Non-Fly Jig Twitching - What you all doin!?

Kashf said:
Will try that trick with the plastic worm. I have a couple spots where I do pretty well twitching for pinks with 1/4oz marabou jigs and no snags, but I know coho go past as well and folks hook them on dick nites. The waters usually dirty but I guess the depth couldn’t be more than 6-8 feet at the deepest points.

Should 1/4oz jigs be heavy enough for coho as well at that same spot ? Or should I be upping the weights.
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1/4 oz is probably plenty, adjust your depth by casting more or less upstream and adjusting your twitch.

I use a 1/32d oz jig on a single hand rod, can find the bottom with that almost everywhere. It still gives the sharp vertical drop which is the key in my experience.

This guy agreed

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Kashf said:
Should I be tying some lighter ones up?
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I don't have a lot of experience at this, but I knew a fellow who was a fishing guide and very expert at catching coho (and steelhead) on jigs. As best I recall he tied only 1/16 and 1/8 oz. jigs. Mostly marabou. I watched him at Baker Rock on the Cowlitz one fall day hooking coho after coho until he finally got tired of hooking and playing fish. Heavier coho jigs are popular, but I'm not convinced they are necessary.
 
Salmo_g said:
I don't have a lot of experience at this, but I knew a fellow who was a fishing guide and very expert at catching coho (and steelhead) on jigs. As best I recall he tied only 1/16 and 1/8 oz. jigs. Mostly marabou. I watched him at Baker Rock on the Cowlitz one fall day hooking coho after coho until he finally got tired of hooking and playing fish. Heavier coho jigs are popular, but I'm not convinced they are necessary.
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Good to know, I don’t like casting heavy jigs anyway!
 
True, it’s been a couple of posts since someone mentioned their favorite spinning rod or 1/2 oz jig, but don’t tune out just yet. Remember, it was fly guys who brought you beads and spawned an entire sub-industry of dirt-baggery. They might know a thing or two.
 
I appreciate the banter we have here and the good natured barbs. We can’t do that over there, the world would melt!

With love,

Your favorite angler
 
Divad said:
Keep the plastic out and go with rabbit, bou and other materials on your inevitably lost jigs. It’s a matter of when you’ll lose a jig not if. My two cents.
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Heard. That's what I use most of the time. If I do tie more, I'll stick with natural stuff.
 
Chadk said:
Timing is key in the deep pools. Fish them during and after a big rain event. Fish are moving and become more aggressive - especially as the water drops.
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Exactly, if you can pull it off. A fresh coho is an aggressive fish.

My buddy & l just got back from a trip to the OP, we were running 3/4 oz bullet head jigs on 4/0 Owner hooks with plastic hoochies pulled over. We would float 7 to 12 miles of river per day fishing the coho water. Now, we hooked alot of chrome freshies and a few rosey boys and out off all those only 1 or 2 we foul hooked..

c/22
 

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I'm 3 years (couple multi-day trips/year) into OP river salmon gear fishing from the bank. I do OK chucking spinners, Wicked's or spoons but I'm having a hard time hooking coho that grab my twitched jigs.

I'm using self-tied marabou/rabbit 1/2 oz. ball jigs on 5/0 Owner Saltwater hooks. I'm using a 7'6" MH spinning rod with 30 lb. braid & 4' of 20 lb. fluoro top shot.

Am I using too big a hook?
Should I use a different brand/style of hook?
Are my jigs too heavy? I'm not fishing deep holes.
Should I use a longer rod from the bank so I can move more line on my hook set?

Thanks for any advice!
 
Grandpa Jim said:
I'm 3 years (couple multi-day trips/year) into OP river salmon gear fishing from the bank. I do OK chucking spinners, Wicked's or spoons but I'm having a hard time hooking coho that grab my twitched jigs.

I'm using self-tied marabou/rabbit 1/2 oz. ball jigs on 5/0 Owner Saltwater hooks. I'm using a 7'6" MH spinning rod with 30 lb. braid & 4' of 20 lb. fluoro top shot.

Am I using too big a hook?
Should I use a different brand/style of hook?
Are my jigs too heavy? I'm not fishing deep holes.
Should I use a longer rod from the bank so I can move more line on my hook set?

Thanks for any advice!
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I like a fast rod, MH and run 15# ultra green, 1/2oz jigs with hoochies. I've used 9'6" to 7' rods but like the 7' from the boat, length is the last aspect I'm looking at, I like a stiff tip!

I rarely fish coho from the bank so cant coment on that aspect. I fish structure with some current and seams most, some back eddy's will hold fish some wont, usually you will know within the first coupl casts.

Hope this helps!
 
Grandpa Jim said:
I'm 3 years (couple multi-day trips/year) into OP river salmon gear fishing from the bank. I do OK chucking spinners, Wicked's or spoons but I'm having a hard time hooking coho that grab my twitched jigs.

I'm using self-tied marabou/rabbit 1/2 oz. ball jigs on 5/0 Owner Saltwater hooks. I'm using a 7'6" MH spinning rod with 30 lb. braid & 4' of 20 lb. fluoro top shot.

Am I using too big a hook?
Should I use a different brand/style of hook?
Are my jigs too heavy? I'm not fishing deep holes.
Should I use a longer rod from the bank so I can move more line on my hook set?

Thanks for any advice!
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Having fished with Paige and Bhudda I noticed last time out that they do something a little different that they may not even be aware of. After making the cast, and while the jig is in the 'bucket' their twitching is short and quick - which keeps the jig at depth. Something that I have a habit of not doing. Their success rate is better than mine so time to adjust.

Old dogs can learn new tricks.
 
Evan B said:
Now that coho are showing up, I'm once again seeing folks out "twitching jigs." For years, I've heard guys say "oh I've tried twitching jigs and can't catch anything" or "I just always snag fish doing it."

I don't know where you guys all learned how to "twitch jigs," but what I see 99.9% of fishermen in the wild doing is NOT twitching. Guys, it's not called "rapidly jerking jigs." What I always seem to see guys doing is starting with the rod tip pointing at the water, then jerking all the way to straight up, then immediately back down for another. basically from 5 o'clock to 12 o'clock as far as rod position, and really, really fast with no time for letting the drop happen.

It really is TWITCHING, or an even better word to describe the desired motion, "flicking" jigs. I just do a quick tap or flick on the jig, then let it drop. Sometimes I'll even control the drop a bit. You won't snag fish this way unless they're really stacked up. What's even better is the fish actually have time to grab the jig while it drops.

I've seen a lot of this in the last week or so and it's so hard to watch
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Yes, absoutly agree
 
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