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Just About Anything In The Gulf Can Be Caught On A Jig

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By Frank Sargeant, The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 10, 2007

Ray Markham's Go Fishing column for today points out one of the interesting ways various types of jigs can be used to pursue mackerel as they move from one depth to another, and as always, Markham's analysis is spot on.

But many fishermen may not be aware that jigs in all their configurations can be used to catch just about any species at any time.

Last summer, Markham, Fred Everson, myself and some other South County wadefish fans were tromping the flats south of the Little Manatee, in what was an informal one-lure, one-angler sundown tourney organized by Fred. I mis-estimated the tide level and chose a 1/4 -ounce, 3-inch swimbait as my only lure. That lure would have been fine on the last hour or two of the fall, but by the time we actually got into the water, the bar along the outside edge of the flats was bare and the flow had stopped.

My jig was then far too heavy to fish the ankle-deep, weed-rich backwaters. Everson, far more expert than me in those waters (and also one of our Go Fishing Tribune columnists) had chosen a weightless jerkbait, and he proceeded to capture redfish, trout and small snook right and left with the rig.

But after a time I noticed that something was making wakes through the scattered weedbeds and occasionally delivering a snooky 'pop' in the midst of leaping minnows. Throwing a relatively heavy jig into emergent weeds is usually a bad idea, but I had no option. I cast the jig at the wakes, then started 'ripping' it through the grass, snatching it hard enough that it kept the hook fairly free of the clinging moss and thin strands of grass.

Sure enough, the snook loved it; in no time, I caught six of them, five little ones and one that taped 28 inches, and would have won the tourney except that snook season was closed, and therefore my catch did not qualify as a 'legal' species under Freddy's rules (I'm not sure he didn't decide on that definition of the rules about the time I lipped the fish, but anyway, Fred won - as he usually does).

The fact is that between variations in jig head weight and hook size, tail size and material, and the line you choose, jigs can cover everything from the most shallow bonefish flat to offshore grouper depths.

Though seasoned Keys guides blanch at the thought, one of the best possible lures to throw at bonefish is a 1/8 - to 1/16 -ounce crappie jig like the venerable Hal Fly, in either minnow colors or crab/shrimp colors. The trick is to pitch it in front of the fish, let them swim close, and then give the jig a short hop. They rarely pass it up.

In slightly deeper water, the sort redfish favor, jigs with 1/8 -ounce heads but large 1/0 hooks, rigged with a 4-inch jerkbait, are a good bet. Some anglers do well by using the floating Cyberflexx jerkbait bodies, which give an even slower fall and are less likely to snag in weeds.

In snook territory, typically along mangrove edges with two or three feet of water, as well as in 'green' potholes and cuts, the more classic jig comes into its own. The swimbait version of the jig, with the body molded right on the head, seems to me the most effective, but some of the pros, including Markham, prefer a more conventional shadtail rig like the CAL jig from DOA.

Trout are the classic jig species; when they're in water 4 to 8 feet deep, there's nothing better. Even Eric Bachnik, head of Mirrolure, whose company makes no jigs, says that when he hits these deeper stretches, he puts up his plugs and goes to a jig.

'You can fish deeper water with heavy plugs, but it's just simpler and more effective to use a jig when you hit those areas,' says Bachnik.

Steve Marusak, the inventor of the Cotee Jig, depended almost entirely on 1/4 - to 3/8 -ounce jig heads rigged mostly with his standard 3-inch grubtails. Marusak, now deceased, was an expert at drifting water 6 to 10 feet deep, particularly north of Anclote Key, and bouncing the jigs ahead of the boat. He had an uncanny sense of when a fish picked up the jig, and that made him amazingly successful.

Macks, jacks and ladyfish, of course, can't resist jigs, period. And go to 3- to 8-ounce heads and run out to grouper water and you'll bring back heavyweights including gags, kingfish and amberjack. In short, if it swims in the Gulf, you can catch it on a jig.

FISHING CLASSIC: The annual Chamber of Commerce Fishing Classic kicks off with a captain's meeting Thursday at the Florida Aquarium. Fishing is Friday out of Westshore Yacht Club, 6001 S. Westshore Blvd. in Tampa. Grand prize is $2,500; (813) 276-9440; ccongelio@tampachamber.com.

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