First of all, you are not jigging for blackfish. You are using a jig to catch blackfish. There are a bunch of ways that anglers use the jig for catching blackfish. The way we designed it was to be used with a light to medium graphite spinning rod and reel. Here is were you use your judgment. We like the challenge of a 6-17 lb class rod but if we need to put fish in the boat we go with a heavier class rod. Sport or diner..your choice. We set it up with 30 to 40 lb braided line and a 3 ft fluorocarbon leader. When attaching the jig to the end of the leader we like to use a Homer Rhodes loop knot. You can use a clip to make the connection easier. We have not found too much of a difference either way but prefer the loop knot. It is a better feel for us and we stay with it. The key to the knot is that it is tied properly. A bad loop knot cuts the breaking strength by 25 to 30 percent, not good when you are battling large tog that want to get back to the holes and cracks that you just yanked them from. So a little practice may help, we hate to see grown men cry when losing a trophy fish.
Once everything is together and your ready to fish it is time to choose your bait. We use the pacific asian crab here in the Northeast. They are abundant and work really good in the shallows. This crab is one of the reasons they come up from the deep to feed. It's like candy to them. But you can use what ever you like, green crabs, white crabs and even sand worms in the early spring.

Now we are ready to do battle. You can have all of the best gear in the world but if you do not set up on the spots correctly, it is a waste of time. Getting on the piece is as important as the gear you are using. Once you do get on your spot it is simple. You drop (or slightly pitch) your baited jig and let it hit the bottom. Once you are on the bottom just lift up on your rod tip to take the slack out of the line. Hold it there for a few minutes and then lift it and move it over a little. Basically walk it along the bottom with minimal height on your lifts. Again! lift up on the slack each time. The hits could be a little tap to an aggressive slam. When you feel a hit lift the jig about a 1/4 inch off the bottom. If at this point if you feel a little weight on the end keep lifting slow and make a quick short hook set. If you do not connect put the jig right back down, most of the time they will hit it again. Do all of this as close to the bottom as you can. There is no need to swing an hit aircraft or break a nice graphite rod while setting a hook. Once you do make contact and the fish is on give it a couple more quick short hook sets to make sure the hook is in. Do not drop your rod tip, keep it up ). If you lose the hits its time to check your bait. Once you get the hang of this your catch ratio will improve dramatically.
Hang ups. Yes! there are times when you get hang ups. Boat swing and fast water are hard to fish. If you do get stuck simply wiggle the jig and most of the time it will come out. Please do not get mad and start banging your rod, that could be costly and make for a bad day. You have to remember that you are fishing rocks, ledges and lots of sharp craggy structure. It is to be expected. You can narrow this down by anchoring properly and paying attention to your line slack and current. Use the lightest jig you can as long as you can hold the bottom with out it sailing in the current and getting stuck. Again.. practice makes perfect.
Why do we use a Spin Outfit?. Simple! When using braided line you feel every little tap and with a spin outfit It becomes a one hand lift, set and reel in. Opposed to holding a conventional rig in two hands or under your arm. Some seasoned anglers are very good at this and it can be done. The choice is yours. We prefer the spin for all of our shallow water togging with braided line. Also remember that when using our jig'z there is no sinker, and the fish tend to hit and take off and run like heck with it when you set the hook. We only go with conventional gear when fishing deeper water and wrecks, and it usually is with heavier gear and bigger jig'z. Spin is our way of fishing for tog in shallow, use what you like! But a least give it a shot. You may like it!.

Standard Blackfish Tackle