Rigs for Blackfishing

BoatGuy

BoatGuy

Angler
I have not gone Blackfishing in years. But I am thinking of giving it a try.

I went on a friends boat. Three guys, three methods:
  • I used the crab and sinker method.
  • The second guy used Blackfish Jigs
  • The third used a snafu rig.
They caught more than me. But I think I just have to get the touch back.

But the difference in rigs was of interest to me. There any links or advice you guys have to get me back in the swing of things?

Most of my fishing will be in the LI Sound and some south shore, if that matters.
 
Lighter the better. I found I didn't get a great bite on the 3oz jigs, so stick to anything less then that. Also I like a rod with a sensitive tip. My go to rod for blackfish and a jig is the Tsunami Slimwave 6'4" MH which I have paired with a Shimano Ultegra 3000. You need to be able to see and feel the blackfish pick up the jig and swim away with it, that's when you swing home and set the hook on them. patience patience patience...ignore the little bites and with time you will pick it back up .
 
I bring a wide variety of set ups when I go blackfishing. If I lose a rig ill switch rods right away, so I'm not down for too long and I'll rig back up later on. I'll be joining Capt Mike this weekend for 2 trips and I'm bringing 5 rods just for me.. Hopefully he doesn't see this before Friday morning! :ROFLMAO: But he is used to it by now. You have to see the boat when Chef Nader and I go together!!
 
Snapprhead27 said:
I bring a wide variety of set ups when I go blackfishing. If I lose a rig ill switch rods right away, so I'm not down for too long and I'll rig back up later on. I'll be joining Capt Mike this weekend for 2 trips and I'm bringing 5 rods just for me.. Hopefully he doesn't see this before Friday morning! :ROFLMAO: But he is used to it by now. You have to see the boat when Chef Nader and I go together!!
Click to expand...
And you have seen my rod collection - where would Captain Mike even sit if I tagged along??? :ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO:
 
Snapprhead27 said:
Lighter the better. I found I didn't get a great bite on the 3oz jigs, so stick to anything less then that. Also I like a rod with a sensitive tip. My go to rod for blackfish and a jig is the Tsunami Slimwave 6'4" MH which I have paired with a Shimano Ultegra 3000. You need to be able to see and feel the blackfish pick up the jig and swim away with it, that's when you swing home and set the hook on them. patience patience patience...ignore the little bites and with time you will pick it back up .
Click to expand...
Agree on the 2 oz. Some real concentration on those jigs especially if the movement of the boat causes the slack. First couple times the fish grabbed the jig and tied a perfect FG knot around some debris before I even knew what was going on. And stuck I was!!
 
Snapprhead27 said:
I bring a wide variety of set ups when I go blackfishing. If I lose a rig ill switch rods right away, so I'm not down for too long and I'll rig back up later on. I'll be joining Capt Mike this weekend for 2 trips and I'm bringing 5 rods just for me.. Hopefully he doesn't see this before Friday morning! :ROFLMAO: But he is used to it by now. You have to see the boat when Chef Nader and I go together!!
Click to expand...
My new plan is to buy a skiff to tow behind the boat outfitted with another 50 rod holders. Do you think that will be enough capacity???:ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO:
 
captmike28 said:
My new plan is to buy a skiff to tow behind the boat outfitted with another 50 rod holders. Do you think that will be enough capacity???:ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO:
Click to expand...
Excellent.

IMG_9351.webp
 
BoatGuy said:
I have not gone Blackfishing in years. But I am thinking of giving it a try.

I went on a friends boat. Three guys, three methods:
  • I used the crab and sinker method.
  • The second guy used Blackfish Jigs
  • The third used a snafu rig.
They caught more than me. But I think I just have to get the touch back.

But the difference in rigs was of interest to me. There any links or advice you guys have to get me back in the swing of things?

Most of my fishing will be in the LI Sound and some south shore, if that matters.
Click to expand...
Some great advice listed above about going as light as is practical when it comes to using jigs. The trade off when going this light is you will feel more bites and eventually hook more fish, but the real challenge is how to stop them on the super light stuff. Regardless of your approach it is always crucial to turn the fishes head and gain a lot of line ASAP before they have a chance to dive for their favorite rock.

When it comes to traditional bait rigs using a snafu and having 2 hooks in a single crab will certainly increase your hook up ratio.

Regardless of what tackle you use, acquiring the feel for when a quality Blackfish picks up your bait and it's time to strike takes a fair amount of experience. No doubt with the jig you want to wait for a better fish to start swimming away with the bait.

I have found on conventional rigs you can strike a little sooner but here too a little finesse has to be developed. Even on this tackle there is a difference in feel between when the fish pecks at the bait and when they have actually swallowed it. Usually, I find it is just a slightly stronger tug or almost a "vacuum like" feel when it's time to strike as compared to the straightforward swim away that happens with the jig.

I hope that helps but with most techniques a lot of practice alongside some experienced anglers can shorten your learning curve. You might try joining me on one of my spilt charters someday to help improve your score. I am fortunate to have many really talented Toggers on my charters.
 

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