Jigging

Jigging is a much under-rated method of catching salmon and under the right conditions can be incredibly successful. This technique is best employed when the fish are hanging out in a known location (such as a bay where they are milling about before spawning) and can be found on the sonar (depth/fish finder). We have had great luck with a crippled-herring jig when the King Salmon are starting to head up some rivers near Ketchikan. When using these jigs you drop the jig down to the depth where you think the fish are and then make large almost jerking motions with the rod to bring the jig up, and then by dropping your rod tip down suddenly you will cause your jig to flutter in the water much like a injured bait-fish would do. The downside to this technique is that it requires constant work on the part of the fishermen and the moment you quit working your rod, you can be assured that you will not catch any more fish. The nice thing about this method is that when you know where the school of fish is (for example, 55 feet deep off a certain point of land) you can sit on top of them in your boat and let your jigs down into the “strike=zone” over and over again.

A Good Day in August 2010