Was watching a fishing show (Sportsman's Challenge) on the Outdoor channel and these guys were throwing maribou jigs for Kings. They weren't using floats; they just cast them into the deeper slots and jigged them back in. Very interesting technique, any of you guys heard of this???

Beancounter:

Not casting aspersions on the technique or the show, but were all the fish hooked in the mouth?

Mike

They weren't snaggin'

I saw an old Fishin' Hole (Jerry McKinnis) where he and the Ranger Boat guy were fishing these unnamed rivers on the mainland coast of BC for salmon and summer runs. They fished the same way although I think they were using crappie jigs. They caught a lot of fish. They weren't snagged either.

Works great for coho... why not kings.

I've caught chinook using non weighted jigs. just set them up like you would a corkie and yarn.

Beancounter:

Didn't think they would intentionally snag any fish, hence, the "casting aspersions" comment.

A jig running has the hook running on top of the jig when being fished...certainly not a perfect set-up for lining fish.

I know of a couple DEEP holes here on the Skagit that I would like to try that in come Oct. for the Silvers. It seems that working the jig without a float would allow it to work into the depths of those deep spots (45'+) and maybe get the attention of the scaled beasties that lay in them.

Mike

Mike B: It was an interesting presentation. Heavy leadhead maribous jigged off the bottom. They weren't fishing anything deeper then about 10 feet but, it seems like it could be an interesting technique for those 20+ feet froggy holes.

Fishing a jig and no float will produce 30+ humpys and an ocassional silver on the skagit

There was a great article on jiggin without a float in an issue of salmon-Steelheader Magazine last fall. It was written by Gordon Gracie. He used it to catch Silvers and said that it was by far the best way to catch Silvers. Seems like it would work for just about any fish in the river. He said that Cherise marabou was the best. I imagine that other colors would work for different fish. Worth a try.

Scott

I swim jigs for silvers in the skagit during the season. Jigs are great for most any fish. Now the question come with the leaving the jigs on the bottom. If you go to the samish in september you well see guys throwing 1/2 to 1 oz jigs and leaving them sit on the bottom. these same guys well swear they are biting the jigs but also sit with a tight line and a high rod tip. there are guys from this web page that still will insist that the fish are biting the bottomed jigs at least they do in the emails they send to me but they dont make there pitch in the forum. its a form of lining where the fish swims into the line and does quite often end up getting hooked in the mouth. talking the the game warden and he points out that theres not much he can do. its a leagle lure and the fish are hooked from the gill plate forward. and he cant put the fish on the stand to testify if he bite or swam into the line. and the waters too deep/dark to see the fish hit/swim into the lure. so go figure.....

ive done that for kings before. just like jiggin for coho but i use different colors and bigger jigs. ive caught summer runs as well doing this. kings will hit your big toe if you rig it right

There are a couple sources of information on this jigging technique. One is cowlitzfisherman. Another one with diagrams can be found in a summer issue of STS from recent years.

yeah, i have seen this done before my eyes for springers and for silvers and yes they do hit it, but just like DJFISHS2XS said, do not leave it on the bottom, because this is not a form of fishin, its a form of lining and that is a form of snaggin and myself and others will call u on that, because those guys who say they bite it sitting on the bottom, are liars and not fisherman! This is a great technique for fishing when done properly and right, tight lines, Chris!

DJ,
If the intent is to snag thats all the warden needs. You must have been talking to a softy.

Back to the original question, Casting a jig in a deep hole can result in legal hookup but in the long run it will result in nothing but snags. It is one thing to cast a few to find biters but when people cast over and over in the same hole for hours ... the odds are that most fish will be coming in sideway or backwards.

stihlhead,

If u read on more into the bottom of DJ's post, it says "the waters too deep/dark to see the fish swim/hit it" that is true, the samish is the muddy thing u'd ever fish and being someone who worked for Fish and Wildlife Enforcement, the warden would have no grounds to stand on unless he was able to see the fish! That i've gone over a hundred times with my boss when Phil Henry a Fish and Wildlife Officer was my boss! No pun intended, just the truth! Chris

Chris,
I fished samish few years ago by the bridge and walking through mud and never been back. I think if someone cast and let the line sit there kind of horizontally, it is more likely that kings will be running into the line as oppose to picking the lure off the bottom. This would be considered flossing and the fish is not taking the lure voluntarily and therefore illegal no matter where the fish is hooked. However, I see your point and it maybe tough to prove. I never tought of kings as bottom pickers!

Grandpa's fishin buddy, what do you call your method on the elwa, dungeness!!!!!!! Looked like snagging to me!

right, now lets go pretend like i know how to fish spoons like urself(but the general zog taught u right amateur)! LoL, jealousy in the air!

Fishing the Skagit you can literally wear your arm out jigging for Humpys and Silvers. I have hooked the occasional King too but the gear was too light to land a king from the bank in the snag piles. I generally used pink rubber worms but sometimes chartruse too.

Up in AK we used pink, cerise or chartruse rabbit fur tied on 1/2 - 3/8 oz jig heads. anything other than a Sockeye would attack those.

Whats interesting is the guys who do it (there are some on this very site) well never come forward and contribute FRIENDLY email about it. At the river or in the tackle store, or by private email they stand behind there claim that the kings are sticking their nose down in the mud and eating the jig.....the funniest thing is one of the holiday market guys said they took a loss in the selling of eggs last year. they sold far less and had some go bad. but they were up on jigs but only made a nickle on each jig sold which didnt account for much profit....

I swim jigs for silvers on a regular basis.......last fall while swimming the jigs for silvers, I had many chinook take my jig. Bad for me since my gear was suited for silvers but on the light side for chinook. I was surprised how willing the chinook were to take a swimming jig.