[Mark Ma]

Hi everyone,

I am kinda new to jigging, did a lot of reading and saw a lot of informative videos on it though. Tried it a few times on party boats for cod and striper in New York with Shimano flat side, did not catch anything but skate (fishing was generally bad on those days anyway).
I booked a trip to Pulley Ridge in August with Capt. Steve from Majestic seas charters, really looking forward to do some jigging. Targeted species are snappers, groupers, mahi and blackfin.

I remember reading somewhere that bait fish are most commonly attacked behind the head, near the gills region, which is the reason assist hooks are normally located there. However, when in action, the assist hooks are usually away from the jig itself, dangling in the water. Is it a good idea to tie the hooks on the jig with rubber bands/rubber seal rings?

Also, most likely, there will be toothy fish roaming the water, such as wahoo and kingfish. I am considering to use wire assist hooks instead of the regular ones tied with Kevlar cord. I read the other thread asking about the disadvantages of steel wire assist hooks already, it seems like the main concern is that it will be seen by tunas since they have very good sight. What if I am targeting snappers, groupers and AJs? Can I use wire assist hooks without lowering my hook up rate?

Thanks,

Mark

P.S. For those who believe that fish will attack hooks and swivels, could you please explain to me why? Is there a video or some other kind of supporting material? To me, behind the head seems more natural and makes more sense.

 

[jiggingnut]

Mark, tying your assist hook to the body of the jig to keep it just behind the gills will just interfere with the jigs' swimming pattern.

 

[jiggingnut]

You'll be better off leaving your assist hook swinging freely. The fish will hit the jig on its way down and up; but the hook is always dragged by the jig...above the jig on the way down and along the jig on the way up. Hard to hook them on the way down because of where the hook is. That's why some guys are adding assist hook to the tail-end of the jig...so there's always a hook alongside the jig. But this also leaves 1 hook swinging freely as you unhook your catch...dangerous and a risk I'd rather not take. So I just use 1 assist hook in the usual place and not pay attention to whatever bite I get on the way down. I let the jig sink to the bottom or where the fish are hanging and concentrate my effort in trying to get STOPPED as I work the jig upward. I also use 7-strand steel leader inside of my hollow Kevlar assist cord in case my jig find its way in a wahoo's mouth. I do this because I do not like having any crimped sleeves along my assist cord (personal preference)

 

[Wwen]

You'll be better off leaving your assist hook swinging freely. The fish will hit the jig on its way down and up; but the hook is always dragged by the jig...above the jig on the way down and along the jig on the way up. Hard to hook them on the way down because of where the hook is. That's why some guys are adding assist hook to the tail-end of the jig...so there's always a hook alongside the jig. But this also leaves 1 hook swinging freely as you unhook your catch...dangerous and a risk I'd rather not take. So I just use 1 assist hook in the usual place and not pay attention to whatever bite I get on the way down. I let the jig sink to the bottom or where the fish are hanging and concentrate my effort in trying to get STOPPED as I work the jig upward. I also use 7-strand steel leader inside of my hollow Kevlar assist cord in case my jig find its way in a wahoo's mouth. I do this because I do not like having any crimped sleeves along my assist cord (personal preference)

Hey Roger,
do you just slide the 7-strand steel leader (what lb test?) into the hollow core and tie the typical assist hook knot onto the hook? I just tie a knot around the hook and pull the assist cord up through the eye of the hook. would this knot work with wire inside the hollow kevlar?

I like/use this simple knot for assist hooks:

 

[jiggingnut]

Hey Roger,
do you just slide the 7-strand steel leader (what lb test?) into the hollow core and tie the typical assist hook knot onto the hook? I just tie a knot around the hook and pull the assist cord up through the eye of the hook. would this knot work with wire inside the hollow kevlar?

I like/use this simple knot for assist hooks:

Yes, I just slide the Malin 90# 7-strand steel leader into the hollow Kevlar cord. This leader is a bit too stiff to be tied into a knot so I just wrap it with thread to the hook shank and cover it with heat shrink. Plus I do not like looping the cord into the solid ring so I run the cord through it before sending it through the hook eye. But since you like tying your cord into a knot, you can use a knotable leader like Tyger as shown in the attach pic.

 

[Wwen]

Yes, I just slide the Malin 90# 7-strand steel leader into the hollow Kevlar cord. This leader is a bit too stiff to be tied into a knot so I just wrap it with thread to the hook shank and cover it with heat shrink. Plus I do not like looping the cord into the solid ring so I run the cord through it before sending it through the hook eye. But since you like tying your cord into a knot, you can use a knotable leader like Tyger as shown in the attach pic.

Thanks!

 

[GARRIGA]

Although I believe non-toothy critters attack the head I don't go crazy about hook placement. I exclusively fish a VMC 13/0 with a long enough assist so I can loop it through a ring. That's not very big on a 400g Naga but overly big on a 225g Flat Side. Doesn't matter. Both get hooked up just fine.

On the Flat Side what I target eats the whole thing and on the Naga they apparently target the head. I have few misses and sometimes my line goes limp without so much as a twitch and I know something with teeth also ate the whole thing. When it's a Naga 400 it makes you pause a second wondering what it could have been. Big cuda?