6 Reasons Wire Line Jigging Catches Big Striped Bass

Hairball Jigs With Fluorocarbon Leaders & 50Lb Wire Line

Made by Captain Eric Staplefeld of Falmouth MA

1: Wire Line

Wire is strong and cuts through the water with less resistance. This combined with the added weight of the line and the weight of the jig takes it deeper in the water column where the big girls hang out.

2: Weight

Traditional jigs are made of lead and sink fast and they tend to stay down even when “jigged” aggressively and their size can be matched to the predominant prey/bait and the water depth where the bigger fish are located.

3: Shape

They are available in many shapes meant to resemble everything from squid to crabs. Matching the shape of the lead head and the skirt to your fishing technique, water conditions, and what the bass are feeding on is important. When squid are around in the spring I use 3-4 oz. Hairball Jigs with rubber skirts to imitate a swimming squid. Later in the season on the sandy shoals off of Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket I “bounce” bucktail, or jigs with equivalent skirt material, like the H-Bomb Tackle series pictured below, to resemble escaping crabs.

4: Color

Make sure it “matches the hatch”.  Also, certain wavelengths of light travel further than in water and contrast is very important as well. On bright sunny days use brighter colors. When in doubt try white and red, or yellow and white. In deep water, on cloudy days, or at night use dark -  try red, black, or purple. Experiment.  Sometimes fish key in on certain colors. No one knows why. Always bring an assortment of colors.

5: Scent

Add pork rind and/or a commercial scent product. I use both. Scents now come is all sorts of “fragrances” like squid, menhaden, sand eel, etc.

6: Sound and Vibration

I you read my other blog posts you know Stripers have a keen sense of hearing and “feel” both sound and vibration.  A jig snapped though the water correctly sets of a shock wave that the striper can “feel” with their lateral lines and hear with their ears. Sound is 5x louder underwater and travels further than in air. Use it to call in the bass!

Common Mistakes:

1: Jigging To Fast

Most striped bass hit on the back stroke. Let the jig drift back with a slow even motion of the rod and don’t be too quick to jig it forward again. Jigging is a bit of an art. Practice; you’ll figure it out.

2) Using a Long Monofilament Leader

Here’s the “Cliff Notes” explanation. Use a short 60-80 fluorocarbon leader no longer than 2X the length of the rod. It does not stretch like mono and puts more snap in the jig setting a more intense shock wave and louder noise. This provides an added advantage fishing in deep water where the big fish are, especially on cloudy days, in turbid water, or at night. Trust me. It works.  I learned it from Captain Eric Stapelfled of Hairball Charters. Without a doubt he’s the best wire line fisherman I ever met.

H-Bomb Tackle Jigs

 Made in Orleans by Family Business Owners Heather and Jay  Cestaro

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