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Summed up story about Jigging

Jigging is becoming more and more popular ... You only need to look at the covers of fishing magazines to realize that there is a word that appears month after month: Jigging ... The most searched keyword on Google in the world of fishing, "Jigging." Its clear, vertical jigging has revolutionized the world of recreational fishing in salt water ... or not? We will go into more detail as we try to explain more about this technique.

The fishing technique is simple: it is a heavy lure dropped to the sea bottom and then reeled back in to raise it to the surface. Usually the fishing boat is adrift in depths of at least 20 meters. Hot spots are usually found near rocks, wrecks, platforms, coral reefs, etc.

“Vertical” fishing is a very old technique. For centuries, fishermen in the Baltic Sea or the North Sea fished this way with something called "pilkers", a weighted fish-shaped bait, slightly refined, that move along the bottom of the sea to catch cod , halibut and other northern species.This technique, also called "pirking" is still very popular in Northern Europe. Thousands of Germans, Belgians, and Dutch go fishing each year to Iceland and other Scandinavian countries.

In the early nineties, Japanese fishermen reinvented this technique, refining it in all aspects. Rather than using monofilament, they began using a braided line (Dyneema or Kevlar) and they added assist hooks to the setup. They designed modern jigs in all kinds of shapes, colors and weights. The same company also introduced specialized jigging rods and reels on the market.

This technique has revolutionized the way we fish, making it possible to catch many fish thought to be uncatchable until only a few years ago.

Rods, reels and fishing lines

To practice jig fishing they have developed a whole line of specialized equipment. The rods are usually robust with reinforced rings. They tend to be rather short (about 1.60 m) for the simple reason that a short rod tires you out less than a longer one, although there are many people that defend the use of some what longer rods for the Mediterranean Sea. The short rods are good for short quick pulls, while the longer rods are better suited for long strokes.

When measuring the strength of the equipment, it is important to take the weight of the fishing line as a reference. Light equipment would be about 15-25 pounds using jigs that weigh around 100-120 grams. For heavier jobs, we use 50-60 pound line and there are some fishermen who go up to 120 pounds. The weight of the jigs for these lines is usually 300 grams or more. One important thing to remember when choosing the weight of your line is that the thinner the line, the less the influence the currents make and the deeper we can fish.

It is very important to have a high quality reel with a good brake. The equipment needs to withstand constant resistance and impact made on the jig from its movement in the currents as well as when you are fighting to reel in the fish. Its recommendable to spend a little more and opt for a name brand reel such as Shimano, Daiwa and Van Staal, for example.

Most of the jiggers use a fixed spool reel, but more and more are followers of the drum style reel.

Places

Who wouldn't love to catch a GT in Madagascar? Or a dog-tooth tuna in the Maldives? To catch a prize fish in the Mediterranean is not easy, but there still are some good places to practice this sport. The Balearic islands have great places to catch amberjack, dentex and grouper, there are good spots in Tarragona, Cabo de San Antonio (Denia, Javea), and around Murcia. The best places in Spain are undoubtedly the Strait of Gibraltar and the Canary Islands.


Fishing trips at the Gibraltar Strait

Ebro Delta Fishing Trips