A brief rundown on how to go about diamond jigging from a headboat and why it works.
If you’re new to the headboat scene, here’s what you need to know about fishing from them: Headboats or party boats typically range from about 60 to 120 feet long, carry 25 to 65 anglers, and usually offer one or two six-hour trips per day, with sailing times perhaps at 6 a.m. and 1 p.m. or 7a.m. and 2p.m. Most book trips online, and some need a minimum number of reservations to make a trip. You should arrive at the dock early, especially on weekends. Expect a 30 minute to an hour ride from dock to the grounds, as most of these vessels cruise at only about 12 knots.
The fee for a half- or whole-day trip might range from about $90-$125 and includes bait and terminal tackle. The mates may collect a hook-and-sinker or lure deposit, which you’ll get back at the end of the trip if you don’t lose your rig. Additional set-ups will cost a replacement fee. Target species, depending on season and area, are blackfish, fluke, black sea bass, porgies, bluefish, striped bass, cod, and pollock.
It’s hard to beat a diamond jig for performance on any type of boat. Diamonds can plummet in the strongest current or flutter downward like wounded prey, yet they wobble irresistibly like a fleeing baitfish when retrieved. During hot action, jigs have a speedy turnaround time. As soon as you can wrestle a diamond’s hook from the maw of a scrappy fish you can get it back in the water with no hook to rebait.
Fishing diamond jigs, which some boats like the Black Hawk out of Niantic, CT have specialized in, requires a different technique from bait-and-sinker fishing. As you would with baitfishing, quickly free-spool your jig until it bumps bottom, then immediately engage the reel and start your lure action.
The two main ways to fish a diamond are squidding and jigging. “Squidding” means releasing a jig to bottom, then rapidly retrieving it vertically part way through the lower water column. “Jigging” describes releasing the lure to the bottom and then lifting it vertically by rhythmically sweeping the rod tip up and down about 18 to 36 inches without reeling.
For sea bass, squidding works but isn’t the most productive method because you’re constantly retrieving your jig from the bottom “sweet spot” where the fish hold. Also not as effective is the “swing-for-the-fences” approach with long, upward rod sweeps, which is ideal when targeting cod and pollock, but not for sea bass.
The right technique for sea bass is subtler, keeping the metal bouncing right along the bottom, as if tending a sinker, but using short 12- to 18-inch upstrokes by snapping the rod tip up and allowing a fluttering motion just off the bottom on the drop. Expect to hang up occasionally, and maybe lose a lure, but it’s worth the reward.
“It’s important to keep your jig near the bottom,” says Capt. Ned Kittredge, “or no more than a ‘rod-tip’ off the bottom, imparting a short-but-exact and swift jigging motion. Black sea bass prefer structure, and rarely venture too far up to feed. Drop it quickly but don’t lose complete contact with the jig, as the strike often comes on the way down. It requires practice and touch to be successful.”
If the boat is targeting bluefish and stripers, your jigging technique should change. “The best approach for bluefish and striped bass,” says Capt. Kerry Douton of the Dot-E-Dee, “is to hit bottom, retrieve the diamond about 10 fast cranks up, immediately free-spool it back down, and hit bottom again. And you keep doing that until it scales out—when you get too much line out and the jig gets diagonally away from the boat—then you must reel it all the way in and start again. A vertical drop is always most productive if you can maintain it, which is when braid helps.”
If you bring your own rod & reel, a suitable outfit would be a 6 ½- to 7-foot medium- to medium-heavy-action saltwater boat rod matched to a substantial, conventional-style reel like a Shimano Tekota, Shimano Torium, or a Penn Special Senator in size 3/0 or 4/0, depending on species. Check with the boat about the ideal outfit. Spool up with 30- to 50-pound test monofilament.
For superior performance in deep, swift water, you can spool on 40- to 50-pound smooth braided line. Although much more expensive, braid has zero stretch for maximum feel and is extremely thin for its pound-test rating, allowing for reduced water drag and better ability to maintain the bottom. But check with the boat in advance because some either do not allow braid or the mates prefer you top-shot it with about 30 feet of 50-pound mono leader, which is much easier for them to handle and untangle because it’s thicker and also gentler on the hands.
Needed jig size may range from 4 to 12 ounces, depending on current speed, depth, and target species. Only rig your jigs with a single hook, which may range from size 6/0 to 8/0, to reduce bottom snags and tangles with other lines.
Party boat fishing is a great way to go deep-sea fishing for a minimal expense. You’ll almost always come home with fish for the grill. And you’ll meet many interesting characters who share a passion for Northeast bottomfishing. Make sure to check a boat’s website or call about target species, weather, and specific tackle recommendations. And don’t forget to tip the mates!
