A little metal jig that packs a big punch for an assortment of species in the Northeast.
Every once in a while a new product hits that market that gets me genuinely excited! One of my favorites from the last few years in the Squinnow Jig made by Hogy Lures. This little jig has become one of my go-to’s when targeting sea bass on shallow structure, and many other species, including large scup, will eat this thing. I was drawn to the Squinnow Jig right away…
These jigs come in several sizes that will cover a wide range of situations, species and depths, the spread spans 1.75 to 8.5 ounces. For sea bass, I’m typically not going heavier than 3.5 ounces, and I’m going to fish the lightest weight I can while still getting down into the lower third of the water column. I haven’t found one color that outshines all the rest, but I will say I tend to gravitate toward ‘pink squid’ and ‘olive crab’.
Proper Technique
The method for fishing these jigs is simple and not unlike what you might do with a Shimano Flat-Fall Jig, a Daiwa Zakana or another similar offering. The first thing is the most important thing, your jig needs to get down through the current to the bottom without scoping too far out and away from the boat. Basically, you want your jig to drop to the structure you’re seeing on your fishfinder and you want a direct connection between your rod tip and the jig.
Once the jig hits bottom, take a turn on the reel and start a gentle lift-and-drop routine, lifting the jig no more than 30 inches off the bottom before letting it flutter back down, on a semi-slack line. Most of your hits will come on the descent, so you need to maintain gentle contact to feel the bites. An alternate method is to impart shorter, snappier twitches, which is sometimes what these fish want.
Although these fish are commonly found right on the bottom, it’s not that uncommon to find them suspending 10 to 20 feet off the bottom. So don’t be shocked if you hook a fish while reeling up, in fact, I often take my time reeling in those first 20 feet of line, while continuing to impart action on the lure.
Perks & Paraphernalia
One of the perks of the Squinnow Jig is that it’s ready to fish, right out of the package. Equipped with a dressed assist hook attached to a stout split ring, all of the components are high quality. You can swap out that assist hook for a more ‘conventional’ treble or siwash, but I believe the assist hook gives you some distinct advantages. First of all, the release mortality with these small, free-swinging, hooks is quite low and that has an impact on the future fishery, especially when releasing fish that are too small to keep. Additionally, my experience shows that your hookup ratio is higher using assist hooks. And finally, assist hooks have a much lower likelihood of snagging on the bottom, and when fishing in sticky structure, that’s a huge plus! (Changing out assist hooks is also a snap, with a pair of split ring pliers, so don’t leave the dock without a few extra hooks and your pliers.)
Keep it simple when rigging up for this style of fishing, but pay close attention to each component, because they each have a purpose. First of all, spool your reel with braided line, no heavier than 15-pound test; this will reduce drag in the current and allow you fish lighter jigs. I use a 30-inch section of 30-pound Seaguar fluorocarbon attached with a small Spro power swivel, this acts as a shock leader and also protects the light braid from wrecks, rocks, gills and teeth. You can tie direct to the jig, but I prefer a small Tactical Anglers Clip, for easy switching and because I feel that the clip gives the jig a little more freedom to flutter, making for a more natural presentation.
One of the more effective – and dare I say enjoyable – ways to fish these jigs is on a medium-action, inshore spinning setup. I use a Tsunami Slimwave spinning rod paired with a Penn 4000 Battle DX; this setup has a nice, light and sensitive tip that helps you feel the bottom, detect those subtle hits and helps maintain contact with the jig, but also has enough backbone to handle heavier jigs and bigger, angrier fish. And the Penn Battle DX is a powerful and reliable reel that has more than enough power to handle everything from big sea bass and tog to striped bass and albies.
Feeding The Fish
Knowing how to use your electronics will be a huge help in finding good structure, more fish and bigger fish, regardless of where you launch from. I do most of my fishing between Fishers Island, Block Island and the south shore of Rhode Island. Places like Wilderness Point, Old Reef, Southwest Ledge and the East Grounds are just a few places where this method crushes fish.
Don’t forget that sea bass make for some amazing table fare. When I know I want to take a few home for dinner, I change up my rig a little bit. Hogy makes a pre-tied rig they call the ‘Jig-Biki Crystal Teaser’ which features two tied teasers tied to a snap that you can attach to your jig. With the addition of these teasers you can really put some meat on the deck. I almost never use bait anymore, because artificials really seem to weed out the small fish and draw the attention of the bigger ones.
One more tip, if the bite is picky or when you’re fishing a popular and highly-pressured spot, add some Pro Cure Gel to the feathered assist hook, sometimes that little extra scent and flavor will seal the deal.
Throughout the summer, I’ll target sea bass on wrecks and rock piles between 30 and 80 feet of water; sometimes even deeper. Look over your charts for ledges, wrecks, hard bottom and defined deep-water edges and you will find the fish as well. Whether you use the Squinnow Jig or another similar type of jig, you will be repeatedly surprised by the assortment of species that can’t resist a well-presented jig; in addition to sea bass and scup, I’ve caught fluke, stripers, bluefish, weakfish, tautog and cod using this method in these areas throughout the summer season, it’s an awesome and fun way to fish.
Get out there and give it a try.
