The Art of Jigging: Mastering Diamond Jigs for Trophy Striped Bass
Thwack! My rod doubled-over as my silver slab of metal came to a jarring stop some 40 feet below the port gunwale. I was diamond jigging for striped bass (aka rockfish) that were hounding sand eels along a sharp nearshore edge and the action was smokin’. All I had to do was free-spool my four-ounce jig until it hit the bottom, engage the reel, and quickly crank up 10 turns before repeating the process. Earlier, I had released six fish to 32 inches on six consecutive drops, most inhaling my lure by the time I’d hit turn number seven.
You’ve got to love the feel of a big predatory fish smacking a diamond jig, especially during the height of a feeding blitz. Most anglers are familiar with the slim-profile metal lures. After all, they’ve been tempting fish for as far back as any of my piscatorial cronies can remember, and some of those guys had pet triceratops. Simple to use, diamond jigs get to the bottom quickly, catch species ranging from tuna to sea trout, and are a great tool for introducing novice anglers to the use of artificials.
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Several attributes combine to make diamond jigs so productive. For starters, most feature thin profiles and provide plenty of flash underwater, making them a perfect match for silvery baitfish like sand eels, bay anchovies, and various “rain baits.” Made of lead and coated with chrome or a hard, shiny finish, they are nearly indestructible, even when inhaled by ferocious predators with solid shoulders and big, sharp teeth. Because diamond jigs are heavy for their size, yet aerodynamically designed, they cast great in a stiff wind and cut quickly through the depths to get down where the biggest fish swim. Choose a style with a single hook as opposed to a treble for a safe and quick release when getting it back from toothy combatants.
Most anglers are familiar with the standard diamond jig retrieve called “squidding,” described above, but there are a lot of other ways to put these lures to good use. For fish feeding on or near the surface, a fast, unbroken retrieve keeps the target high in the water column while eliciting “reaction strikes” as your quarry has to make an instant decision to engage or pass. This is a great retrieve for tempting fast-moving, roving species like Spanish mackerel, false albacore, bonito, and bluefish.
For working tightly packed schools of predatory fish at a known mid-depth like weakfish or sea trout, a jigging or “yo-yo” retrieve can keep your lure constantly in the strike zone. With this technique, snap the rod upward to quickly raise your offering and then immediately lower the rod tip all the way to the water, allowing the diamond to flutter unfettered on a slack line. You won’t need to wonder if you’ve had a bite while retrieving these lures as predators often stop them dead in their tracks.
Keep in mind that large jigs weighing four to six ounces or more are often needed to tangle with big fish in strong currents while smaller diamonds tempt school fish in calm inshore waters and inside the bays. Some jigs come with tube-tails and some come plain. Both work fine, but my preference is for the tubeless style as I feel it looks more natural sliding through the water. As a rule, green and white tails work best in shallow water and red is the color of choice for digging down deep.
One trick that can also increase your score is to nick new diamond jigs before putting them to use. Simply bang two jigs together a couple of times to dent the shiny coating. This breaks up the flash of these lures, giving them a more life-like appearance that even the leeriest trophies find hard to resist.
-by Tom Schlichter
