Iron for tuna
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We toss railroad ties at them-make for a lighter ride home as well
On the other side mega baits (out of Bus) or tadys or just about any mid to small steel lure. One of my crew did try a point wilson Dart on Monday with 4 hook ups and all came unstuck-I think the lure is too long. Mark
On the other side mega baits (out of Bus) or tadys or just about any mid to small steel lure. One of my crew did try a point wilson Dart on Monday with 4 hook ups and all came unstuck-I think the lure is too long. Mark
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9,588 Posts
The term "iron" refers to a classic type of metal jig used in Southern California for the last half-century. They are not commonly sold in this area.
The jigs are made of various aluminum alloys, some light for surface retrieves, some heavy for yo-yo'ing deep. Commonly they are 4 to 8 inches long, usually painted, sometimes chromed. Common colors are blue/white, green/yellow, mackeral pattern, scrambled egg, wounded soldier (olive green with a red spot) and sardine.
Leading brands were/are Salas, Tady, Hacker, Sumo and Straggler. These days Salas and Tady are probably the leaders. Hacker and Straggler died off I believe. Do a search for Salas jigs to see some pics.
There is a whole class of "jig sticks" used for throwing the iron. Jig rods are generally 8 feet long with a slower taper than live-bait rods (Calstar 800M is a good example of a jig stick). Jig rods are designed for casting, but are admittedly poor for fighting fish. Jig reels have high-speed retrieve. The classic Penn Jigmaster (4:1) has been largely replaced by Newells and other 5 or 6:1 reels. Spinning reels are not credible jig reels. Line is 30 or 40 pound mono.
A good caster can hurl a jig the better part of 100 yards with pinpoint accuracy. This comes in handy when casting to kelp paddies and breaking fish. Jig fishing is a specialty, and a deadly one at that.
The jigs are made of various aluminum alloys, some light for surface retrieves, some heavy for yo-yo'ing deep. Commonly they are 4 to 8 inches long, usually painted, sometimes chromed. Common colors are blue/white, green/yellow, mackeral pattern, scrambled egg, wounded soldier (olive green with a red spot) and sardine.
Leading brands were/are Salas, Tady, Hacker, Sumo and Straggler. These days Salas and Tady are probably the leaders. Hacker and Straggler died off I believe. Do a search for Salas jigs to see some pics.
There is a whole class of "jig sticks" used for throwing the iron. Jig rods are generally 8 feet long with a slower taper than live-bait rods (Calstar 800M is a good example of a jig stick). Jig rods are designed for casting, but are admittedly poor for fighting fish. Jig reels have high-speed retrieve. The classic Penn Jigmaster (4:1) has been largely replaced by Newells and other 5 or 6:1 reels. Spinning reels are not credible jig reels. Line is 30 or 40 pound mono.
A good caster can hurl a jig the better part of 100 yards with pinpoint accuracy. This comes in handy when casting to kelp paddies and breaking fish. Jig fishing is a specialty, and a deadly one at that.
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If you're in the Portland area Fisherman's Marine has a decent selection of irons as described above. Blue/silver and 'eggshell' are supposed to be hot. Let them drop and jig for deeper fish, cast & fast retrieve on top. :smash:
A chrome Salas Christy2 used to be good, I'm not sure if they make it anymore. The newer blue & chrome models are also good.
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I don't think Megabaits is out of business. Well, the original company is, but someone bought the line and is continuing to manufacture them. I like 3-4 ounce megabaits in black/silver.
I've seen the thinner Point Wilson darts work well at times.
-Allen
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They are very versatile because you can use one that can be skimmed along the surface or one that is heavier to sink. Or, you can use one with an in-between weight, say 3 ounces and use it either way in the same cast. Say you see jumpers and you cast to them and start an immediate retrieve. Sometimes you get hit right away, then, if you don't, you can let it sink before resuming your retrieve. You can let it go to the point where the length of the line off the reel can be sunk down directly beneath the rod tip and then retrieve. As said earlier, you can cast them a mile, which when you are attempting to sneak up on jumpers is a big benefit. Have fun!
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Pretty well covered, but one more thought. Tinman mentioned 5 or 6 to 1 reels. Very important because as a reaction bait, a high speed retrieve is critical. No way you can reel too fast and a jig that's "gettin away" is much more likely to get hammered than a slower moving offering.
Anybody know how fast an albacore can swim?? I know you can't wind fast enough to take a jig away from one.
Jerry
Anybody know how fast an albacore can swim?? I know you can't wind fast enough to take a jig away from one.
Jerry
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953 Posts
Raider Jigs was the most popular last year on the long range trip..... Summo Jr. Scramble egg was probably second in the 6X size not 4X.
I don't think speed is as important for Albies..... The iron is the most versatile piece of tackle there is.... they will catch everything Dorado, tuna, whahoo, bottom fish, grouper, etc........
Dorado and tuna will actually hit it while it is sinking, jigged or being retrieved.... the high speed retrieve on irons is more for Whahoo (as I understand it)...... You can actually jig them for tuna.... you don't have to drop and then reel as fast as you can....
As for the speed of tuna, I hav heard that tuna can cruise up to 60 mph, I think they hit our clones, lures etc.... 20-40 mph, they can cruise.......
I don't think speed is as important for Albies..... The iron is the most versatile piece of tackle there is.... they will catch everything Dorado, tuna, whahoo, bottom fish, grouper, etc........
Dorado and tuna will actually hit it while it is sinking, jigged or being retrieved.... the high speed retrieve on irons is more for Whahoo (as I understand it)...... You can actually jig them for tuna.... you don't have to drop and then reel as fast as you can....
As for the speed of tuna, I hav heard that tuna can cruise up to 60 mph, I think they hit our clones, lures etc.... 20-40 mph, they can cruise.......
Informative post Tinman:applause:
Lot's of the lead based jigs used in WA and Canada, Pt Wilson Darts, Dungeness stingers, stingsildas and many more used for Salmon are also useful because they cast far and sink fast...
I won a lot iof jackpots on the San Diego cattle boats because I could throw those lead jigs further than the aluminum based jigs...(The biggest fish were away from the boat)
They also sank fast and worked great Yo-Yoing for yellows (Yellowtail). (Fishing deep a couple of strokes and then reeling as fast as I could with a Jigmaster 500...made in the USA
) Hence my name
Ahh.. My favorate subject... Iron fishing for tuna..
This year I have had good luck with Mega Baits and Tady 9's. Thowing them in when a jig strick come up. I toss the lure way ahead of the boat and let is sink for a minute to two minutes. The fish are below the boat and when they see the jig swimming by at a FAST pace towards the boat they grab it. The Fish thinks the jig a a bait fish swimming back to the boat.
Tady
This year I have had good luck with Mega Baits and Tady 9's. Thowing them in when a jig strick come up. I toss the lure way ahead of the boat and let is sink for a minute to two minutes. The fish are below the boat and when they see the jig swimming by at a FAST pace towards the boat they grab it. The Fish thinks the jig a a bait fish swimming back to the boat.
Tady
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We've been using these, trolling and casting for tuna. When someone is fighting a fish we drop one straight down behind the motor to a depth of about 100 feet and then retrieve. We've caught a lot of extra fish that way. They weigh about 4 ounces.
To get an idea of the various style, makes, models etc. of tuna iron, jigs and what have you on the market, try doing a search on Ebay for tuna jigs. There are lots to choose from. Ifish member aufish101 makes up some killer kokanee jigs (which I can personally vouch for!). Maybe we can talk him into making up some tuna jigs as well. What about it aufish101?
:yeahthat:
:yeahthat:
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These are Braid 4oz jigs:
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Here is a selection. The smaller ones on the bottom are suitable for albies. The big ones work well for halibut/lings up here and most everything down south...
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Even the snapper hit iron. Here is one with a 6" 4oz pencil jig still in its mouth:
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Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica...leaving in the morning!
Here is a selection. The smaller ones on the bottom are suitable for albies. The big ones work well for halibut/lings up here and most everything down south...
Even the snapper hit iron. Here is one with a 6" 4oz pencil jig still in its mouth:
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