I don't need no friggin wire

[Got Stripers]

Being boatless, I'm taking the offers as the come in and making the best of my fishing situation opportunities. The past two weekends have found me down P-town at the race by boat, first in a 30 foot Grady and this past weekend in a 40 foot Cabo. Well the wire rods came out on arrival both trips and I tried it the first weekend for about 10 minutes and quickly reeled in and said screw that. Picked up my 7 foot conventional, paired with a new Abu with about 275 yards of braid, tied on a 4 oz leadhead and 9" rubber and proceeded to catch fish. The biggest (close to 30 lbs) fish of the day, came on a half piece of a 6" half jerk I had tied on a 1/2 oz Kalin jighead, as we were hitting some blues for fun. A blue bit it in half and as we had been marking on the bottom, I dropped that puppy to the bottom figuring what the hell, one jig and bang. Talk about a fun battle on a 7 foot spinning rod with Stradic 5000 and braid, try a 30 lber in a ripping current at the race.

Yesterday it was similar in the Cabo, but I talked them into some rubber madness early on, as we noticed fish tight to the bottom and the wire wasn't really producing. I knew from my winter fishing those marks were decent sized fish. On a footnote, the $7,000 fish finder on that Cabo made me wet myself several times. I took a page out of my winter fishing and we idled up current (wind/tide) and then drifted back with 3/4 oz Kalin Ulitmate Jig Heads tipped with 6" half jerks. We put 6 in the well quickly to salvage the day, a couple close to 30 lbs and the rest high teens and 20's. Man I'd have had some fun in my boat over there, who needs freeking wire and bucktails. All that work, some people need to expand their horizons, there are a lot more fun ways to put fish in the boat and on gear you can actually feel the fish with.

Lighten up boys, braid, rubber, control your drift rate and you don't need no freekin wire.

[BigFish]

Wire line jigging blows!!! Sissy fishing......they can keep it I would rather catch a skunk!

[Clammer]

BOB /you can use my rig anytime /til I get squared away

[Vectorfisher]

Originally Posted by BigFish

Wire line jigging blows!!! Sissy fishing......they can keep it I would rather catch a skunk!

Bigfish how many large have your brought in this season???? I bet Monday mornings wire line jigging produced more than most catch in a season. Sissy fishing

[Raider Ronnie]

Larry,
How ,any times have you actually tried wikre line jigging and caught something, 1 time ?
I know you haven't gone with me yet!!!
My 7 year old son Leo will catch more fish over the next 2-3 week on wire line than you will catch fishing on plugs in a whole year!!!

[NIB]

U can see there is definitly a art to trolling or jiggin wit wire.some peolple aren't confident on the drift.different strokes man.
7000 g for a fish finer.have a hard time puttin that in my 3000 boat.

[SBASS1]

The fish finder is in your head, electronics only prove they're there! With the exception of live bait (bunker, herring...) jigging wire will catch larger bass during the Day, than any other style. Three years ago on the boat I work on, in four days (8trips); we had 2 over 50lbs, 14 over 40lb and numberous between 25-39lbs trolling. Drifting took the majority well over 300 bass, but over all; trolling took the cake. Before anyone jumps in my sandwich, legal limits were taken and the rest released.

[BigFish]

I wouldn't care if I was catching 50 pounders.....I would not enjoy it. It is not the method I enjoy....if I caught a 50 pounder on a chunk....as far as I am concerned, for me personally it would have an asterisk next to it because it is not how I want to catch my fish! That may sound strange to you but I am talking about me.....wire line jigging is no fun for me....so more wire for you guys....and 50 pounders.

[SBASS1]

I didn't say boat fish counted!!! The entire time I wanted to be perched on one of the exposed boulders, with my 10' convent and a bucktail.

[Mr. Sandman]

Most charter guys will always use wire; it is more reliable and simpler for most novices who only get out once or twice a season on a charter trip. No question wire produces. I still use it at times but it is not my perferred method of fishing. IT also is a good way to cover ground and find where fish are holding, then switchup to more fishermen friendly methods.

Now for all you more advanced fishing aficionados, who enjoy the finesse methods and have the room, the knowledge and skills, landing fish on spinning gear or light conv with braid is a blast...and far more fun then wire...we all know it.

IMO There is a time and a place for all types of gear (that is what I tell my wife to justify all my fishing sh*t) .


Fishing on a CABO does not sound boatless to me...sounds like a good friend to have!

[J-golden]

2 20's on the kayak troll same place says it all. sometimes you have to be dead on the bottom, sometimes a 6" wildeye paddled along will take car eof business

[Got Stripers]

Originally Posted by SBASS1

The fish finder is in your head, electronics only prove they're there! With the exception of live bait (bunker, herring...) jigging wire will catch larger bass during the Day, than any other style. Three years ago on the boat I work on, in four days (8trips); we had 2 over 50lbs, 14 over 40lb and numberous between 25-39lbs trolling. Drifting took the majority well over 300 bass, but over all; trolling took the cake. Before anyone jumps in my sandwich, legal limits were taken and the rest released.

This past weekend, every time we marked fish on the bottom, put ourselves above them for a good drift, we connected. Blind fishing over similar depths and bottoms resulted in very little action. In my head, my arse, I'd give up a lot but not a quality fish finder. Even if it's not marking fish, for structure, breaks, even temperature, it's not something I'd not give up easily.

I watched a lot of wire being jigged all day and didn't see too many fish being brought over the sides. I'm not suggesting it's not more effective, I'm suggesting there are other methods to produce similar results and at times produce better. I didn't see anything other than rat bass and blues come over anyone else's gunnels, because the bite wasn't on. I put baits on their heads in a presentation they probably don't see too often and triggered what I'd guess were reaction bites, since there wasn't much of a bite going on.

I'd trade a 30 lber on braid and a light rod for any 50 on wire, every day of the week. I'm in it for the sport and the challenge at this point, had my 50's couldn't give a damn on weight at this point.

Tight lines.

Tight lines.

[Raider Ronnie]

I jig wire by hand just about all the time,(not with the rod) wrapping the HEAVY dacron backing we use around a glove I wear!
Not many things in life can compare for me to the rush of when the fish hits (Hard) and just about rips my arm off and then I give it another hard rip to make sure the hook is set, (like last weekend when a friend of capt. Mike B. got pulled to the back of the transom when a fish hit hard!!!)
Reeling in the fish for me is just a matter of holding down the button on the electramate I use!!!

Plus, the exercise I get jiggin all day helps keep me in shape and NOT looking like some of the over weight fishermen I know!!!

[BigFish]

If your fishing with Mike.....he is over weight!

[BigFish]

Electra-mates....yeah, there is a challenge!

[bassmaster]

jeeps stink

[Raider Ronnie]

Originally Posted by BigFish

If your fishing with Mike.....he is over weight!

Larry,
You could only hope to catch the number of fish in a lifetime (and quality fish) that Mike catches in 6 months!!!
Last time I looked, you aren't exactly thin , you fat bastard!!!

go back to bitching about how crappy a season your having Mr. tunnel vision!!!

[ragfly]

I'm with Sandman! The funny thing to me is how people get so hung up on one technique or method of fishing. Be more flexable and you will be surprised how many more fish you catch.

[SBASS1]

"In my head, my arse, I'd give up a lot but not a quality fish finder."

Got Stripers....
Ya just proved my point! You made the decision to goto where the fish were, and your fisherfinder proved they were there. Good Job! Give yourself a little more credit. I never said I'd give up a fishfinder, a good color machine is worth its weight in gold.

[Homerun04]

Okay, so let's make this thread a productive thread.....why doesn't someone teach this wire-line jigging novice how it is done?


Then I can make up my mind wether I like it or not.....

[choggieman]

I agree, please teach us the way Sbass1! You seem to be a plethora of wire line knowledge. But you remind so much of a guy once called Biscuit.

[sokinwet]

I was weaned on wire back in the 60's by my dad and have put 1,000's of fish in the boat with wire and a "smiling bill no alibi" jig & pork over the years. It is probably one of the most effective controlled depth, strong current methods of lure presentation. You can try Bob S's aka got stripers (hey Bob rmember the old MA BASS Fed. days?) vertical jigging, or yo yoing like the RI guys but wire will produce when other methods won't. Sissy fishing?..try 300 ft. of wire jigging all day; for novices?...ever try undoing a backlash of wire; sporting?...I'm with Ron on this..the hit of a big fish will rip your arms off. Too each his own but my guess is that those who don't like wire haven't given it as chance!

Homerun - You need a quality rod w/ carboly or silicone nitrate guides-I like an aftco roller tip ; the preferred reel is a Penn 113 but I like the Jigmaster; mark your wire in 50 ft. sections with dacron secured with albright knots or try spro swivels or buy the premarked wire and hit the rips.

[BigFish]

Glad you wire line guys enjoy it...as I said...I don't care for it so more wire for you!

[sokinwet]

PS - Last yr. every morning I would see a lot of guys running right by me to the inner harbor to chase schoolies with 20 other boats. I just kept on jigging and putting fisn in the box!

[BigFish]

What ever Ron...you know Ron I am not in a competition with others so I really don't care how many fish "they" catch in 6 months time.....and if they do well I am happy for them. I like the kind of fishing I like and thats that! No high tech fish finding thingamajigs, wire line, electra-mates and all that crap....give me the good old fashioned method of working the shoreline and trying to find them just mano-a-fisho! Getting them to hit artificials (especially ones you made) is all the game I want Ron.....you like what you like and I like what I like. I respect that but obviosly you don't and you need to stoop to making cracks at those who dis-agree with you! Oh well....happy wire line jigging y'all!

[choggieman]

To tell the truth I usually do not like to pull wire or snap jigs, but it is highly effective means to put bass in the boat. I have a friend who does it religiosly and is into fish regularly. To each his own.
Sbass1, if you could give some hints- I will love ya forever!

[BigFish]

Choggieman...of that I have no doubt....like you say...to each his own.

[choggieman]

I will also agree with Sbass and Bigfish in saying that I'd rather catch bass another way, but you have to do what you have to do from time to time and wire racks em up.

[SeaWolf]

to me, it's not the method used to catch striped bass, but the angler/captain that can adapt to what is working and produce - consistently. i dont care if it's wire, chunking, drifting, livelining, casting eels, plugging, fly fishing, soft plastics, whatever.

it's also easy to make fun of boaters/charters that do pull wire as many believe it's easy fishing. come aboard, snap some jigs for a few hours, reel in some fish, dont whine and i'll be impressed. also, dont: snag bottom and lose the gear, snag one of the maze of lobster pots, be rude to another boater trolling, and watch out for the sailboats and traffic. learn how to troll the area with the structure on the flood and on the ebb. this has nothing to do w/ boat vs surf anglers, but fishing in general.

sbass1, shouldn't you be on the shoal right now and not surfing the internet!? and, while you're at it, get me a beer, mate!

[choggieman]

Seawolf, get ME a beer mate!