With such a great deal of variety in slow pitch jigs as well as jigging outfits, dialing in what your goals are is critical to success.
For instance, one of the questions we get is “I want to catch [insert species here]. What jig should I use?”
That’s a bit like saying “I want to go golfing, what club should I use?”
You see the problem?
In theory, you could use any jig to target any species. What you need to do is dial in on size, weight, color, and presentation, which have implications not only for the selection of the jig itself, but also for the rod and reel. But let’s just talk about jigs here!
Preliminary Slow Pitch Jigging Considerations
Before we can actually get into slow pitch jig recommendations, we need to answer a few more important questions.
These are:
- What species are you fishing for?
- Where are you fishing?
- How deep will you be targeting this species?
Not only depth, but current and wind conditions, will impact the size and weight of the jig you should be using to pursue your target species. Greater depth and stronger current will require a larger, heavier jig, because ideally you want the jig to be vertical in the water column.
At the same time, you also have to consider what some call “matching the hatch,” which means closely aligning the presentation of your jig with what fish are feeding on.
For instance, if your target species is gorging on dollar bill sized mullet, a micro slow pitch jig might not be the best bet, all things considered.
This is an important consideration because it is often not one single jig size, style and color that will work, on any given day.
Often you won’t know what the conditions are until you are on the water, which means you should always keep a tackle bag stocked with several different options so you can match your presentation to what the conditions require.
It is also important to remember that when the wind and current work together, you will be able to select a lighter jig and keep it where you want it in the water column because the wind and current will be bringing the boat in the same direction.
When the wind and current are opposing each other, they will be forcing the boat (and the line you have paid out) in opposite directions, which will often require you to step up the weight you’re using.
Slow Pitch Jigging: Size and Weight Considerations
One thing that is commonly shared in the slow pitch jigging community as a general guideline is:
- 1 gram of jig weight per 1 foot of water
Or, you can go a little bit heavier; so if you’re in 100 feet or so, you should go with a jig that’s a bit heavier, say, 150 grams. As depth increases, it can be harder to keep a light jig in the target area of the water column, as you’ll be combating not only the weight of the jig, but the force of drag on the line you’ve paid out, under the influence of the current.
Low, Medium, and High-Flutter Jigs
With slow pitch jigs, we have three basic categories - low, medium and high flutter jigs, which may also be referred to as low, medium and high action jigs.
Low action jigs (low flutter jigs) are denser and more streamlined; they’re usually not as wide and so produce less relative action. Torpedo jigs are low action jigs; they get down more quickly and they don’t flutter as much, which also results in less reaction with the current.
High action jigs, like the Flattie, which are flat on both sides and fairly wide, exhibit wide wobble and flutter. They also respond to the current more dramatically, and get scoped out easily.
When selecting slow pitch jigs, you also have to consider how fast the boat is drifting with respect to the current.
For instance, on a day with high opposing winds and current, in which the boat is drifting at 2 knots or more, you’re going to want to go with a jig that has moderate to low flutter. A high flutter jig would offer too much resistance and get swept up into the current more quickly.
When the wind and current are working together, the boat will drift with the current, and you can use a higher-flutter slow pitch jig that will stay more vertical and won’t get “scoped out.”
Cover Your Bases with Slow Pitch Jig Selection
To play it safe, and since you won’t know exactly what conditions will be like till you get out there, you should choose a few different styles and size ranges to stock up your tackle bag before you head out.
So, this means you should choose several low, medium, and high flutter jigs, that way you can tailor the presentation to the conditions. Another pro tip is to buy a bunch. Don’t just buy a couple. Wreck and reef fishing are unbelievably snaggy and you’re going to lose a few jigs every once in a while. Always, always have duplicates if not triplicates.
Thinking About Depth
When selecting slow pitch jigs, you’ll also want to think about where you need to present your jig in the water column. For fish like snapper and grouper, you’ll need to be near the bottom. For pelagic fish like tuna and cobia, you might be in deeper water, but fishing the jig much higher in the water column.
As a general rule, you’ll want to select a jig (considering the conditions) that will give you the most amount of action while still being workable at the target depth in the water column.
Note on Jig Color
We’re just going to say it: action is far more important than jig color. Yes, ultimately, jig color can determine strike rate, but by and large, how the lure moves in the water, and the flash and vibrations it produces, are going to be far more important in stimulating strikes than color.
Effectively any color jig will catch a fish if the action is right.
With that said, if you are hung up on color, here are some notes:
- If your target species is keyed in on specific forage, match the color of the jig as closely to that as possible.
- Silvers and pinks are good colors in almost all conditions (silver produces a lot of flash, and many baitfish are silver, whereas pink offers good contrast and high visibility in water).
- High holographic foil is a good feature of a jig, as it produces a lot of flash which can catch the attention of predatory fish.
- Gold, orange and red tend to produce on grouper.
- Eyespots are another feature to look for on jigs, as it has been proposed that some predatory fish identify their prey based on the presence of eyes.
But again, action is more important than color!
Stock Up on Slow Pitch Jigs and Hit the Water
Armed with this information, you should be ready to pick up some slow pitch jigs before your next offshore trip. You’ll find them here - but if you still have questions, feel free to reach out to us. We’re happy to make recommendations and to help in any way that we can.
(By the way, check out our official YouTube channel for more helpful information like this!)