Micro Jigging the Seaway – Initial Impressions

Micro jigging is still in it's early stages for the seaway, It's a technique that works but not in every situation or all the time.  I have been using the technique on and off for the last few months and its pulled quite a few fish, nothing outstanding but enough so that it's an option when other techniques have failed.

Species

Micro jigging work's very well on Tailor when they are sitting on the bottom during the day.  One problem with catching Tailor on Micro Jigs is they chew through the kevlar rope from the hook up to the solid ring.  You can make your own by using heavy braid and decent hooks, most small single hooks lack the strength needed.  I use Gamakatsu Big Bait 1/0 hooks.  Big tailor will also have a go and will bite the whole jig off, nothing you can do about that.  Other species it has hooked have been Bonito, Mulloway, Bigeye Trevally, Longnose Trevally and Yellowtailed Kingfish.   It should yield some assorted reef and pelagic species in the future.

The Technique

The best technique so far seems to be to drop the jig to the bottom, jig it up 5 times in quick succession, then sink it back down to the bottom and repeat.  The majority of strikes seem to come on the sink down after the 5 jigs so watch your line going back down after the jigs and be prepared to strike if you see it pause.  You can jig it all the way back to the surface as well every now and again. You can change the speed and timing of the jigs as well, sometimes the fish might want it slower or faster.

Locations

The best location so far is the North Wall Eddy/Runway/Deep Hole on both the run-in and run-out tides, the bottom of this area is covered in rocks so I recommend only using one hook rather than two.  While you will drop a few fish it's better than constantly losing jigs.  The Pipeline is also an area worth trying it, as is the Canyon and Northern Y.

The Jigs

There are a couple of brands of micro-jigs on the market.  The Storm Gomoku range and the Maria Shore Tricker Jigs.  The Storm Gomoku only come with one single hook and are around $9.00, the Maria's come with two single hooks and are around $15.00  The Storm Gomoku in 30gram Chrome is my current favourite, it has the right weight so that it can get down deep fairly quickly, a thin profile and a nice fluttering sink that throws off alot of flash.  Other colours do work but not as well.  You attach the jigs from the split ring at the end the hook is attached to.

The Tackle

Any light to medium tackle will work so you don't need to invest in specialised jigging tackle but a high speed reel will make it easier to work the jig at speed.  I recommend a 3000 size reel with a 6:1 retrieve and anywhere from 12- 30lb braid.  I recommend no less than 30lb leader as your jig will be hitting multiple rocks when it hits the bottom.  Constantly check your leader to make sure it has no serious damage.  As far as rods go, any light to medium graphite rod 6-7ft will do, a longer butt makes it easier to jig for long periods.  Dedicated micro jig rods are available and are alot softer with a more parabolic action.

It's still early days for this technique but it's worthwhile investing in a few jigs and giving it a shot, especially once the sun is up and you are in between tide changes.  Just remember to keep your jig near the bottom in the bottom couple of metres of water as that is where most of the strikes will come.