AJ fishing techniques

[AJ hunter]

I'm starting this thread to get input on successful methods for AJ. Most of the sportfishers I know here on Florida's Gulf coast use Carolina rigs (8-12oz weights) with baitfish such as grunts, sandperch, or bluerunners on an 8/0 J or Circle hook. I usually fish with a bearing swivel, a 10-12 oz sinker and 4 ft of 80 lb fluorocarbon and a 8/0 circle hook. I have also seen spadefish as bait and have even used tiny shrimp on a 2/0. I have also had variable success with a white Fairwaters nylon-skirt jig as well as large white Kalin twin-tail jigs. Anyway I would appreciate your input on making this a successful thread.

[jig]

I use a fishfinder (carolina) rig, 150# mono. Rigged with two 16oz weights, pinned stationary a bit past halfway down with crimps. 14/0 circle hook, and a BIG live bait, usually beeliner, grunt or blue runner. This much weight is because I only fish party boats and need my line straight down to avoid tangles. It controls the big bait better so it doesn't swim around as much. I fish 80# mono, again mainly to minimize tangles and aid in undoing them on a party boat.

I'll be trying a new reel this year. I've been using a 50W Tiagra on an Ugly stick all roller 5'6" 130 class rod. I am going to try an old Ocean City 6/0 I picked up instead, w/ a 2:1 ratio. Hoping for less wobble on the retrieve, (and less worrying about using a $600 reel on a party boat).

[Minnow]

I also use Carolina rig, 150-300lb leader, 16-32oz weights. Current and bait size determine how heavy the waights I use.
Find a big bait 3-5lb bait will do the job just fine.
I use 2 speed reel spooled with 130-200lb spectra, with drag set at 30-40lb at initial bite and reduce to 20-25lb. Heavy rod will really help to pull big AJ out of the rig. JMO

[MrBill]

First off, use the boat. Put two heavy 50# to 80# class rods and reels in the transom rod holders. Back up to the rig and lower down the baits with the rods still in the rod holders. I lock down my drags to full. Probably 60#'s or more. When you see the rod bend hit the throttle and run for at least 100 yards with the rods still in the holders. Now you back off the drag a little and take the rod out of the holder and fight the donkey.

As for rigging. I use two different types. I use an egg sinker bottom rig with 300lb mono and a 14/0 circle hook. I use a crimp to the hook and put a glow in the dark tube over the connection. Slide down another crimp and crimp it about two feet above the hook. I then slide down from 24 to 54 ounces of weights to the crimp. I them slide down another crimp and crimp above the egg sinkers. Slide down one more crimp, wrap the mono around a stainless thimble and crimp.
This rig looks like below.

[MrBill]

If I can't reach the bottom with the above setup due to currents and very deep water, I go to cutoff window sash weights. This time I use a loop connection for the hook. I crimp on a thimble loop at the top and leave the tag end on the bottom long for hand tying the sash weights. Sometimes you need 3 pounds and sometimes you need 12 pounds and sometimes you can't reach the bottom with every weight on board. This is what this setup looks like below.

As for bait, I like a live Blue runner. The bigger the better. A live lane snapper is the ultimate bait. It's like feeding a live flyer to a YF. If you don't have any live bait, use a whole large squid or ballyhoo.

[PiePuncher]

Originally Posted by AJ hunter

I'm starting this thread to get input on successful methods for AJ. Most of the sportfishers I know here on Florida's Gulf coast use Carolina rigs (8-12oz weights) with baitfish such as grunts, sandperch, or bluerunners on an 8/0 J or Circle hook. I usually fish with a bearing swivel, a 10-12 oz sinker and 4 ft of 80 lb fluorocarbon and a 8/0 circle hook. I have also seen spadefish as bait and have even used tiny shrimp on a 2/0. I have also had variable success with a white Fairwaters nylon-skirt jig as well as large white Kalin twin-tail jigs. Anyway I would appreciate your input on making this a successful thread.

I use the exact same rig but with a 5ft or so leader and size of weight depends on current. I can usually get away with 8oz of lead and sometimes use up to a lb. The Kalins Grubs work well too but get bit in half quite often. My bait of choice is PinFish or Hard tails and I have had my best luck with large PinFish.

[AJ hunter]

Thanks for all your input, much appreciated. Occasionally use bent butt rods 80-130# class, so we can pogey-pull the fish off the wrecks before removing the rod from the holder. This has helped alot with breakoffs. We also use 130 # dacron on 9/0 Penn Senator reels with 4 ft of Seaguar fluorocarbon when we do this. Not exactly finesse fishing.

I've heard of commercial fisherman using a white rag and dragging it around at the surface to bring the fish up off the bottom. Has anyone here ever done this?

[Uncle Russ]

MrBill,

How do you tie your dropper loops for the sash-weight rig? Do you use the dropper loop in which you create a loop and come back through that, or do you just use double surgeons loops? Thanks.

Russ

[MrBill]

http://www.leadertec.com/tipsandtech...pper_loop.html

[AJ hunter]

We've been slaying AJs this week on hammered Diamond jigs weighing 10-14 oz. We caught 12 on Wednesday along with 5 legal gag and 28 today along with several gags. The biggest were around 40 lbs, so no giants. They seem to strike good when the jig is drawn up quickly 5 or 6 ft and then dropped quickly to the bottom.