Speed jigs and assist hooks

[oldessox]

Did anybody use them this year? There was a lot of interest in them at the beginning of the year but I can't remember anyone mentioning using them... Norman?.... Tony?

[lingking]

aye ray they were popular in posts early in 2011,i have never used either,personally i reckon speed jigs are a con.

i do plan to try assist hooks in 2012,i shall wait till a day when i am catching on ordinary ripper,probably up norf and then change lure and see what comes of it

[northeast1]

Nar never used them, infact this year tried nothing different at all...same tackle same tactics, only time did something new was when trying for thornback rays up Scotland that resulted in 1 landed.

[The Jester]

I never bothered with them either, stuck with 3 hokkais and a pirk all summer. Only thing i tried different was taking tea instead of coffee in the flask, but went back to coffee on the next trip and the catch improved .

[Graham B]

Morning Ray,

Hope you are on the mend. We used speed jigs quite a bit last season with the assist hooks or an 8/0 gummi eel (bulk buy from tackle bargains) attached to the top of the jig.
They still caught plenty of fish and I would say they might last a little longer before they come fast on the wreck. I am still on the lookout for a good 500gram speed jig mould. The way they were better in certain situations over normal pirks was on a fast drift when they went down like a bullet.I was fishing them a lot in conjuntion with a shad just above on a two foot trace to try and cover all angles and miss the huge shoals of tigers!

Graham.

[Norman]

Hi Ray,
Did try the speed jigs on a couple of occasions but didn't persist. Did catch a couple but if I remember rightly they were with a treble on the bottom which is not the real test ... catches were so good with shads and standard pirks that it was hard to deviate
got to admit though they look as if they should catch more than just the angler, maybe this coming season ....... after loosing a thousand or so shads

all the best

norm

[amblecol]

Never used a treble last summer just a baited assist hook (home made) attached to the top of the pirk, usually baited with mackerel. My pirk losses were down by more than half.

[oldessox]

Into my second week after the op now Graham , I feel fine but I'm not allowed to do virtually anything for two weeks then no heavy lifting for another four after that , you can bet your life if I get out before then I'll hook a twenty and have to cut the line
I was thinking about some smaller speed jigs for the rough ground , the pirks I use for the wrecks are 12 and 16 oz and catch plenty fish as they are but they are a bit overkill for fishing in shallower water over the ground , I think I'll have some 200g speed jigs made up for the spring run over cresswell skeres.
I know what you mean about it being hard to deviate Norman, this boat angling lark is not the best for experimentation, we get so few days out and then so few of those are good conditions and those that are seem to go so fast that it's very difficult to tear yourself away from whatever is working to try something else. I tended to fish pirks on the slow drift days and shads on the faster drift days and very little else , must try harder this season
I think the concept of fast drop speed jigs is more suited to pelagic fish in warmer climes that chase prey fish at high speed, I'm sure cod will take them but rarely when they are doing 90mph mid water
I think I like the idea of a fluttering action pirk which is just big enough to hold bottom in 60ft of water over the rocks when the cod are on the shads , I'll have to give it a go, whether I use a stinger/assist hook is another matter , but I like the idea of them.
Hopefully this wind will drop off after next week and I'll be able to give winter fishing a go , the fishing I did in November seems like it was more like summer fishing.

[oldessox]

Never used a treble last summer just a baited assist hook (home made) attached to the top of the pirk, usually baited with mackerel. My pirk losses were down by more than half.

Hi Colin,
When I experimented with weak links between the treble and the pirk I often snagged the wreck and pulled for a break which resulted in the pirk still being attached with no hook , I could tell there was no hook after a few seconds as I could feel the fish taking and ejecting the pirk without getting hoooked up , did you notice many takes like that while fishing with assist hooks?
Do you think the mackerel made any difference Col? I find baiting causes a slower drop and more tidal pull on the tackle and the only difference I've noticed in fish catches is more ling, which I don't really want to catch.

[amblecol]

Bait always slows you down but even if you use smaller thiner strips it's better than nowt, a thick triangular chunk will take ages and buzz up the trace. You do do get the odd knock which doesn't connect but foul hook a lot less and if your not loosing gear you have more time on the bottom. Trebles probably hook a bigger percentage but it evens out with less tackle losses and cod hooked in the side ruining the fillet.

[northeast1]

Good to see new things being tried, i had never though anout fishing for pollack until seen Amblecols reports and i still remember the first time i used shads and twintails some 11 years ago and got laughted at...now its the normal up here.

I wish i could pull myself away from the 4-5 tactics i now use but its so hard when the fish in the boat and when they not i put on my best gear i know works so never get a chance..maybe a mind set to change in the new year.

[jason]

i got a vertical jig rod and reel (egg wisk) tried a few times last year with jigs less than 200g and with assist hooks. Cought fish each time i tried it so it works - this year will have a day where i just use the jigs and see if it out fishes other methods. But initial impressions were favourable.

[Norman]

I know what you mean about it being hard to deviate Norman, this boat angling lark is not the best for experimentation, we get so few days out and then so few of those are good conditions and those that are seem to go so fast that it's very difficult to tear yourself away from whatever is working to try something else.

Aye Ray you got it right on there, you buy a boat which is an enormous outlay, you berth it in the marina another enormous outlay (which unlike the boat buying never ends but goes on increasing for ever) Its winter so ... forget it for now sit at home making traces. spring aproaches, then after all that (and I speak for my present situation) you go to work whilst the boat sits tied up monday, tuesday, wednesday, thursday, friday and sometimes Saturday and Sunday. Eventually you get a day off and it's blowing an easterly ....... monday, tuesday etc again and the next weekend off its maybe ok weather to get out so you fuel up at greater and greater cost and head out to sea knowing the wind is gonna pick up later. You get to your spot and ..... nothing so off again to another spot.
Eventually all three on the boat dig into cod ... then you think .... should I try the speed jig now (as everyone else starts catching big on shads) just then the wind blows up and you make a dash for port.
Maybe try speed jigs next time

norm

[canman]

Hi All, and a happy new year to all. I have to say you are right about changing tactics,why bother when you're lures, shads, bait, etc are doing the buisnes. The time to change would be when you have enough for the pot and experimenting would bring greater rewards when something new works well.
I sometimes see it when fly fishermen change a fly, even though they are still catching, just for the challenge.

On a different note, I will be trying to catch as many different species as I can this year...........just to change from the norm.
All the best, tight lines, and sucsess to everyone.

[northeast1]

Here you go lads, the new fad of 2012...give it a bash

Halibut fishing with rubber chickens - YouTube