If you watch a video showing fish life on a reef or wreck its remarkable how peaceful things are. Small bait fish, mid-size fish, larger predators and often sharks all cruising around in what appears to be perfect harmony. There are several types of fish which even seem to have a mutually dependent relationship with apex predators - for instance, remoras with sharks. Yet in other videos crazed feeding frenzies can be viewed, showing exactly the same participants. Sail fish, on a bait ball. Kingfish attacking garfish or squid. So what factors turn a cruising predator into a remorseless hunter, in an instant?
An obvious one is the panicked flight of a potential food item. Which is why jigging is such a deadly technique over reefs and wrecks. As the lure flashes upward through the gloom a predator must make an instant decision of whether to strike or not. If he doesn't he either misses out, or another fish in the school wins the prize. Close inshore reefs in the 40-60 metre depth band hold plenty of predators – although, often on the small size. Here’s the Annie Miller wreck off Vaucluse (Sydney) in May 2014:
Mixed in with baitfish like yellowtail and nannygai in the pic above were small predators, mainly kingfish and amberjacks. The optimum size knife jig in this depth is 100 grams. We matched jig size to rod size and using 6 kilo line had a fantastic hour’s sport:
Here’s my best in 2014 on these 100 gram jigs, 92cm:
Jigging with gear maching fish size is such a buzz. And our clients all around Australia enjoy it too. Here’s some feedback. Firstly, Brett Le Plastrier:
Your 100g jigs nailed this kingy at the Artificial this morning. Kingies were in vertical groups on the sounder.
Excellent! SE Queensland charter operator Greg Pearce pleased with 100 grammers too:
Hi mate its Greg from Double Island Point Fishing Charters. I thought you'd like this pic of a nice QLD Sampson I caught on one of the 100g jigs I got from you the other day, the jigs have also caught plenty of AJ's from 5-10kg but no stand outs yet and some pearlies. Probably need to order more soon because I've already lost a couple to freight trains!
Terrific. Here’s some more good fish from Sydney’s worked over waters:
Andrew, long day but well worth it. Manage to hook up 90cm Kingie at 12 mile yesterday with one of your 100gm jigs.
If you’re in the right place at the right time the action with this size jig can be red hot. Hereá triple hookup in forty seconds at the Coolooli wreck in December 2014. It would have been a quad hookup but I was doing the filming:
Here’s the colour range on these jigs. Our ten pack contains two of each colour. Hook and cord also included:
Jason Glass at the famous Peak, off Botany Bay. Around 60 metres deep:
Hi Andrew, got a few kings at the Peak yesterday (Saturday).
My son Josh is in the photo. Were taking squid strips and your 100 gram jigs.
Here’s one I took using a 100 gram jig on our light jig combo. The reel screams but it’s a good kinda scream:
Luke Latty sent this brilliant pic and short report after an amazing trip to Long Reef:
Hey mate myself Rob and James went out and could honestly say it was the most enjoyable king session any of us have ever had! Around 50 legal kings up to high 78cm boated on poppers, stick baits and your micro jigs at Long Reef!
This big boy the largest we’ve heard being taken on this size jig. Thanks to Rob Frier:
Got a 119cm King today off one of your 100gm jigs
What a beast. This one a solid kingfish too. Dave Vassallo:
Got a few out there yesterday too Andy using your 100g jigs !!!
The hook cord is protected from bites and abrasion by a heat shrinked tube:
But these are deadly on more than just summer kingfish. Our clients in the tropics use them to deadly effect, too. Adam writes:
There is a big pink (coronation) trout caught on one of your 100g jigs.
We also caught yellowfin on the jigs, barracuda, red bass, sharks etc etc.
Grant Zeitsman AKA the Whitsunday Weapon using them on Spanish mackerel with great success:
The GT have been frothing in the big tides and we certainly have made our big gear work. The Hestelow Jigs are still proving to be extremely successful on Spanish for us, my little modification is getting us a very high percentage of hook up / land ratio which I am chuffed about. The 100g is just sensational on our 50m shoals.
Being a humble merchant tackle pricing to me is really important.
Crew often come aboard our boat with expensive jigs this size, some from Japan costing $20 or even more:
But why spend 4 to 5 times more when ours work perfectly well, as proven the pics above? I should also mention that, when its available, we often include a free jig bag. Note that they’re not always available from our supplier, but it doesn’t hurt to check:
Try an order?
All around this country there are pinnacles, wrecks, reefs and drop offs in the 30 to 60 metre depth range.
Those points hold baitfish and those baitfish attract predators:
Try our 100 grams jigs over that type of structure.
You won’t be disappointed.
And when you catch a good one please send me a pic for the Hall of Fame.
Thanks for reading, Andy