There’s value in “aftermarket” rigging at the business end of your line.
The popularity of jigging for inshore, wreck and reef, near offshore and canyon species has grown exponentially over the past decade and for good reason. The tackle part of the mix has seen paradigm shifts in rod and reel technology, with lightning fast gear ratios and winding speeds, along with lighter weight equipment with a downsized footprint that’s easier for most anglers to use in saltwater applications. And simply put, nothing compares to the heart-stopping tug when your streaking jig comes to a sudden halt and starts heading in the opposite direction after a big gamefish has been duped by the charade.
Keep in mind that many manufacturers want to stay competitive with pricing, and often the best way to keep cost in check is with the connections – hooks, swivels, solid/split rings and assist cord. An increasing number of anglers, especially hardcore jig fishermen, are taking up the challenge of controlling their own destiny by doing the rigging themselves, after-market. Interestingly enough, you can actually save money while increasing the quality of the components at the same time.
By my count there are at least 16 possible ways to rig your jigs with the best hook combo du jour, depending on the size (length and weight) of the jig and the targeted species.
Bottom Only Top Only Top & Bottom
Single J-Hook Single Assist Hook Single Assist & Single Bottom
Single Double Hook Dual Assist Hook Single Assist & Double Bottom
Single Treble Hook Single Assist & Treble Bottom
Single Assist Hook Single Assist Top & Bottom
Dual Assist Hook Dual Assist Top & Bottom
Dual Assist & Single Assist
Dual Assist & Single Bottom
Dual Assist & Double Bottom
When determining which permutations and combinations of hooks, jig types (knife, butterfly, slow pitch, flat fall, classic diamond, hammered, etc.) and the weights/sizes that might work best for your needs, be advised that it’s a moving target. You could be using a 100-gram jig (about 3-1/2 ounces) armed with a pair of 3/0 to 4/0 hooks at one moment, and in the blink of an eye you’re quickly swapping out to single 7/0 to 8/0 top-assist hooks to enjoy a tug-of-war with a 60-pound tuna. Things can make the quick change on the water and the window of opportunity is frequently short-lived. That’s why having the right tools and accessories onboard can provide reasonable and timely control over your destiny and give you the best chance of bringing that gamefish to the side of the boat for release or harvest.
How Big Is The Jig?
Whenever I’m out doing home or away charters, hanging at the bait and tackle shop, or doing a fishing seminar at a local boat dealer, I am frequently asked the same question, specifically, “how big of a jig should I use?” The answer depends on a lot of variables, some of which include the size of the forage for your target species, the depth of water, wind/wave/current conditions and the tackle you are using (rod, reel and line diameter).
Capt. Mike Hogan and the folks from Hogy Lures have put together a groundfish depth chart guideline for lure weight vs. depth that makes a great starting point for that conversation:
DEPTH JIG WEIGHT (OUNCES)
0-20′ .25 – 1.25
21-40′ .5 – 2
41-60′ 1.5 – 3.5
61-80′ 2.5 – 4.5
81-100′ 4.5 – 6.5
100-150′ 6.5 – 10
151-200′ 10 – 16
200’+ 16+
For readers that that have grown accustomed to the metric system of measurement in the world of jigging, here’s yet another guideline that might prove helpful, especially considering that it employs a fairly easy formula to remember – basically requiring 1 gram of jig weight for every foot of water.
DEPTH JIG WEIGHT (GRAMS)
30’ 30 g
50’ 50 g
80’ 80 g
100’ 100 g
125’ 125 g
150’ 150 g
175’ 175 g
200’ 200 g
225’ 225 g
250’ 250 g
When talking about the latest high-tech jigs, since most of the new gear is emanating from Asia’s Pacific Rim (which adopted the metric system a long time ago), the majority of jig weights you’ll find in local shops are listed in grams. Going back and forth between the two measurement systems, grams-to-ounces and ounces-to-grams, can often get confusing. The following conversion table might come in handy to determine the jig’s true weight in a language that you can easily comprehend (just remember there are 28.35 grams to the ounce).
Grams Ounces Ounces Grams
30 1.06 1 28.35
40 1.41 2 56.70
50 1.76 3 85.05
60 2.12 4 113.40
80 2.82 5 141.75
100 3.53 6 170.10
120 4.23 7 198.45
150 5.29 8 226.80
170 6.00 9 255.15
200 7.06 10 283.50
220 7.76 11 311.85
250 8.82 12 340.20
300 10.58 13 368.55
325 11.46 14 396.90
350 12.35 15 425.25
400 14.11 16 453.60
Making Connections
When determining the optimum method of connecting your running line to the jig, there are three possibilities (there is no absolutely right or wrong way to do this and I can make a case for each of the three methods, as well as to point out potential liabilities). The first of these is the most obvious, specifically attaching your knot, snap swivel or fast clip to the lure itself. This provides the angler with the most direct control over the movement of the jig. It also allows the hook to swing freely, offering the best chance to achieve solid purchase when a predator decides that it wants your offering for a snack.
The potential downside is that there are two levels of separation between your jig and the fish on the hook, the first being the split ring, which from my experience, is typically the weak link in the chain. The second level of separation is the solid ring, where your hook will be attached via a short Kevlar cord (if you are employing a top-assist hook). With this single or dual top-assist hook modus operandi, you should be able to get consistent, solid hookups and keep fish buttoned up on the way to the boat. In contrast, the single hook, bottom of the jig setup most often found with classic diamond jigs, hammered jigs and to a certain extent with surgical tube tails allows the fish to get leverage with the jig and use it to potentially pry the hook out of its mouth. This liability is somewhat negated if you can place a swivel down low on the hook end, as found with surgical tube setups. However, a single bottom hook on the metal is less than ideal and the jig, especially in the longer varieties, is likely to work against you when getting that fish to boatside. When using a single hook on a jig my preference has morphed to deploying an assist rigged at the top of the lure, which takes jig leverage out of the equation.
The second attachment point for connecting the jig to the running line is via the split ring. This however is my least preferred method since you are attached neither to the lure nor the jig. If this is the path you want to take when sending your jigs into the depths, it’s probably best to tie a ball bearing swivel in the 75- to 150-pound class to your leader or running line to complete the circuit. And be sure to choose quality, load-bearing split rings. Be advised that you will need to have split ring pliers in your pocket every time you want to make a lure change and be sure to have spares, since you will probably drop the first one overboard. Of the three methods here, this also takes the longest time to swap out jigs.
The third technique for attaching your jig to the running line is via the solid ring that is situated on the top end of the hook’s assist cord. With this method, the lure is totally freeloading and is just along for the ride. Your knot, clip or snap swivel is connected directly to the seamless ring, which takes any potential lure leverage out of the equation if you are employing a single or twin top-assist hook layout. This also gives you a straight line of pull from the hook, which is a very important feature of this style.
But this is not the “perfect” delivery method, since there are a few things that can spoil the fun. The first of these is the size of the solid ring used on the assist cord. If you are rolling your own, you can employ larger size 6 or 7 rings where there’s enough space to operate. The problem with smaller size 4 or 5 rings found on many store-bought assist hooks is that there’s not a lot of room on the inside diameter of the circle. The attachment method you are using to connect it all to the main line can cause a potential fray on the hook/assist cord’s fragile loop connection to the ring. With your catch of the day thrashing about down deep and constantly changing directions, the metal part of your clip or snap will come into frequent contact with the cord under a load and that usually does not have a favorable ending.
By tying a knot directly to the aforementioned ring it takes a lot of the stress out of the equation, but now you need to re-tie with every lure change, which is a major pain. If you decide to employ any bottom hooks on your jig and if that is where your lure is attached to your quarry, whatever direct-connect advantage you might have had is now lost. If this is still your preferred choice, to ensure smooth functionality, try to have the split ring, solid ring and the eye of the jig be approximately the same size so that the connection enjoys freedom of movement.
Hand-Tied Assist Hooks
Assist hooks come in many shapes and sizes, either as singles or in pairs. Some feature Mylar strands as an added attraction, while others might include glow strands or skirts. Plus there’s always the plain vanilla variety, with or with an anti-chaffing tube covering the Kevlar cord to protect against potential bite-offs. For the past decade I have been buying pre-rigged assist hooks and the one thing they all have in common is that they are expensive. Depending on the size and number of the hooks and the quality of the material, you can pay anywhere from $4 to $5 each for these assist hooks, and often in the $8 to $10 range.
In terms of purchasing store-bought, pre-rigged varieties of assist hooks, suffice to say that I prefer to trust my own work. Some cheaper no-name brands that you might find may start to show signs of rust right after their initial exposure to saltwater, where others use a Kevlar assist cord that are too light or too heavy for the application. Still other pre-packaged assist hooks don’t include a solid ring in the sale price (adding to their cost), or use one that is undersized, necessitating that it be swapped out for a larger version (once again, adding to the overall cost). To avoid some of these pitfalls, I tend to stick with “name brands” when buying pre-rigged assist hooks and have had good luck with the products from Gamakatsu, Owner, Hogy, BKK, OTI (Ocean Tackle International) and Mustad.
You can easily create your own assist hooks and all you need is a few easily-sourced components. Honestly, as my inventory of the store-bought, pre-rigged variety begins to wane, I will replace these with custom-rigged versions built to my exact specifications using the same quality components, but at a fraction of the cost. There are eight core components to roll your own assist hooks:
- Hooks
- Kevlar assist cord
- Solid stainless steel rings
- Quality split rings
- Shrink wrap anti-chaffing tube
- Heat gun or hair-drier
- Split ring pliers
- Dedicated line pullers
There are plenty of YouTube videos from a cast of characters that demonstrate how to successfully connect your Kevlar cord to your assist hooks and solid rings. If you budget that you will need roughly 12 inches of cord to tie each assist hook, you should be able to get 120 rigs out of a single 120-foot roll of Kevlar material. Depending on the line rating (200 to 300 pounds), this will set you back anywhere from $15 to $20 a spool for starters. You’ll just need to match the ultimate length of the assist cord to the size of the jig, the size of the hook and employ a loop knot for the solid ring and an abbreviated Uni-Knot or single overhand knot and bobbin-whipped wrap for the hook end.
Heat shrink tubing is optional, but it’s a nice finishing touch. When designing your own hook rigging setups, the gap of the hook should be slightly wider than the widest section of the jig and any top-mounted assist hook should be no longer than one-third to half the length of the lure when hanging down in the vertical position.
During my many decades of using jigs for a variety of ocean species and having to frequently upgrade the hooks and hardware, I have learned a few tips and tricks that might be of help when making your own assist hook rigs:
- Whatever combination of hooks you employ on your jigs, it is paramount that the top and bottom sections cannot tangle with each other. Be sure to trim the assist hook lengths accordingly to avoid this pitfall.
- Don’t tie the assist hook loop to either a split ring or to the lure; the sharp edges of the split ring will eventually fray the loop of the assist cord and it will eventually fail, most likely on a large fish. If you tie the loop to the jig’s eye, it will be a real challenge to get it on and almost impossible to take it off.
- The assist hook should be tied to a solid ring for best performance.
- When using add-on hardware, the jig’s top eye should be about the same size as the split ring and solid ring that you are selecting for the mix.
- To add an extra measure of security to your jig rig, add a heat shrink tube over the cord-to-hook connection as an anti-chaffing measure.
- When adding or removing jigs or assist hooks from the split ring, listen for an audible “snap” each time you make a change. If the split ring looks slightly bent out of shape or has lost its elasticity, swap it out for a new one.
Bottom line, it’s actually more economical and more efficient to “roll your own” with an upgrade in both quality and matching the hardware to the task at hand. Be safe out there!
