Mechanical Jigging For Kingfish Part 1

Mechanical jigging is just one of many ways to target kingfish, but it’s one of Hayden Speed’s favourite styles of fishing!

You will have likely seen jigging on TV and seen how effective it can be – and also in some cases the level of strength and fitness required. Rest assured though, there is a time and a place for anyone to give jigging a go – and be successful too!

There are two different styles of jigging setups – one overhead, the other a spin style set. Both work fine and different people will have different preferences as to what works for them. One thing to consider when selecting an appropriate set is whether you plan to fish in 50m of water or 200m plus. The smaller reels are obviously much lighter and are easier to use over a longer period of time; however, the last thing you want to do is fish in 200m of water with only 150m of line on your spool. 

The rod selection will obviously match the type and size of the reel selected, but as a general note the rods tend to be short in length and incredibly powerful, despite being light in weight. The other major consideration when selecting your rod and reel combo is what desired jig weight you plan to fish. Larger jigs are more effective in deeper water, while smaller jigs are ideally suited in depths less than 100m. So, match your intended jig size to your rod weight also.

Another thing to take into consideration when choosing a reel is the drag capability. As you’re likely to be fishing around the structure, it’s important that you have the stopping power available. 

A typical mechanical jigging setup. Reels need to have big drag capacities.

We spool all of our jigging reels up with either 50 or 80lb braid, depending on the setup. It’s vital to use braid as you need to be constantly in touch with your lure to not only work it but set the hook should you have a strike. Braid is also much thinner in diameter than mono, which allows you to have greater spool capacity. I like to use a braid that changes colours in ten metre increments (also known as rainbow braid) as this enables me to accurately measure the depth I lower my jig to, allowing me to work the area where the fish are holding much more effectively. 

I like to use a 100-130lb trace of about 3-4m long, which I will connect onto the mainline via a PR knot. This trace is connected onto a heavy barrel swivel with a ‘Uni Knot’, while the jig is connected to the bottom of the swivel using a heavy duty split ring. I will then attach the assist hook by looping it to the bottom of the swivel. 

If you are lucky enough to own a couple of jigging sets, it is definitely worthwhile to have one ‘heavy’ setup for working the larger jigs and a ‘lighter’ setup for fishing smaller ones– you’ll find that the lighter set is significantly easier to use! The lighter setup is also ideal for someone with less physical strength to learn on. 

Jigging gear will often be a reasonable investment so it pays to take good care of it. Some simple tips such as taking jigs off when travelling and not hooking the assist hook onto the eyes of the rod will ensure that your rod will stay in top condition for longer. 

Most anglers favour an assist hook rig on their jigs.

When jigging, we will target the same areas that we would also fish with livebaits – this being reefs in anywhere from 20-200m. Upon arrival, take the time to scout around the reef marking good sign where the kings may be holding. They will often move about from previous days due to different currents, tide and time of day. It can be a good idea to do a ‘dummy drift’ while you get your gear sorted so that you can work out your drift line. You can then reposition up above the sign so you will drift back over it. 

Often you will mark good sign on the sounder and will send jigs through it but just can’t get a bite. This is where you will need to change things up to try to entice the fish to strike. Sending the same lure down again and again with the same retrieve is less likely to get hit. It pays to have a range of jigs in all shapes, weights and colours as you never know what the kingfish will find attractive. My current favourite jig is a 200g pink ‘Zest’ cuttlefish jig. 

January 2022 - Hayden Speed
New Zealand Fishing News Magazine.
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