Long Distance Jig Release

OneLastCast · 01-13-2002, 04:42 PM

Special thanks to Mark(FirstCast Jigs), FuzzyBut and Angel for all their posted tips and John Williams(Rainbows End) who gave me some jigs, I got into jig fishing several years ago. It has been great.
The main stretch where I fish on the NF Nehalem is fishable best with bobber and jig and I have had many hookups and fish landed.
However...I have found that I am missing at least 50% of my bites (I missed three today). Yeah, sometimes I'm not paying attention or have to much slack but some times I am dialed in and right on them. Hooks are sharpened.

What is my problem. (physically, not mentally)

OneLastCast

rcl187 · 01-13-2002, 04:54 PM

The jig may be floating backward such that when the fish takes it the tip of the hook itself is facing upstream-when this happens the fish doesn't always get hooked and if it does it usually isn't very good. I haven't found a way to completely eliminate this problem (assuming that is what it is) but if you bend the hook with pliers so the tip and shank are offset it should help. I do this with all my hooks and it seems to help.

First Bite · 01-14-2002, 09:58 PM

OLC

In past years I had similar problems with quite a few fish coming off even though I was on top of the hookset. About a year ago I switched to using Owner jig hooks and by doing that simple change, my hook up to land ratio has been the highest ever. This last Fall, over two dozen Chinook were landed by my fishing partners and myself on jigs. We landed every single Chinook that we set the hook to. All on Owner hooks including my biggest Chinook ever on a jig topping 35 pounds. I've never done that before with any kind of fishing method.

Mark

Tilla · 01-15-2002, 03:28 PM

OOOOHHHHH! Is there a largest Chinook caught on a jig contest in our future?

:grin: