Hooked Up Designs Magazine September/October 2017 | Page 71

scope. Braided line also has no stretch,
allowing you to get tight on a fish very
quickly once it strikes. At the end of
the main line, you use a short fluo-
rocarbon shock leader. The length of
the leader can vary, but I prefer 5 to 6
feet, so that you have enough leader to
handle the fish boat side. I’ll use leader
rated from 40 to 80 pounds, depend-
ing on what I’m targeting. Smooth
connections are a must. I tie a uni-to-
uni knot from the braid mainline to
the fluorocarbon leader.
HOW-TO
How you jig depends on the species
you’re trying to catch. For bottom fish
like grouper and snapper, drop the jig
to the bottom, lift the rod, and let the
jig flutter back down to the bottom.
Oftentimes fish strike while the jig is
dropping. Here’s the beauty of jigging:
if you don’t get a strike on the bottom,
continue reeling through the water col-
umn. You can catch amberjack, tuna,
kingfish and other fast-moving spe-
cies. When fishing for the fast-moving
pelagic species like tuna, the key is de-
veloping a rhythm. Performing short,
quick sweeps of the rod, while keeping
the jig constantly moving, is a surefire
method. As long as the jig keeps mov-
ing, you will catch fish.
WHERE
A common theme between verti-
cal jigging and other types of fishing
is the importance of structure. Sea-
mounts, rock piles and wrecks are all
great places to drop the jig. Here in
South Florida, we are fortunate to have
a ton of artificial reefs and wrecks.
This structure not only holds bottom
fish, but also draws bait, which in turn
brings in the pelagic species. A quick
note: I have found that metal wrecks
hold quantities of amberjack, horse
eye jacks and similar species, while
wooden wrecks attract snapper and
grouper.
When you’re not fishing structure,
but rather chasing birds and using your
sonar to mark bait, set up a drift where
you believe the fish to be. Look for a
pattern in the way the birds are work-
ing. Do not get suckered into running
full speed into the birds. When you set
up your drift, let an ample amount of
line out, so that your jig falls beneath
the school, then work your jig through
the water column.
TRY IT
There are plenty of great places to
vertical jig and one of my favorites
is the Florida Keys. I stay at Hawks
Cay Resort when I visit and fish with
Two Conchs charters. Hawks Cay Re-
sort puts me in close proximity of the
Marathon Humps and a number of
wrecks that produce tuna, amberjack
and much more. To learn more about
Hawks Cay Resort and Two Conchs,
visit: https://www.hawkscay.com/ and
http://twoconchs.com/.
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hookedupdesigns.com
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2017

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