Matching Jig Heads to SP's

[rjc123]

Hey raiders,

haven't done a whole lot of SP fishing before. I have done a little but only a few small flatties would be the result. I am heading up to queensland in a few weeks for a holiday (fishing trip) and am keen to improve my SP skills on some flatties, jacks and cod. I will just be fishing in tidal estuaries in water ranging from a meter deep to maybe 7-9m. I have purchased a few different packets of SP's and am wondering if anyone can help me out on which jig head suits them best:

* 3" Drop shot minnow in pumpkinseed- Bream, Flathead, Jacks, Cod

* 80mm squidgy fish killer tomato or silver fox- Flathead, Jacks

* 65mm squdgy wriggler in bloodworm- Whiting, Bream

The size and weight of the jig head will do but if anyone could recommend a good brand that would be great!

Thanks!

[brettmann86]

Good question!! I'm interested to see what this turns up cause I have to admit I've shied away from SP's because I'm just not schooled enough on them all together

[abecedarian]

Truth is there's no simple formula for this. You always try to go as light as you possibly can while still getting the job done, and that depends on what you're fishing for, the depth you're fishing and the conditions such as wind, tide etc. Chasing bream around the racks is totally different to flatties on the sand flats for example.

For bream in particular, you want the most natural presentation possible, so you basically go the lightest you can cast to start with, then mix it up from there. A good starting point is getting finesse squidgy jigs from resin heads to 2 gms in half gram increments.

Flatties are a bit different and like things bouncing off the bottom. When fishing for flatties in a metre or two of water will need enough weight to hit the bottom, but not so much that the drop is super fast as a lot of the time the fish will hit on the drop. So in that depth of water anywhere from 1 gram to 3 grams of weight should be fine. If you're fishing off the bottom in deeper water, for flatties or deep for jews etc then you need more weight again. But remember, you only want just enough to get you where you need to be! Fishing for jews in 8 metres of water may need 20 or 30 gms of weight. Also confounding things further is the diameter of the braid. Thicker and heavier braid will need more weight to overcome the increased resistance caused by the braid.

So best approach in my opinion is to get every size jig head imaginable as then you're completely covered. A more practical and sensible approach though is to get a smaller range specifically for your applications. Fishing for bream and flatties from 50cm to about 4 or 5 metres depth of water I'd suggest getting a range of squidgy finesses jig heads (my favourite, good quality and heavy gauge hooks) in resin head, 0.5 gm, 1 g, 1.5 gm, 2 gm, 3 gm and 5 gm. That should cover the vast majority of fishing situations for those fish. Chasing snapper and jews need more weight as a general rule as they tend to be deeper. They also need bigger, stonger hooks for obvious reasons. So in this case I'd get a range from about 1/4 oz to 1 oz (the larger weights tend to be in ounces instead of grams for some reason...) and that should cover most work out to about 10 metres or so, maybe even more if you're patient and there's not much current.

For kings, it depends on the depth the fish are at. Once again it's a case of going as light as possible for the job. You may only use a few grams weight or may need 30 or more. It all depends.

Now this is just a bit of an idea of how things work best for me and is just my opinion at the end of the day. If you ask a dozen different people chances are you'll get a dozen different answers so it's best to find some info that makes sense, start fishing based on that info then adjust according to your preferences and applications. Hope that helps more than it confuses...

[rjc123]

Thanks mate. That gives me a much clearer view on what i need to do.

[onearmedfisho]

Truth is there's no simple formula for this. You always try to go as light as you possibly can while still getting the job done, and that depends on what you're fishing for, the depth you're fishing and the conditions such as wind, tide etc. Chasing bream around the racks is totally different to flatties on the sand flats for example.

For bream in particular, you want the most natural presentation possible, so you basically go the lightest you can cast to start with, then mix it up from there. A good starting point is getting finesse squidgy jigs from resin heads to 2 gms in half gram increments.

Flatties are a bit different and like things bouncing off the bottom. When fishing for flatties in a metre or two of water will need enough weight to hit the bottom, but not so much that the drop is super fast as a lot of the time the fish will hit on the drop. So in that depth of water anywhere from 1 gram to 3 grams of weight should be fine. If you're fishing off the bottom in deeper water, for flatties or deep for jews etc then you need more weight again. But remember, you only want just enough to get you where you need to be! Fishing for jews in 8 metres of water may need 20 or 30 gms of weight. Also confounding things further is the diameter of the braid. Thicker and heavier braid will need more weight to overcome the increased resistance caused by the braid.

So best approach in my opinion is to get every size jig head imaginable as then you're completely covered. A more practical and sensible approach though is to get a smaller range specifically for your applications. Fishing for bream and flatties from 50cm to about 4 or 5 metres depth of water I'd suggest getting a range of squidgy finesses jig heads (my favourite, good quality and heavy gauge hooks) in resin head, 0.5 gm, 1 g, 1.5 gm, 2 gm, 3 gm and 5 gm. That should cover the vast majority of fishing situations for those fish. Chasing snapper and jews need more weight as a general rule as they tend to be deeper. They also need bigger, stonger hooks for obvious reasons. So in this case I'd get a range from about 1/4 oz to 1 oz (the larger weights tend to be in ounces instead of grams for some reason...) and that should cover most work out to about 10 metres or so, maybe even more if you're patient and there's not much current.

For kings, it depends on the depth the fish are at. Once again it's a case of going as light as possible for the job. You may only use a few grams weight or may need 30 or more. It all depends.

Now this is just a bit of an idea of how things work best for me and is just my opinion at the end of the day. If you ask a dozen different people chances are you'll get a dozen different answers so it's best to find some info that makes sense, start fishing based on that info then adjust according to your preferences and applications. Hope that helps more than it confuses...

Well put...

[slinkymalinky]

G'day Mack Attack,

At this time of year, the other thing to have in the tackle box is extra strong jig heads in sizes to suit 3-4" plastics... for Jacks. If you're fishing around any rock wall in any Southern QLD estuary, there's a very good chance of connecting with some... and light wire jig heads are asking for trouble.

I've settled on TT heavy duty heads as my favourite. My #1 plastic for Jacks (and almost everything else up here) is a 3" Atomic Prong in pearl core colour.

Cheers, Slinky

[rjc123]

G'day Mack Attack,

At this time of year, the other thing to have in the tackle box is extra strong jig heads in sizes to suit 3-4" plastics... for Jacks. If you're fishing around any rock wall in any Southern QLD estuary, there's a very good chance of connecting with some... and light wire jig heads are asking for trouble.

I've settled on TT heavy duty heads as my favourite. My #1 plastic for Jacks (and almost everything else up here) is a 3" Atomic Prong in pearl core colour.

Cheers, Slinky

Thanks mate,

I'm placing an online order in the next few days so i will definitely consider what you have said!