Techniques
Deep Points
The basics of snap-jigging are simple, but to get the most
out of it, you have to master the intricacies of the presentations.
There are two approaches: casting and fishing vertically.
Casting
How you fish the structure depends on the depth, its
shape and the wind. Generally, casting works best when try-
ing to cover water or eliminate water quickly on large points
or deep flats.
When the wind blows, it’s usually easiest to start upwind
and drift along the key areas, fan-casting as you go. Zigzagging
with the trolling motor works best in calmer conditions.
Drifting
Humps
Zigzagging
On deep points, start with the boat in the middle so you
can make casts to all sides while keeping an eye on your elec-
tronics for anything below the boat.
For humps that break off on all sides, start by casting to
the edges with the boat held off on the downwind side.
Slowly move toward it, fan-casting and monitoring the depth
finder for fish. If you spot one on the screen, drop down on
it as you would a drop-shot.
The presentation starts with a long cast. Let the Jigging
Rap fall on a slack line. As soon as the line stops and the bait
is on bottom, reel up the slack and give a swift snap of the
rod. Your arm should bend at the elbow, not the wrist, to
apply the right action. Let the bait fall on a slack line, and
when it touches bottom again repeat the snap. The key is
getting into a rhythm where the bait almost never stays still
as you fish it back to the boat.
FALL 2018 I FLWFISHING.COM
Vertical Fishing
Inside corners, tips of points, smaller humps and other
types of smaller structures require more precision, and drop-
ping the bait vertically and using the boat to move it is the
easier approach.
To do it, drop the bait to the bottom and begin moving
forward with the trolling motor so that the line slopes back at
about a 45-degree angle. Maintaining bottom contact is key,
so don’t move so fast that the bait can’t touch. Use sharp
hops, bending the arm at the elbow, to rip the bait off bottom
and let it fall back again.
If you spot a fish on your graph, drop down right next to
the transducer and snap the bait on and off bottom.
Sometimes it takes the fish a minute or more to commit, so
don’t stop after two or three hops.
Vertical Fishing
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