching asp, perch, pike perch, catfish and pike. For example, any jig for horse mackerel that allows you to successfully hunt for it in the water column will be suitable in closed reservoirs.
Advice! In the rivers and lakes of our climate zone, the most acceptable jigs are baits weighing 15–40 grams and no more than 7–8 cm long. In some cases, the size of the spoon can be increased or, conversely, reduced.
Fishing with a jig has its advantages:
Fishing with jigs is problematic in difficult conditions. It is not suitable for snags or areas heavily overgrown with algae.
To catch small sea fish from the shore, braid with a diameter of 0.1−0.14 mm or monofilament with a thickness of 0.18−0.22 mm is sufficient. Braided line allows you to make long casts and provides the gear with the sensitivity necessary to control the action of the bait.
For fishing from a boat, casting uses the same baits that are used in shore fishing - silicone, wobblers and oscillating spoons. In this case, you need to select larger models and heavier loads.
So, if you fish from the shore with a jig with weights weighing from 3 g, then for fishing from a boat you will need heads weighing at least 20-30 g. Jigs are well suited for vertical lures.
Carbon - they are much lighter, more sensitive, and can throw a small load very far. The main disadvantage is their price and fragility.
Length
For surf blanks this is the most important characteristic, because the longer the rod, the further the cast. Blanks up to 3 meters are called light, and average working lengths are from 3 to 5 meters.
Short - up to 3 meters. Short rods have a number of advantages, despite their shorter casting range. For example, they are more accurate, are better used with spinners and artificial baits, and provide more leverage when landing trophies.
Long - more than 3 meters. Such rods are, of course, heavier, but they cast excellently, and when at rest they lift the line high above the surf line and the ubiquitous vacationers.
Longer rods will reduce the effect of surf on the line
Material
Usually, for all other rods, carbon is the best choice possible. But with surfcasting, not everything is so simple: the fragility of carbon is especially pronounced when factors such as the high weight of the bait, large fish and surf force are combined. Therefore, some of even expensive surf blanks are made from fiberglass, and from solid fiber.
Tips for fisherman: Sea fishing in Kaliningrad for cod - Let's take it step by step
Fiberglass - powerful flexible rods, suitable for pulling out the largest fish. Unfortunately, their weight, together with the bait and reel, can exceed a kilogram.
Carbon - they are much lighter, more sensitive, and can throw a small load very far. The main disadvantage is their price and fragility.
Composite - if you reinforce a carbon tube with fiberglass or Kevlar reinforcement, you can get a fairly strong blank that will be much lighter than fiberglass. Composites combine all the advantages of the materials included in them.
Build
Surf rods are divided according to their action in the same way as others, except that the graduation is less strict. Among Western surf fishermen, surf blanks are divided into two groups - fast and slow.
Fast - roughly corresponds to fast and exfast tunings. They cast more accurately, have greater sensitivity and a sharp hook. Due to less bending under load, they make it easier to catch large fish.
Slow - corresponds to medium-fast and medium. Such forms cast farther, are excellent for fishing with live bait, and are less susceptible to slippage when fishing.
You have to wait a long time for bites in surf fishing, so they fish with 3-4 rods
Design
Between telescopic and plug rods, most anglers make a clear choice in favor of the plug. The reason is very trivial, and lies in practicality: sand from the beach gets into the knees and very quickly renders the rod unusable. Otherwise, the plug does not have any particularly noticeable advantages, so if you plan to fish from a rocky, pebble or dirt bank, then you may well opt for telescopic rods.
Surf rods, as a rule, have a large cast for long-distance casting of heavy bait. Light rods start from 100-150 grams, the norm is forms with 200-250 grams of dough. Most often, the manufacturer gives the upper value with a decent margin, so there is no need to carefully select the throwing weight. The only problem you'll encounter with overloading is the reduction in throw range.
Use expensive spinning equipment when hunting for salmon, halibut, pollock, and shark. The most effective when fishing from a motor boat or boat will be trolling rods, which allow you to explore large water areas. If you find a school of fish in the bay, you can anchor and switch to light spinning rods.
Classification of baits
Sea and freshwater jigs can be divided into several groups. One classification is based on the manufacturing method. However, in this division there is no relationship with the game of the bait. In this regard, it is better to adhere to the following gradation, which takes into account the shape of the body.
- The most popular among anglers today are jigs with a narrow molded body shape. They have a characteristic bend located in the tail area. Thanks to this geometry, the jig has an attractive action for predators.
- In some modifications the upper part of the bait is heavier. This jig is good because it works equally effectively both when fishing vertically and when fishing with a classic step. Thanks to the heavy head, the spinner has a vertical component of the game.
- Vertical spoons, converted into jigs by cutting the head and tail parts, are also in demand among fans of spinning rods. It is important that the head of the bait remains heavier than the tail.
- For vertical spinning or jigging, anglers often use elaborately shaped jigs with a large number of edges. Such a bait in the water forms an alternating play of light that attracts the attention of a predator.
Many spinners appeared as a result of the creative approach of amateur fishermen and athletes. Therefore, more and more new products will be added to the jig category over time.
Photo 2. Narrow-bodied jigs.
Fishing rod equipment
Fishing with a jig has its own characteristics, which also affect the equipment of the fishing rod. For sea fishing you will need several reliable fishing elements.
- The rod should be chosen as a jig class with a test range from 100 to 200 g. The length should be 2.7-3.0 m. At the same time, the “stick” should not be too hard. It is preferable to use a spinning rod with a parabolic action, which will work along the entire length when landing fish. Some anglers fish quite successfully with carp rods.
- When choosing a reel, you should focus on personal preferences. Some spinners feel confident only with “meat grinders”. Therefore, it is useless for them to list the advantages of multiplier models. Those fishermen who have mastered new reels can safely install “multiples” on their rods. They are more powerful, lighter, safer and more comfortable compared to inertia-free models.
It is important! When purchasing, you should ask the seller what material is used to make the spool. Models with magnesium alloy must immediately be moved to the side. For them, salt water will be a quick death.
- Marine spinning rods should be equipped exclusively with braided cord. The breaking load should be in the range of 15-20 kg, which corresponds to a thickness of 0.25-0.30 mm.
- It is best to use a carabiner to connect the main line to the bait. It makes no sense to use thin leashes, because saltwater fish are not as careful as freshwater fish.
As for the additional installation of diverter leashes with silicone fish on the fishing line, such a scheme worsens not only the flight properties of the equipment, but also the performance of the jig itself.
Features of fishing with a jig cone
Photo 16. Triangular jig with horizontal and vertical action
Punda or cone are used mainly in spring and autumn, when there is a lot of fish , it accumulates in certain places - local ones, in clogged places it accumulates, and it is good to catch it there.
We approach the fishing spot, find the fish, and stand either on the motor or drifting, if the current and wind allow. If the current or wind is strong enough, you can use a parachute anchor. It holds well and reduces drift speed to almost 0 km/h.
Here are some tips for rigging a jig cone for saltwater fishing. I told you how to use a self-tie, about winding rings, swivels, and how to equip a tee with an octopus.
Fish at sea, make the tackle simpler and more reliable.
Enjoy your fishing. All the best! Goodbye!
Fishing accessories in the online store Rybolov.ORG. A varied selection: hooks, swivels, rigs, cords, etc.
Coil
Spinning
The most versatile lengths are 7.3 to 8.2 feet (220-250 cm). The rod structure may be different, but fast rods are better suited for our tasks. Which rod to take - with a tubular or solid tip - is a matter of personal preference. By the way, the guide rings installed on modern spinning rods are not afraid of salt water, so it is not at all necessary to rinse them with fresh water after each fishing trip.
Another problem for fishermen who do not get to their vacation spot by personal vehicle is the transportation of spinning rods. For example, if you fly by plane, then in the vast majority of cases you will not be able to take poles with you into the cabin and, as an option, you are left with carrying them in your luggage. To ensure that spinning rods do not break and arrive safely to your vacation spot and back, you need a hard tube. I recommend not saving on the tube and immediately buying a high-quality and reliable one.
Tips for fisherman: Sea fishing from the shore on the Black Sea - Choosing the best
Coil
Fishing lines
And those who like microjig fishing should wind #0.2-0.3 braid on the reel to get maximum pleasure from catching even small fish. Since contact of the fishing line with various stones and bottom sediments is inevitable, I therefore recommend using four-core braided fishing lines, and also be sure to tie a fluorocarbon leash (0.14-0.22 mm) from 30 cm to one and a half meters long.
Of all the variety of braided and fluorocarbon fishing lines, I advise you to pay attention, first of all, to the products of such Japanese companies as YGK, Sunline, Varivas.
Well, to sum up some intermediate results, I want to say that you don’t need to be afraid to take gear with you on trips. The pleasure of catching fish at sea is priceless!
Crucian carp, by the way, is a worthy opponent. It can be recognized by its methodical powerful thrusts into depth. Rule: when hooking, it is better to raise the spinning rod up and not allow the braid to become slack, as the fish tends to escape from you into the crevices between the stones. Don't give her this chance.
Crucian carp, by the way, is a worthy opponent. It can be recognized by its methodical powerful thrusts into depth. Rule: when hooking, it is better to raise the spinning rod up and not allow the braid to become slack, as the fish tends to escape from you into the crevices between the stones. Don't give her this chance.
Broadly speaking, the category of artificial lures “pilker” includes diverse narrow-bodied oscillating spoons. They can be divided into the following groups:
