In Depth Discussion of "Iron" Jigs....

[Hobie-Pedaller]

In Depth Discussion of "Iron" Jigs....

i need to get a few iron jigs to use in La Jolla.

i had a few Iron Man & Tady jigs..... but lost them all in a tackle box that sank into the surf during a bad LJ Shores landing earlier this year. :cry:

but i know nothing about jigs.... what size & colors are best for LJ, etc.

i used my previous jigs some, but have never caught a single fish on them. :oops:

what BRANDS, LENGTHS, WEIGHTS, COLORS are your favorites ???

i've seen Tady, Iron Man, Salas, Diamond, and Jimijig brands of jigs.
(i assume there are more brands as well.)

i've seen the solid, heavy jigs which i assume are best for vertical jigging and Yo-Yo-ing.

and i've seen the lighter, apparently hollow jigs which i assume are best for top-water cast & retrieve.

IS THIS ASSUMPTION ACCURATE ?

and two more Specific Questions for you experienced iron jig guys:

if you were to get just ONE jig for top-water and ONE other jig for Yo-Yo-ing...... what would you get ?

i.e. - what is your favorite jig based on personal use & experience ?

1. Top-Water Jig (Brand, Length, Weight, Color)
2. Yo-Yo Jig (Brand, Length, Weight, Color)

thanks to all in advance for your input. :D

[MKNOTT]

http://www.kayakfishingsupplies.com/servlet/Page?template=kayak-fishing-iron

Go to this link. Sounds like most of your assumtions are correct.

[Hobie-Pedaller]

MKnott,

thx for link. there is certainly great info on YO YO there. :D

anyone got any input about top water irons ???

are these hollow, lighter weight jigs better for that ???

or is a Salas 6x Jr type of iron best for top water as well ???

[lamb]

CIA Doug,

the top water jig discussions optimistically start in May. :lol: Realistically in June. :mrgreen:

See the link above for all you need by then. :P

[Iceman]

the top water jig discussions optimistically start in May. Realistically in June.

I think it started in January for me last year :lol:


http://www.bigwatersedge.com/wcw/viewtopic.php?t=1048

Doug, the lighter lures are not hollow, they are aluminum, where the heavier ones I believe are zinc based metal. Jimi Jigs are unique, made of ceramic over a shock absorbing resin.

My next article is mostly about yoyo fishing. I'll post a link when it is on-line Wednesday.

[Hobie-Pedaller]

CIA Doug,

the top water jig discussions optimistically start in May. :lol: Realistically in June. :mrgreen:


CIA is performing an investigation - LOL :D

i don't know much about irons (as i stated above, never caught a fish with one yet).... but i do at least know top-water is typically summer technique, and yo-yo is typically winter technique. :wink:

i'm just trying to learn some basics about them in general. so i can purchase a few optimum ones to replace those ones which i lost in Davie Jone's Locker this past Summer.

[Hobie-Pedaller]

...Doug, the lighter lures are not hollow, they are aluminum, where the heavier ones I believe are zinc based metal. Jimi Jigs are unique, made of ceramic over a shock absorbing resin.

My next article is mostly about yoyo fishing. I'll post a link when it is on-line Wednesday.

are these lighter irons made specifically for top-water ?
what are the pros/cons of them vs. the typical heavier irons ?

also, what are the pros/cons of JimiJigs vs. the Salas & Iron Man type irons ?

Andy,

i would definitely like to see your Yo-Yo article. pls post the link here when you can.

[Arne]

Doug,
My favorite topwater jig would have to be the Salas 7x Light (in white), followed by the Jimi. For yoyo there are so many to choose from - whatever catches the last fish is usually my favorite. Having seen these guys catch enough fish on the yoyo over the last couple of years, anything Pat and Andy like is what I'd go with. Andy tends to leave his weapon of choice in the fish's mouth once caught - so go back and look at his old pics.
Arne

[Dean Machine]

The Jimijig is pretty awesome in the sense that the body will never corrode and the action is awesome too. You can do a real slow retreive and still maintain the proper action. I think it can be used topwater or yo-yo style. If you retreive it real fast and vary the speed you can actually simulate popping bait with this lure. Usually mackerel or bird shit works well. Sometimes I like a heavier jig to yo-yo or cast further. My 2 cts.

[jimbo]

surface iron for YT - Tady 45 - mint green or scrambled egg.
there's a bit of art for casting and cranking through the boil.
by no means do i consider myself an expert, so I won't offer any specific advice.
just that it takes some practice to get the cast and speed of the retrieval.
i catch most of my fish in LJ on live bait, heavy irons, surface irons, or dead squid (in that order).
i'll be looking fwd to Andy's article or anyone else's tips.

[Pat]

I spend a lot of time at LJ fishing irons because it's been successful for me.

In January and February I only fish a Salas 6x Jr in blue and white. That has worked very well for me when the fish are deep in the water column and holding 100-150 feet deep. Other good ones are the Iron Man 3&5 and Tady 9. When the lure hits the bottom, crank as fast as you can for 10-12 cranks.

If you're catching sand bass, you're in the right zone, if you're hooking bonito on the retrieve your crank speed is just right. It's just a matter of time until the next bite smokes you! 8)

If your jig comes up and untwists for 5-6 seconds, you're cranking too fast.

The 6x Jr has not worked well for me when I've casted to breaking fish on the surface. Actually not much has worked for me, but most bites have come on Tady 45's and megabaits on the sink. :?

In the spring and summer, I like the heavier surface irons for fishing the mid water column for roaming yellows and sea bass.

The ones that have worked the best for me are the Salas 7x, Tady 45 and Jimijig in b/w and g/w.

Generally barracuda and sea bass like a slower retrieve, where as the yellows like it faster. If you're hooking barries or not getting bites while others are hooking yellows, then let the jig sink longer and speed up your crank.

[mossback]

Pat pretty much said it.

salas 6x jr's for yoyo, although I like both dorado and blue white when it comes to color, dorado has produced more fish for me. this goes for yoyo and surface in LJ, the nados and on longe range trips.

When it comes to the puddlers and surface irons I actually prefer they old iron man ss lightweights in dorado or blue white (and of course megabaits in dodo). i think Ironman was bought out by kicker a couple years ago and they changed the style a little which I dont like as much. If anyone knows where to get the original ss lightweights please let me know.

so I now prefer to use the salas 7x and tady 45's. the jimijigs I have purchase needed to be modified and or tended to roll on some kicks. but then again those I have tried could have been defects as a lot of other anglers like the action for a reason.

[madscientist]

Tady 9 has become my jig of choice. A little smaller but can double as a top water iron in a pinch. Blue/white with a glow in the dark back, copied from Ken.

[dusty]

Just like the others have stated salas 6xjr and tady 9 or 4/0 for deep in the water column, and salas7x and tady 45 for surface. Havn't tried the jimijig yet, sounds like a good jig. Just go with the basic colors, white, blue/white, scramble egg, and dorado. Make sure you use a higher speed reel, which enables you to yo-yo for longer periods of time. I prefer a 5:1 or 6:1 reel loaded with 40 or 50# for yo-yo and 30or40# for surface. My fovorite all around jig that has produced time after time deep or surface is the Tady 9 in bird crap color. Plenty of great fisherman on this site, just look at the pictures of thier catch and take a mental note on what they were using. Hope it helps.

[Iceman]

Here is my latest endevor :D

http://thelog.com/news/newsview.asp?c=200506

[dgax65]

Lots of good info. Now, if only the fish would cooperate, I'd be in business. :roll:

[scwafish]

Thanks for all of the great info. Essentially zero chance to fish irons up here, but I took some b/w Salas 6X juniors to baja this year seeing all of the fish they produced on BWE.

I marked some solid stucture in about 120 feet of water, and started to my first attempt at the "yo-yo" based on stuff I read here. Turned out to be MONEY this year. My fist day produced a few nice jack crevalles and a few mystery monsters that came unbuttoned. I was catching something cool on iron everyday. Then, a few days later I caught the fish of a lifetime...a 50# rooster. I am now a b/w 6xjr believer!

thanks again for all of the great info.

[Grego]

hmmmm..interesting...irons are cool

[lambadmin]

Nice bump Steve :)

So Doug, tell us - it's been 6+ years, did you manage some YT on the iron? :D

[FishNinjaY]

wow... To whoever revived this 7 year old thread...

THANK YOU! Awesome info..

:cheers1:

[Famous2146]

So much great information I'm super excited to get out there and fish these lures.

[taggermike]

I love fishing the surface iron. Bass, cuda, bonito, yellowtail, even tuna; its all good. As for brand/color I like tady 45, ironman ss litewieght, and salas 7x. Mint green, b/w, bird shit, and sardine are about it There are some other lite irons I use some times. I have a couple of tady AAs. They are very small and tough to cast but are great when the fish are on smallbait. Salas 6x jr lite is a mid sized iron that has worked for me. Cuda aren't usually a big target species if they're around you gotta have a tady C with fixed single hook in blue/White or blAck n white. Yoyo irons for me are mostly salas 6x jr and tady 9. Blue and white. I also like to have a few smaller heavies like UFO and ironman 2s and 3s these jigs. Are good on a fast retrieve just under the surface. When YT are on micro bait or krill and won't eat a big surface iron they will bite a small white heavy iron on a fast grind, some times anyway. Another verisital heavy iron is a dart or megabait style. Yoyo, flutter, surface grind, bottom bounce. They can do it all. Ok, I rambled. Mike