Free Fall and Slow Pitch Jigs have proven themselves time and time again when fishing workups or deep sign on the fishfinder. These jigs are centre-weighted so they fall through the water column imitating a wounded baitfish. They get smashed by snapper and kingfish but will also catch a range of other species.
Gear:
Rods & Reels: There are two options you can use for slow pitch jigging.
1 - An overhead rod and reel - this is our number one recommendation. This is because you can easily control the jigs 'fall' as it drops through the water column, it also gives you the ability to engage the reel quickly if you feel a bite or a hook up on the drop. Make sure the rod and reel you are using is poweful enough to handle larger fish as you will need it when you hook up to a kingfish or large snapper.
The rod will ideally be a PE1-3 (check the lure weight range on the rod) and in the 6' to 6'8'' range, this enables good sensitivity through the rod tip and allows you to 'pitch' your lures effectively, while not being too long that you lose the power you gain from the backbone of the rod.
2 - A spin rod and reel - this option will still work effectively and if you are at a push you can even use your softbait rod. However, the downside of using a softbait rod is they are generally longer in length and lighter in the line weight range that you require. We would recommend a specific slow pitch jig rod, these range in 6'2'' - 6'8'' lengths. These rods have a stiffer tip than your softbait rod enabling you to pitch your lure more effectively, while also having more grunt in the lower end so you can lift those bigger fish easier. In terms of reels, a 4000-5000 size is what we recommend, this allows for a greater line capacity of 20-30lb braided line while also having a generally higher drag rating.
Braid:
Use 20-30 pound coloured braid such as the Edge 8x Multi. This braid is ideal as it has colour changes every 10 metres, due to this, you can easily tell how deep in the water column your jig has gone. i.e if you see a school of fish in 40m on your sounder, you can drop your jig exactly to 45m and jig your lure back through that fish sign.
As this braid is very thin it also has a lot less resistance on it which gives your jig the best action possible and lets it flutter and twirl to maximise bites and hook ups.
Leader:
We recommend using a fluorocarbon leader such as the Edge Fluorocarbon or, Shimano Ocea Fluorocarbon in 20-40lb (if you are fishing over foul, reefy areas we recommend going slightly heavier) Fluorocarbon is near invisible in water, has more abrasion resistance and is generally a little stiffer, all of these factors make it better for a- giving your jig maximum movement and b- hooking the fish and staying connected.
Top Tip:
Use a back to back uni, albright, FG or PR knot (the latter 2 are the best) to connect your braid to your leader.
Use a 2m leader and connect this directly to the solid ring on the jig, that way you are in contact with the hooks on the jig at all times.
Technique:
1. Look for surface work ups or deep schools of fish on your fishfinder
2. Work out which way your boat is drifting with the wind/current. Then position yourself up wind/current of the fish and deploy a sea anchor to slow your drift, ideally you want to be drifting at under 1 knot. By doing this it will give you more time on top of the fish and in the strike zone.
3. Free spool the jig down into the strike zone, remember these jigs flutter like crazy so they could take a bit of time.
4. These often get hit during the drop so be prepared to instantly engage the reel and strike. If the jig reaches the bottom, give it a quick lift to get it out of any kelp, pause for a second, then start a very slow mechanical jigging action, lifting the rod up and letting the jig 'pitch'. You can do half lifts or full lifts, it is good to vary the action! As you drop the rod to do another lift, take half wind of the reel. Work the jig back up through the strike zone. Watch the video below for a demonstration.
5. Vary your speed of working the jig, kingfish love a touch of speed, while snapper and other bottom fish prefer a slower action.
Top Tip:
Try changing up the weights and colours of your jigs. Give green a go over the colder months, orange in spring and pink and blue over summer.
If you need the jig to drop quickly, thumbing the spool very softly will lessen the jigs fluttering action keeping the jig more vertical meaning it will drop faster
You can also lob these jigs up ahead of your drift - this is ideal if you are in deeper water as you will be able to pitch the jigs vertically giving them maximum action in the strike zone
