Our local deepwater bottom fishery is only a few days each year during late springtime. It's always been one of my favorite fisheries. We are targeting Ling cod and Halibut in depths from 400' to 750'. My reel of choice has always been 113H. We use a small variety of proven lures and bait. Norwegian jigs, large hootchies with herring or squid, and home made pipe jigs. The pipe jigs are generally used to target ling cod, but will also catch halibut. I made a bunch of pipes about 7-8 years ago and thru each season they keep getting crusty and rusty, but still catch fish. It's amazing that something so simple will catch a fish.....The last morning I pulled a pipe jig outta my bucket and stuck it on as is, old leader and all.....right away it was game on, with one huge takedown after another. Thankfully this was our 400' spot, so all the reeling wasn't so bad. In 1.5 hours I released 7 halibut (20-40#) and caught 3 nice lings and lost several big takedowns that didn't get a hookset.
Here is the pipe from my rusty bucket....yep, it really is a fish catching lure just as it is
Here is a shot of one days catch
I had my longtime friends with me. All are railroad guys, 2 are conductors, and one a local yardmaster. All are very seasoned fishermen and fun time was had by all.
Wow...a piece of pipe with a hook on it...who'da thunk it! Great fishin' Ted! 8)
Nice Ted. ;)
Nice job Ted. Guys use those pipe jigs here also .................... I should go look for mine.
Cheers:
Todd
Congrats on the great day's fishing Ted! Catching is fun, but when you have the responsibility of running the boat and finding the fish, and it all comes together, it adds a whole dimension of glory to the whole thing. Lots of us can turn the handle, and/or come up with some interesting tackle ideas, but you and Lou and Alan really put it all together.
Crazy that something so simple can be so effective!
Nice Ted!
yup, copper pipe jigs. i don't know why they work so well, but they definitely work!
Nice! A lot of fancy looking lures are more to catch fishermen than fish.
lots of good eating right there amigo, congrats
I must build one of those pipes, not very often but from time to time I fish on a deep reef from 450' - 600'
Ted, how rich a mix of concrete in the pipe do you recommend? Tints ? Dyes? Audio? ::) 8) ;D
Steve
Just curious TED, what is that pipe jig supposed to mimmick???
Quote from: fordfox on June 25, 2018, 07:51:20 PM
Just curious TED, what is that pipe jig supposed to mimmick???
I think it just pisses them off when it bonks them on the head so they attack it ;D
good work! great eats!
The pipe jig is filled with lead and has similar properties of a Baghdad battery (copper and lead and saltwater). Most fish can detect milliamps that the pipe produces which can trigger a strike
Also most fish that live on bottom have lateral lines on the lower fins and can feel the thumping of the jig from a distance. There are many theories as to why a lead filled copper pipe with naked hook will catch fish.... I am just glad they do, cause I can make one for less than $8 and they can last many years of use. Canada has a 1,000 gram weight restriction, so these pipes are made certain length so they are ok for BC fishing too...approx 35 ounces
Looks like a great time fishing.
I'll move back there in 6-7 years. I need to fill a notebook with all your tidbits of info for the trip home
Nick
thanks for that Ted, very interesting, cheers Don.
Way to go Ted, looks like a great day fishing and hanging out with you're buddies. Plenty of fish to eat to. We can't fish that deep here anymore,but at least it's only closed a few months a year. Wondering if a smaller version of that would work here?
Damn!! Learn some everyday 8)
Marc..
Ted, I'm thinking you are right with the electrical current theory. Copper and lead are both used. Butt not much lead is in contact with the water in the pipe? What's good is you can DIY em and save money 💰 and have some fun too. Right🤦♀️🎣💰🤷♂️
It's another thing I've noticed that on a baited longline for halibut many big fish are close to the steel anchor. More often than not for me. Just saying. 💁♂️
Hmmm, milliamps and vibrations. Never targeted Halibut, "butt" noticed yesterday the latteral line on the Lings we got yesterday looked real prominant. I always just figured Lings'ed eat anything that looked like was alive and could possibly fit in their mouths.
Those store-bought bars, etc. are way over-priced, though...