Butterfly jigs

[Sweetwater]

Has anyone used the Shimano Butterfly Jigs. I've been hearing a lot about them. They're fairly pricey (@$20), but may be worth it if they work as well as all the hype.

[Pete_G]

We should see some moderation in price this year, a lot of companies are coming out with competing products.

I have no idea how they work though, I've never used one.

[striperman36]

As pete said there are a lot of competing products. If you can catch SBFT with them they are going in my box .

[Sweetwater]

Well.....school bluefin is exactly what I had in mind. They say the jig is designed for "deep water." What does that mean exactly....60' 80'.

The hook setup (at the nose of the lure) looks intriguing, and I can see why that setup, with the split ring connection, would give the lure good action. I expect that SPRO (swimming jig) and Luhr Jenson (crippled herring) could be adapted to perform similarly.

[Moses]

Originally Posted by striperman36

As pete said there are a lot of competing products. If you can catch SBFT with them they are going in my box .

Once of Northeast Angling's first new episode this year was catching SBFT somewhere off of Pt Judith, RI. I still have the episode taped on my DVR. They were catching fish on a variety of lures/plugs, once of which was a butterfly jig. They even had an underwater shot of how Rich T was fishing it. He'd cast out and with his rod pointing down to the water from front of boat, snap his rod forward and repeat fast. Some amazing video in that episode. I also imagine it would work well dropping to bottom and a fast drift and simply jigging up/down.

[squiddler]

The hook is a stinger hook in essence, and is hung from the top of the jig instead of the bottom. The butterfly jigs are for deep water jigging in the thermocline(80-120 feet down) offshore. They weigh 4-8 ounces and are long and slender, but extremely expensive. Yes they are effective, I caught quite a few yellowfin and albacore in the canyons this year using them. One of the most effective techniques was to "dead stick" them, engaging the reel in strike postion, dropping the jig down to the thermocline, and putting the line into the rigger clips with the rigger on the up tide side in the out position. We would then put our 3 balloon baits out in the normal stagger position down tide and well away from the vessel. I also had success jigging straight up and down or just reeling in short, fast spurts. Those stinger hooks can be purchased pre rigged, or you can make your own with 500 pound kevlar cord and shrink wrap. You can use them with bottom hooks or without, just as effective. In my opinion these jigs are really only for offshore, larger fish. I thin kyou could use any make of jig in that style(vertical, narrow body) with a stinger attached and do well. I also used the braid slammer jigs, changing out the treble to a VMC needlepoint, and attaching a Gamakatsu pre tied stinger in 8/0.(10.99 a pack for two)

If you really want a great inshore SBFT jig, my money is on PT Jude tins. Those fish really hammered them this summer, with my two most productive styles being the Po- JEE, and the needlefish imitator. The 1 1/2 ounce po jee, as well as the 3 ounce, had just the right movement and fall to really produce on those fast moving critters. Me and a buddy put a 37 inch 32 pounder in the box, and released 9 others on our best day, all between 28-31 inches(15-23 pounds) and all of them were taken on the Pt. Jude Tins. At 6 bucks a whack , amuch more effective and cost effective lure imho. I was using a 7' M action Tica with a Shimano sustain 4000 loaded with 30 pound braid and a 15 pound shot of floro tied directly to the jig. I would trust my day of fishing entirely to that set up with those jigs!!!

[thefishingfreak]

here's a six page read on them
http://www.noreast.com/discussion/Vi...A24%3A34%27%7D