Butterfly jigs?

[Captain_Jake]

With the intention of broadening my fishing horizons I ran to my Bass Pro Shop and grabbed several Shimano butterfly jigs, a Williamson Benthos jig, some owner stinger hooks, along with a handful of other stuff.

I plan to try them out with a Penn 113H setup, presently spooled with PowerPro 40 lb. Is that reel going to be too slow? Any tips on using them? We dont have offshore platforms or wrecks with structure here, I was thinking of looking for mini "seamounts" where rocks and coral sticks up from the bottom. I know one spot where it comes from 70 ft. up to 40, for example.


Any advice appreciated.
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[Tarpon4me]

Jigs are a great addition to any anglers tactics. I have a variety of verticle jigs that I use. I also purchased the stinger hooks that attach to the nose, but I bought the Gamakatsu brand. [] Your 4/0 with the power pro will do just fine. As far as speed, you're not retrieving the lure like you would a swimming plug. Hints "jigging" is the name of the game. You need a fast rod, not a fast reel, if you know what I mean. I like a long rod for jigging. You get alot more action out of each pull with out having to exagerate your upward motion.

When I jig, I try to cover the water column with each drop. I'll drop down close to the bottom and start there. I'll jig my way up, slowly giving the reel a couple cranks from time to time. Once I find the fish, i'll drop to that depth and work it. There are alot of different ways to jig, experiment and find what work for you. Change your speed up from time to time. Change how quickly you jig the lure. Change how far you jig the rod, etc... etc... Take note of what you are doing so you can mimic that tactic on your next drop when you find success. [cool]

I also like to drop a chum bag down. That's pretty much standard policy when jigging or targeting bottom dwelling fish; atleast on my neck of the woods. Chum, in my opinion, is an indespensible tool.

What species of fish are you trying to target? You never did mention that. From what you're describing, sounds like a great area for Amberjack.
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[tubeN2]

You can work the depths that you described or deeper if the regs allow it in your area.

The Butterly jigs work well with a small piece of Squid or Cut bait on it for scent. Don't have bait? No problem. A small piece of Sponge doused with some Pro Cure liquid or gel will git er done too.[cool]
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