Slow Slab

[Bucho]

Slow Jigging is all the rage overseas while many Americans look at casting jigs and wonder what the fuzz is all about since they`ve been doing almost the same thing for ages. Almost the same....  The thing is, there are some interesting new perspectives to it. In their attempt to evade fishing pressure into the depth, the Japanese  have perfectioned the way not only to work large metal jigs on soft overloaden rods but also to hook fish well with them.

Key to that is the use of assist hooks. I have very recently found my own little way to incorporate the idea of soft, overloaden rods and assist hooks in an environment that is rather shallow  and askes for casting jigs that cover some structure rather than pin point vertical signals on the sounder. I now fish lead slabs on very light spining gear, say, a 3/4 lead slab on a rod that is much happier with a 1/2 oz spoon, and restrict myself to mediocre casting range in which I can work the jig properly. It has proven very successfull.

For the upper hook, I use Ali Baba ware. Can`t touch 25ct. :dodgy:  Since the small casting jigs are very delicate and easyly overloaden with material, I have to calibrate with -if any - a very skinny tailhook that I haven`t found yet. I have to make them myself using 200lbs hollow core wels catfish kevlar from a local supplier that I splice over a solid ring. And once I am at it, why not make it look like a little fly?

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[jiggerjohn]

Bucho, That's pure genius !! Even to your creation of the hook & fly! Loved the fish & lure photos,too ! We'll have to keep pestering you, to have ya relate your unique applications of the slow jigging method!

 

[Bucho]

Well, from a north american standpoint, most things about it are not really new at all. Its just some minor adjustments that suit my fishiing. For instance, using a trolling motor and a soft rod for herring jigging got me 4 decent coalfish the other day. Even the "you`re here every day, aren`t you?" community at that inner city spot who saw me there for the first time was rather impressed. They all blanked on the heavyly pressured coalies.



I was able to play 30g of tin instead of drifting 100g of lead, work it properly in the proximity of the bait, a few meters away from the boat,  and got bit down there. Normally coalies take on the retrieve (speed jigging) which is how I got 2 out of 4 on the tail hook. I spend a lot of thinking on a decent metal jigging aproach for my home waters, and the simpliest thing is to simply onverload the spinning gear I bring anyway to work the shallow spots with light hair jigs and casting spoons.

 

[AtticaFish]

I really like the looks of these.  I have some very simple style slabs (kastmaster spoons) that i think i could try this with.  I picked up a pedal kayak over the winter that i think the slow vertical jigging would work good out of.  My target species would be walleye and maybe the occasional aggressive yellow perch.  I could never control my drift speed in my old kayak so was never able to slow drift things.  Even have the perfect area i would like to test them.... the reservoir has a steep break that drops from about 12 feet of water down to 35 feet in the main basin.  I am thinking if i can either drag/hop them down that hill or try to stay out in the deeper water and cast up to the shallow area and work the bait back.

These seem so odd to me with the main hook on the TOP loop of the spoon!  Makes me wonder if they will swim away from you on the lift and fall action.  Like the Flying Lure from back in the mid 90's.

 

[Bucho]

The beauty of the assist hooks is that they support the circumstance that fish don`t really bite, rather than sucking food items in. The lighter and more flexible this micro-leader is, the easier it will float ahead of the lure into the mouth. And with a small hook and a heavy weight behind it, it will self-hook even if you miss the take on the drop which is exactly what happened with my first coalie when I didn`t even expect it.

I have no opportunity to go vertical on zander and would be very eager to hear about fresh water applications!

 

[Bucho]

Japanese "Shore Slow" jigs feature a very delicate set of assist hooks that suit the nature of their light wheigt. In fact it needs quite some calibrating and skinny ties if you don`t want to kill of the lure play in the light alloy 3/4- 1,5oz range, particularly with respect to the tail hook. I have now learned and pull-tested all variants.