canal jigging with spinning setup

[Saltheart]

I never used a spinner in the canal but for many years I did a similar thing at the breachways in SoCo. I first started doing it with a rear drag reel (some cheapo , maybe a red zebco?) this had a wheel in the back that you turned Right to increase the drag and left to decrease .With the bail closed I would turn it left to run the line out and then after a hook set (holding the spool to clamp the line , i would rotate it back to a spot i marked with a sharpie for the drag spot I wanted once I had one on. I them started using a Penn 850SS which I used for many many years. With that reel I did the JP style with a full leather glove on my right hand (I fish spinners left handed). sometimes I would cut a slip across the fingers as I'm sure everyone has seen on the neoprene gloves. In the late cold season (slush forming on the guides) I actually used a ski mitten. It was black nylon all over except it had a white leather palm sewed in. I would do that with the bale open and just use my hand to control line out and when setting up.

Very interesting was doing it with a bait runner reel. I once had a reel called a Mitchel Orca. I had two in fact , one was a normal spinner and one had a bait runner feature. The bait runner feature worked great for playing out line. That was ag reat reel while it lasted but it was dead in two seasons and they discontinued them.

Anyway , lots of ways to skin a cat.

By doing it at the canal with a conventional which is easy to do , I can cover a lot of ground. Depending on where I am , I can sometimes let out an extra 60 yards of line after the cast , maybe more. At a spot near the Sagamore , I can cast from a spot where I can stand comfortably but actually spend most of my jig in the water time , way down current where a plateau comes up from what I envision as maybe 50 feet deep to maybe 15 feet? Its also a great technique if you can find spots where the shoreline bends back towards the side you are on , down current from you. This creates a natural sweep of the water out away from the downcurrent shore and you can sometimes keep the jig out there 3 to 4 times longer than if you do not ride that current out by letting out line. Another nice thing to be able to do when the right oppurtunity arises.

Like Mike described , I also use 2 or 3 ounces an overwhelming amount of the time (probably 3 oz over 80% of the time). I really only use 4 on the fastest moon tides and only during the peak flow. By tensioning and letting out line and controlling the angle I cast at , I can also get a 3 OZ with a 8 inch tail down to the bottom almost all the time.

[Chris in Mass]

I smell an update to the Canal How To thread - good stuff - thanks

[SurfCaster413]

For spinning gear wouldnt it be easier with a VS or ZeeBaa having the no bail is gotta be a plus

[Mike P]

Originally Posted by SurfCaster413

For spinning gear wouldnt it be easier with a VS or ZeeBaa having the no bail is gotta be a plus

It's a pain in the ass. Unless you never take up slack after your cast--which is a bad idea because it invites snags--it's hard to get a taut line off the roller, especially with instant anti-reverse. You have to drop the rod to get some slack in the line, like you were dropping back after the take on an eel. It was easier with the old Penns because you had some back play in the gears. Pure manual bails, like those on a Saltiga, Saltist or the larger sized Stella SW reels, are easier to use. Flip it open by hand, close it by hand when you have the drop back you want.

It can be done on a VS or ZB, but you need the right feel for the roller. Just using a manual pick-up to cast and retrieve has a learning curve, and many people are uncomfortable doing it at night.

[JamesJet]

Absolutely some great stuff, thanks guys. I guess that there are certainly lots of ways to jig the canal. The jigging and letting out line with spinning seems to be one more thing I am not going to concentrate on until I really understand what my jig is doing. Conventional it just seemed easy to thumb line and still feel bumps. More than anything this is making me want to get out there as soon as possible.