Jig is considered perhaps one of the most effective ways of spinning fishing. And at the same time, it is quite simple, accessible even to those who hold a fishing rod in their hands for the first time. But before you catch a jig, you should learn some of its features. And first of all it concerns wiring. Experienced hunters who prefer this type of fishing not only know very well which species is suitable for a particular reservoir, but also are well versed in equipment.
Justification of choice
Those who have access to the jigging technique will unanimously say that the choice is due not only to a rich catch, but also to a mass of impressions. But in order to pull out a trophy specimen from the very bottom of the reservoir, the spinning player must necessarily know many of the nuances. And first of all, this concerns the correct wiring, in addition, the fisherman needs to know how to fix the bait and make it play in such a way as to attract the attention of worthy prey.
Such a tackle as a jig appeared in the arsenal of domestic fishermen relatively recently. However, she quickly took root and today has become a favorite for many spinningists. There are several reasons for this popularity. Firstly, this equipment is much cheaper than spinners and, of course, lure. In addition, jigging will be successful in almost any body of water. And, thirdly, thanks to its features, you can explore all the pits and any backwaters in which large prey likes to hide.
How to catch a jig
You can fish in this way all year round, although it is optimal in the cold season, when predators feed near the bottom. Most often this happens in autumn or early spring and at a decent depth. True, in non-freezing reservoirs spinningists manage to conduct successful jig fishing throughout the winter. In this way, you can catch a very decent catfish or pike.
The classic jig is a bait with a head in the form of a lead ball with a hook soldered into it. Its equipment is quite primitive. A bait made of silicone or some other material is pierced with a jig head, then the hook is pulled out as close to its tail as possible. After that, for the ring in the cargo, it is tied either to the main fishing line or to a leash. In this case, the hook should be directed upwards: in this way, the angler increases his chances of catching fish and minimizes the risk of hooks to the bottom driftwood.
When choosing a jig head, a spinning player must take into account its two main characteristics - this is the weight and shape of the sinker. The first parameter starts from one gram, it is about microbait, and ends with the one-hundred-gram version provided for deep holes. For example, for a chub or small perch, a weight ranging from one to four grams with a length of up to five centimeters is quite suitable.
Heavier bait - from 5 to 20 gr. - It is considered the most popular because it makes it possible to fish both in shallows and in deep holes, up to fifteen meters. Catching on a jig-head involves certain knowledge and skills. First of all, the angler should pay attention to the course. The stronger it is in a given reservoir, the more weight it needs to be loaded. And this is especially true in the case when the jig wiring will be carried out against the stream.
Fishing technique
The golden ratio of this fishing is the following ratio: the slower the bait sinks to the bottom, the more bites you can expect. Therefore, when a spinning player notices that it decreases too quickly, to five seconds, he should change the jig head to a smaller one in mass. The jig equipment increases, more precisely, its weight, in addition to the presence of a strong current, and in the situation when the fish, standing near the bottom, stubbornly does not bite even at the first - high - stage of posting. Every spinning player who is about to catch this bait should know about all this and much more.
Snap Features
The length of the rod during jig fishing should be chosen depending on the conditions. For example, when narrowing from the open shore, a three-meter size is quite suitable. When fishing in places where there is serious thicket, with such a long rod it will be difficult to catch a lot, so a professional will use a shorter option, for example, two and a half meters. Fishing from a boat involves the use of the shortest rods. In this case, they will be most effective.
Reel and fishing line
Jig rigging consists of several components that must meet the requirements, depending not only on the characteristics of the reservoir, but also on the fishing method. Not the last role in getting a good catch is played by the reel and fishing line. The first should not only work well, ensuring a smooth progress of the bait, but also should be strong, have a friction brake and three bearings.
As for fishing line, many spinning players like the monophilic version, which, of course, justifies itself at short distances. As for wiring over long or medium distances, it is better to give preference to braid. This choice is due to the fact that this fishing line is more durable, and with the same thickness. And this means that you can use the option with a small diameter and throw it at the longest possible distance.
Bait selection
Jigging involves the use of silicone or foam lures, as well as swinging baits. However, the first option is the most popular. The variety of silicone lures is so huge that it can sometimes be difficult to choose. For catch, the angler must know what species is suitable for a particular reservoir, and much more, including how to fix it. Live bait is used extremely rarely for jigging wiring.
Due to the fact that a material such as silicone has many unique characteristics, it is possible to produce the most accurate copies of not only various insects, but also the fish themselves. The choice of bait is primarily due to its proportionality with the intended prey. For example, jigging to a pike implies a long length - from seven to ten centimeters, and for a perch a silicone with a size of up to 5 cm is quite suitable. Usually in the arsenal of an experienced spinning player there is not one, but two or three jig baits having different colors and dimensions. Since the fish is always unpredictable, the fisherman has to constantly experiment and install a variety of options on the rod.
For jigging wobblers, foam rubber or spinners are rarely used. This is due to their structural features. Although sometimes you can use foam jig baits, however, after the appropriate installation is made. In this case, they can be put on one step with the silicone version.
Classic - “Step”
Each type of fishing has its own nuances. One of the main components in jig fishing is wiring. Sometimes a spinner has to suffer enough before he finds the right bait. You need to understand that only the right choice of rod for jig fishing will allow him to make the necessary wiring. Therefore, to begin with, you need to determine the class and system of this component of the snap. It is clear that powerful coastal spinning does not make it possible to make explosions, but still many types of jigging can be carried out with baits of different weights and in different conditions.
Classics of the "genre" are professionals consider the "step". All those who have ever caught a jig, at least indirectly know about it. Moreover, it is considered the best when fishing for zander and other predatory fish.
Jig stepped wiring makes it possible to catch a variety of places. It can hardly be called complicated or intricate. Correct jigging “stepping” is done as follows: the fisherman casts and waits until the bait sinks to the bottom. Then he makes two or three turns with the handle of the coil so that the snap-in falls again. So you need to catch the entire water area.
Moreover, by correctly selecting the weight of the cargo and the diameter of the cord, an experienced angler should achieve a reduction in the fall time to one to two seconds. This pace is considered the most optimal. The “golden” rule, which applies to all types of jig postings, says: large depth and load, and in shallow water and the mass is small. And one more thing: the thicker the cord, the longer the fall phase will become.
Twitching
The meaning of this wiring is to use the rod to impart jerky movements in different directions. And although few people use it when fishing with a jig, sometimes only it catches prey where others do not “work”.
Jerky jigging helps a lot when quickly searching for an active predator. And this is a proven fact. In jerks and with quick reeling, the angler “breaks through” the bottom areas, catching different layers of water and provoking prey on the attack. If you do the manipulations on the bottom, then turbidity can rise, and the bait itself will move randomly, strongly resembling a wounded fish. Bites most often occur during pauses between jerks. Experienced spinningists say that often the first jerk after a break immediately catches the prey. At the same time, each angler should select the pace, strength of the game and the duration of the pause by experiment.
Bottom drawing
If everything is clear with active fish, then when the predator is passive and does not respond to the “steps”, you have to go to other tricks. And here, an option comes to the aid of the fisherman, aimed at moving the bait exclusively along the bottom. It is used exclusively for sluggish biting. This jig wiring is very similar to the classic version. With it, you also need to do two to six revolutions with a coil, only much slower. And the pause time must be reduced to one or two seconds.
For ultra-slow wiring, the bait should be used only light, with a weight of up to seven grams. Feeling it is much more difficult, so the fisherman needs to switch to this type of jig only after confidently mastering the classic "step".
Bottom dragging has many advantages. Firstly, this way the fisherman catches the largest possible area of the reservoir. Playing as a “step”, you can simply jump over a predator standing at the bottom. And by dragging you can simply drag it into the field of view of the prey. In addition, a load sliding along the bottom will create turbidity, which will become an additional irritant.
You can drag silicone equipment at a different pace. At the same time, pauses must be remembered. It is during the stopping phase that the passive large predator bites most often. It is good when the silicone bait has positive buoyancy. In this case, during pauses, it will rise tail up and will strongly resemble a fry feeding on the ground.
The correctly selected load weight is also important. If it is too heavy, then the equipment will begin to bury itself in the bottom silt. If the load is too light, the bait will not go down during winding, but will soar in the water column, falling on a pause. The result is wiring "steps".
For small pike
A small toothy predator is always a welcome prey, especially in coastal fishing competitions with spinning, when the results are calculated by the total weight of the fish pulled out. If there is a small pike in a pond, then you should definitely try to catch it. And this will be the most real thing to do if you use a jig.
Through numerous experiments and experiments, experienced spinning specialists have selected the most successful posting on such fish as a small pike. It is done as follows: after casting, the bait sinks to the bottom. Then you need to try to hold it in the bottom layer of water at an unhurried pace and with smooth swaying. Simultaneously with the winding of the fishing line, the bait should be shaken by a spinning rod, and this should be done as smoothly as possible, without any jerks. At a certain moment, you need a pause and tapping the equipment on the bottom.
Both of these phases, when posting to a small pike, should have approximately the same duration in time, and they should not be long. If the bottom of the reservoir is relatively solid, then experienced spinningists recommend using a tungsten sinker, which creates a sufficiently large noise under the water layer during tapping.
Dotted wiring
Not only pike, but perch, pike perch, and sometimes asp also respond very well to it. Dotted jig wiring, although it is considered quite difficult to master, but it is almost the best in the absence of bite. Therefore, experienced spinningists believe that it is definitely worth mastering. Dotted wiring is very suitable for fishing with silicone worms. It is best used when fishing with Caroline equipment, when the bait and sinker will be at a distance of ten to fifteen centimeters from each other. During dashed wiring, the sinker should touch the bottom from time to time. At the same time, the bait will drag along the bottom and almost never come off it. Jig-dotted wiring is carried out only with a fishing rod. The fisherman makes small, very smooth pulls upward or to the side, and after each - micro-pauses.