Diamond jig hook tangles on line.

Started by japeto, March 26, 2017, 06:12:13 PM

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japeto

Greetings,

I slow-jig diamond jigs for bottom fish and have really good results with them  However, occasionally when I retrieve my line, I find that the hook is caught on the line.  Sometimes I feel a nice, heavy bite but the fish gets off and I suspect its because the hook was tangled on the line.  Anyone know how to prevent this issue?   

Bryan Young

:D I talk with every part I send out and each reel I repair so that they perform at the top of their game. :D

boon

Are you using an assist hook rig or is the hook on a ring straight off the jig?

I've never had jigs make a mess of themselves when using a stiff assist, even with some very erratic-actioned jigs.

Gfish

What Bryan & Boon said. This happens to me once n' awhile when I have slack line on the drop or on the "drop back" part of my jigging motion.
Gfish
Fishing tackle is an art form and all fish caught on the right tackle are"Gfish"!

STRIPER LOU

Bryan is correct and a slower drop will help.

If the assist hook is not stiff enough, that may contribute to your problem. If that's the case the addition of some colored heat shrink should stiffen it up enough to stop the fouling.

................Lou

japeto

Quote from: Bryan Young on March 26, 2017, 09:28:00 PM
Slow your drop a little.

Makes perfect, simple sense!  I think this is the solution! Thank you.

japeto

Quote from: boon on March 26, 2017, 11:09:56 PM
Are you using an assist hook rig or is the hook on a ring straight off the jig?

I've never had jigs make a mess of themselves when using a stiff assist, even with some very erratic-actioned jigs.

I use AVA-type jigs with a siwash hook on the "tail" of the jig.  No assist hook up top. 

FatTuna

Happens to everyone but I agree with what Bryan said. You can lift quickly if you want to vary retrieve but you need to lower the tip slower to avoid tangles.

With bottom jigging, I like to use a longer rod. 7'6" or 8'. It gives you a higher lift. I let the jig flutter down slowly.

I add a wind-on mono leader to my bottom fishing setups. Braid is thin and will tangle with the jig more if you tie direct.

With species that have a soft mouth, you need to retrieve slowly but steadily. If you crank it too fast, you can rip the hook out of the fish. If you go too slow, you can allow slack in the line if the fish is bucking on the way up. For bottom fishing, I like a high gear ratio with a slow steady retrieve.

Another factor is the fish may be hitting the bare metal and not getting the hook. If you get a hit, just keep jigging. A lot of times you can get it on the second or third hit.

Could also be tiny fish pecking at it. Their mouth is too small to get hooked but you will feel them.

Bryan Young

How are you rigging the jig?

I tie a short piece of hard mono/leader to my main braided line.  Approximately 3-6 feet. This has prevented my mail line from getting hooked with the jig. I don't know how or why but I have not had a problem since.

:D I talk with every part I send out and each reel I repair so that they perform at the top of their game. :D

FatTuna

The braid is thinner and denser so it sinks quicker than mono/fluoro. The jigs flutter which slows down their drop.   

The mono also adds a little give so you don't pull the hook as much. Up here, we jig a lot of haddock and cod. Their mouths are super soft. It's really easy to drop fish midway up if you crank really fast.

For bottom fishing, I use solid braid. I usually fish pretty heavy line because it lasts longer. 80lb or 100lb braid for 5lb to 50lb fish. 50lb bottom fish are rare these days but you never know what you might hook. I'm not casting these reels so I'm not really concerned with line capacity. Bottom fish here don't pull much drag. It's easier to pick out a backlash if you have inexperienced fisherman on board. The water here isn't very deep.

I'll connect a one fathom, 60lb mono leader with an albright knot. No swivel because the jig has one on it. Sometimes I'll tie a dropper above the jig and put on a teaser/fly. The teaser is sometimes a problem though when there are a lot of small fish around.

Cor

You probably don't want to change your jig but different weights and shapes tend to do this more or less.
Otherwise all the suggestions above may help.
Changing hooks also effect the way the jig drops or moves in the water or a trebble hook is more likely to catch the line then a single.

This can be an infuriating problem, good luck.
Cornelis

boon

Give a stiff (heat-shrinked) assist off the top ring a go. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised by both the lack of tangles and the improved hook-up rate.

Bill B

Everything they said above....when I jig for salmon on the river this is a problem until I learn the correct speed for the drop stroke.  With patience you learn the proper technique.....Tight lines....Bill
It may not be very productive,
but it's sure going to be interesting!

japeto

Just an update: Jigging slower completely resolved the problem.  Thanks fellas.