Save money tying your own micro Jigging assist hooks

Unlike normal lures that uses treble hooks, jigs uses hooks known as assist hooks. These are basically hooks that are tied to a line normally made of Kevlar. Assist hooks being sold in the market today can get pretty costly so here is a fishing hack that your wallet will love you for.

Things you will need. 

1) Fly tying vice 

2) bobbin 

3) Hooks 

4) Assist line 

5) Thread 

6) Flash threads

7) Super Glue 

How to tie micro jigging assist hooks 

Secure hook to the vice 

Start warps from the middle of the shank 

Wrap up towards the eye 

Thread assist line through the eye and back down 

Bring thread to the 2/3 of the shank and add flash thread tie down towards the eye of the hook and half hitch finish it



Link for half hitch 

Cut flash to desired length

Lastly add a drop of super glue and you are done! 

Types of Micro Jigs- Choosing Micro Jigs to get more bites

In this post I would be sharing with you the different types of micro jigs available and types of jigs you should use to get the most of it.

Here are the 4 main things to consider when choosing/ buying a jig. You could buy all the jigs in the market but it would be useless if you do not know when to use what. 

1. Size/Weight  
2. Shape 
3. Material  
4. Color

Size and weight of the jig

The first thing that comes to mind when you are selecting your jig. This will determine the size profile of you jig and also how fast it takes to reach the bottom. As a rule of thumb I like to start off with the lightest jig I can use and work my way up.  This will give me the smallest profile jig that tend to get more bites. 

How to choose ? 

A heavier jig would reach the bottom faster than a lighter jig and would not be affected by the current as much. If you find that your jig drifting too far by the time it touches the bottom switch to a heavier jig. Do the reverse if your jig is too heavy and you want to let your jig to drift alittle in the current to cover ground




Shape- How to choose the correct shape 

The next step after choosing the size you want to fish with would be the shape. The shape of the jig will determine the jig action when being worked and also if it flutters on the drop. A flatter jig would have more action than one which is cylindrical shaped. Take note that a flatter jig has ore water resistance hence affects how fast i reaches the bottom. A leaf shape jig would take longer than a slim long jig of the same weight to reach the bottom.
How to choose? 
This would vary according to the location. Ask around and find out what works. If you cant get any experiment around till you find what is working. Fluttering jigs has more action and can get fishes to bite when they are not active.

Material of the jig
Not all jigs are made of lead. Another alternative is tungsten which is about 1.7 times denser than lead. What this means is that jigs can be made heavier with a smaller profile. Which is great for micro jigging. This solves the problem when the fishes are only eating tiny jigs but the current is too strong for a tiny lead jig to get to the fishes. A tungsten jig of the same size would weigh heavier and allow you to reach the bottom with out having to change to a bigger profile jig.
How to choose? 
The down side of tungsten jigs is its price. Is it worth the price some may ask? yes if you are making full use of its advantages. If you are caught in a situation where you need a heavier jig to reach the bottom but by doing so the fishes would shy away from the bigger jig, the tungsten jig would shine. Not only will it have the same size or smaller but will get down faster as it is heavier. 

Color-Does Color really matter

Well this is a really up to the angler and down to personal choice. There had been debate over years if fishes can see color. Use what you like. Personally I like using natural colors.
How to choose ? 
If you are unsure of what colors to use ask around what color works. I've personally seen a particular color working well over another but is still up for you to decide. As a rule of thumb bait fishes are normally sliver in color which seems to be a safe bet I go with when I start off for the day.

Tip micro jigging is about being small 
For fishes like sagai. Sometimes a smaller jig is all it takes to get them to bite. The Bait fish they are after are tiny so dont be afraid to go small. 

Thank you for your time and I hope you enjoyed this post as much as I  did! Do comment if you have any question !

FISHINGJOJO

How to Rig your Micro Jig- Micro jigging Rigging

In the Micro Jigging Page  I covered the basics of micro jigging. In this series We will cover the ways to rig up the micro jig. Rigging up your jig would make the difference in hook up and bite rates. A jig action is designed to work best with nothing on it at all hence when rigging we want to pay attention to what we are adding onto the jig the lesser the better the jig action also better hook up rates.

Micro Jigging Rigging

-Easy switch method 

-Improved EZ switch method 

-Minimalist method 

-Kiasu method 

1) The Easy switch method 

This method requires three things a barrel,split ring, solid ring 

Leader is tied to the barrel swivel

Advantages

-The barrel swivel prevents line twists 

-Jig can be easily switched out via split ring 

-Hooks can be easily switched out to bigger or smaller hooks via split rings

Disadvantages 

- It is a bulky and can affect the action of the jigs. Keep in mind we are using tiny jigs as tiny as 5grams. 

-When a fish is hooked up the solid ring is the weakest point which is a possible point of failure. Beefing up the solid ring could mean affecting the action even more. 

When to use this method? 

This method of rigging is best used only when fishes are Fussy and you have to constantly keep changing jigs and jig sizes. The main advantage is that you dont have to keep retying your leader to the jig and that can cost you fishes . However the two disadvantages is why I would shy away from this style.

2)The improved EZ switch method  

This method requires two things a split ring, solid ring 

Leader is tied directly to the solid ring

Advantages

-Jig can be easily switched out via split ring 

-Lighter than method 1(jig is more lively) 

-Split ring is no longer a weak point 

Disadvantages 

-Lack of barrel swivel can introduce line twist  

-Hooks cannot be easily switched out

-Hinders jig action slightly 

When to use this method? 

This method of rigging is best used when jigs used are about the same size but fishes are Fussy on color and you have to constantly keep changing jigs. The main advantage is that you can change jigs quickly but changing hook size would require retying . This is a method which I would recommend over the conventional method 1.

3) Minimalist method 

This method require no add ons and leader is tied directly to the jig 

Advantages

-Brings out the best action in the jig

-Has no weak points 

Disadvantages 

-Lack of barrel swivel can introduce line twist  

-Hooks cannot be easily switch out 

-Jig cannot be easily switched out 

When to use this method? 

This method of rigging is best used when you are sure of what size of jig and hooks fishes are biting that day. This would bring out the best action and also give no good confidence as there is no weak points. However an angler proficient in knot tying should not find the disadvantages a hindrance and enjoy the advantages of this method with out much downside. This is the method I use on a regular basis as it brings out the best action from the jig. 

4) Kiasu method 

An additional treble hook is added to the jig this method is to be used with any of the earlier 3 mentioned method.

Advantage 

-Improves hook up rate 

Disadvantage 

-Severely affects jigs action 

-Increases risk of jig getting stuck 

When to use this method? 

This method should only be use if you are facing huge difficulty in converting bites into hook ups. The disadvantage of having the treble on is way more than the advantage it brings. Paired with method one of rigging can kill the action of the jig entirely. So only add on the treble if there is a real need. 

Looping in of the hooks

This is how you sure the hooks to the jig or the solid ring.

1. Thread line through the jig 
2. Bring hook back into its loop
3. Pull hook end 
4. Tighten  

Micro jigging Tips For rigging 

• Keep the rigging to the minimal an thing that adds weight affects action 
• Adding 2 hooks instead of 1 increases your hook up rate

Thank you for taking time to read this and I hope you found this useful. Feel free to comment or drop me an email if you have any questions.

FISHINGJOJO