Jigging is a technique that is controversial for catching salmon. Many people believe that salmon do not hit a jig. This may be true for 90% of people because they are doing it wrong. When jigging wrong salmon are snagged on some part of the body. They must be released when this happens.Salmon have to voluntarily take a lure and it must be in the mouth. I have heard many people say that the fish side swiped it; therefore, it is okay if they keep it. That is not the case. This is why jigging gets a bad rap by many fishermen. They see so many salmon snagged that they feel salmon do not strike a jig. This is because most fishermen do not get their jig to flutter, they lift their rods up so hard and fast that they snag the salmon.
Salmon definitely hit a jig when done right. I do a lot of jigging depending on where the salmon are holding. It is a very effective method when done right. I always tell clients that salmon only hit the jig on the way down. To get salmon to hit the jig on the way down you must make your lure flutter. The flutter action represents a wounded bait fish that the salmon are used to feeding on in the ocean.
To get your lure to flutter takes practice. I will start with all of my clients standing up in my boat. After having the clients hold their rod tips touching the water I will have them let out their fishing line until the jig hits the bottom. Once the lure hits the bottom of the river I will have the clients engage their reels so no more line will be released. Clients will then lift their rods up, approximately two feet. As soon as the rod is lifted two feet I have the clients drop their rod tips back down to the water.
This is the tricky part of jigging. When dropping the rod tip back down, you need enough slack in the line to get the jig to flutter. But don’t let out too much slack or you will never feel the bite. The bite is always light because you have slack in your line as the fish bites your jig. When you get a bite, quickly set the hook before the fish has a chance of spitting out the lure.
This method takes practice and some patience, but once you master jigging it adds another effective technique to catching these prized fish.
