The relatively new technique of slow pitch jigging has arrived in South Africa. It seems that shore based slow pitch jigging has gained traction first, particularly in KZN. Offshore slow pitch jigging is now beginning to catch the attention of fishermen as the amazing success of this form of fishing gains more and more attention.
A Nice Roman
I visited Cape St Francis last week to target some yellowtail on the surface with plugs. Just before I left, I received a sample pack of Owner Cultiva Gekito ultra slow jigs.
I decided to take them along and give them a swim when the tail weren’t around on the surface.
Carpenter on slow jig
The colour range of the jigs is exceptional and I liked the shape and centre weighted design. These jigs are designed to work on the drop. The angler lifts them from the bottom with the rod and then allows them to drop on a slack line, while taking a turn on the reel handle. The jigs drop with an attractive fluttering action and seem to be irresistible to pretty much all fish.
I rigged the jigs with a pair of Owner Dual Dancing Stinger assist hooks. There were three weights of jigs in the pack, 40g, 60g and 80g. I rigged them with 1/0, 2/0 and 3/0 hooks respectively. The hooks are small, but sharp and strong for their size.
Each time we stopped over any reef we would drop these jigs down and work them around the bottom. We would bring the jig up little by little to about ten metres off the bottom, then drop it down and start again.
It was very light work, physically, much like working a String of Sabiki jigs. Even a small child would be able to keep that sort of action up all day
Geelbek couldnt leave these lures alone
I was absolutely amazed at how many fish we caught and the huge variety of species which ate the jigs with relish. I had done similar fishing before but had nowhere near the same success. I can only conclude that the weighting on these Cultiva jigs is better balanced and makes them more attractive than the other brands that I had tried in the past.
The Cultiva jigs kept us well entertained whenever the yellowtail weren’t around. We would chase birds, feeding above the gamefish, and then stop and drift when we were close to them, hoping that they would approach the boat and get into casting range. While waited for the fish to appear on the surface, we would work jigs on the bottom.
We ended up catching a dozen species on jigs, including geelbek, kob, roman and dageraad. The skipper was fishing bait in the traditional Eastern Cape style, but we were outfishing him with the jigs. He ended up cutting off his bait trace and borrowing a jig to join the fun. He ended up getting stuck into fish on almost every drop and was well and truly converted by the end of the day.
I think that these lures are going to be a major game changer for those offshore fishermen who like to target bottom dwelling species. My one concern is that these jigs are so effective, that they will need to be used responsibly. If not, they could have a serious impact on our offshore reef fish stocks.
I would recommend having a weighted release rig on board, in order to facilitate the safe release of fish suffering from barotrauma, and get them down to a comfortable pressure as quickly and efficiently as possible.
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