Refining your MICRO JIGGING style- Secrets of JIGGING style

In my earlier blog post I talked about Micro jigging and how to rig your jigs. In this post we would be going even deeper into the topic and I would be sharing with you the different styles of working your micro jig and tips on how to get more bites. This post should give you and idea of how you could work your jig on the next trip. Do not be afraid to experiment to find what works best for the fishes.

Unlike a conventional fishing lure, a jig is designed to be worked vertically. In a conventional lure the angler would cast his lure out and reel it in and the design of the lure makes it swim. For a jig it is slightly different. Action of the jig is imparted alot by the angler just like a jerk bait and for this very reason a jig used by two different people can have very different actions or bite rates. Remember the last time you were using the same jig as Mr lucky but you just did not get any bites ? On top of that, the depth you are fishing is going to affect your bite rate too. Sounds complicated? Not really, Lets look at the different styles of jigging.

Mechanical Jigging Style  
This is probably the most basic of all jigging styles and most styles revolves around this style but with a slight variation.
Start off by dropping your jig down to desired depth and close the bail. Start cranking in line and dropping the rod once at the bottom give the rod a jerk repeat process. The jerk up is what gives the jig a darting action. Watch this video if you dont quite get me -How to jig

Variation 1 one crank one twitch 
In this style you would make a full crank of the reel followed by a flick of the rod. The pause is short in between the flicks and its almost like a continuous process

What can I get on this method ? 
This method has been productive for me on pelagic fishes such as Sagais , trevally ,queen fish and tengiri . These fishes when aggressive cant resist a bite at a quickly retrieved jig. Sometimes a faster retrieve is need to get a bite and this variation is best suited when the bites are hard and fast. This method is not as effective for bottom fishes as the jig gets worked out of the strike zone too fast. It is still possible to use this method but take note to let the jig back down to the bottom after about 10 repetitions.

Variation 2 Crank twitch pause
Guess what ? Most bait fishes are eaten when they stop. The slight pause gives the fishes just enough time to catch up and have a bite at your jig. In this style a pause is added to the previous style mentioned. How long or shot you want the pause to be is up to you but i typically keep mine below 2 seconds.
What can I get with this method? 
This method has been very deadly on pelagics also for the golden trevally which does not respond as keenly to very fast jig. I figured out this method on a trip when one particular guy was hitting fishes regularly but only him. I noticed him for a while and added a pause to my stroke. Guess what the fish hit on the pause.


Variation 3 Twitch twitch twitch crank 
Using jut your wrist give a few short sharp snaps of the rod with each twitch bring the rod higher. This cause the jig to dart erratically. A pause after that is up to you. Crank up the line while dropping the rod if you want to work the next column of water. If not drop back down and repeat.

What can I get on this method ?  
In this method an angler can work the same column of water repeated if he decides not to crank when lowering the rod. This this method can be very deadly on bottom fishes such as groupers and snappers. The jig can be kept very close to the strike zone and is constantly moving to attract the attention of the predators.

TIP 1 Dont be taken by surprise on the drop 
There is two ways the impart action to a jig. Jerking it up the water column and two on the drop. Many anglers under estimate how a falling jig can be deadly and miss a hook set when taking by surprise on the drop. Just like how a fish would hit on the pause micro jigging is fun cause you never know when the hit would come

Tip 2 fish in the strike zone and you will be rewarded 
There is no point fishing a jig from the bottom all the way up if they are holding 10 meters above the sea floor. Jig it up past the fish and let the jig back down. That way you are fishing twice as much as the guy beside who is working his jig all the way up. If its bottom fishes you are after even more so important to keep it close to the bottom!

Tip 3 Look around and observe 
Just like how I came to know the third method. Keep your eye out for that one person who keeps getting fish. His jig size and color, his line thickness. If its all similar you should be getting fish too if not observe where he is casting to and his style of jigging you should catch on pretty fast!

Conclusions 
In short there are three parts to the technique that can be changed

1. The Lift/Twitch 
2. The Cranking 
3. the Pause 

To this three parts you can change the speed and timing and action. That gives you alot of flexibility to come up with a jigging style that catches fish ember the 3 tips and you would be good to go. The three styles I mentioned in this post are just variations that have worked for me and are by no means a style you should stick to but they can give you a base line to start out with. 

I hope you enjoyed this blog post and I might post videos on the basic jigging styles in future. For any questions feel free to comment!

FISHINGJOJO