When the vertical jigging craze started, one of the best pound for pound fish to target was the Amberjack (AJ). It has the shoulder to muscle your rod almost to its breaking point and make your reel scream for mercy. Go head-to-head with a bruiser AJ with mediocre gears, the outcome is inevitable--you'll lose and will go home with a broken rod or reel. I had a chance of jigging one of the best AJ spots in the US at Wilmington North Carolina. Anglers have reported that this is the place where you'll get bit at almost every drop when the conditions are right. They say at times, anglers would quit due to tired muscles before the morning is even done. I have to say, it's true! When I went on a 2-day fishing trip there, we were only able to go out jigging on the first day as the weather was turning gnarly. In fact by the time we got to the spot about 60 miles offshore, the water started getting rough, the swells were getting bigger, and the current was getting strong. Despite the less than ideal conditions, on my first drop of a Smith Nagamasa jig, I immediately got hit, drag was screaming, and suddenly pop! Busted my 130lb mono leader like it was a piece of thread. Bye bye Nagamasa, another donation to the gods of the deep. I immediately tied on another jig, this time a no-name cheaper jig I got from a fishing show. I dropped it, and after a few pumps and cranks I was picked up again, and it was game on! After a couple more hookups and release, the water turned to worse and we decided to move a bit closer to land. I decided to switch to a heavier jig as the current was just too strong. I tied on a pink 400gm River2Sea Zero Dropper. After a few drops, I hung another nice one, quick photo op and release, and that was pretty much it. The bite just turned off as the weather was turning from bad to worse in a hurry. We decided to head back in.
The Gears
I brought along 3 spinning combos on this trip: Stella 20000FA/Smith AMJ S52EX, Stella 8000PG/Shimano Blue Rose 250gm, and the VS VSB250/Shimano T-Curve Deep Jig 400. Since my VSB250 and T-Curve were both new, I decided to use this combo first and ended up using it the whole time. I was quite impressed with the VSB 250 loaded with 80lb Daiwa Boat Braid.. It truly is a powerful reel, and can take alot of punishment. The drag is smooth and strong. The gear ratio at 4.25:1 is good for jigging. If I could change one thing, I'd prefer a round power handle knob like those of the Stella or Saragosa.
The Shimano T-Curve Deep Jig 400 is the first 2-piece jigging rod I've encountered. I saw it on the rod rack at Melton tackle and immediately checked it out. I anticipated that it was going to be heavy because of the thickness of the blank, and the metal spigot connection. I was quite surprised that it was light! This rod was designed by Ian Miller, and built strong for jigging in Australian waters. The guide bindings used are threads made of carbon fiber. Indeed this is a jigging rod designed to take on any monster it may encounter. I was truly amazed at the power of this rod as I played tug-o-war with some nice AJs.
So what jigs worked? I think any type of jigs would work for AJs. The most important thing is to be in the zone. Thus, a fish finder is definitely a must for vertical jigging. Although most jig anglers prefer knife jigs for AJs. On this trip, I brought along different kinds of jigs, but only used the Smith Nagamasa (which I lost on the first drop), a no-name jig, and the heavy River2Sea Zero Dropper. I usually prefer to drop pink colored jigs first. The pic below from left to right is the Nagamasa, River2Sea Zero Dropper, and the no-name jig. Except for the Smith Nagamasa on the pic, the other two are the actual jigs I used on this trip.
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