As a light game enthusiast I can often be caught talking about the technical side of lure angling and often can bore even myself to death. Whilst I get a buzz off the technical side of lure angling, it’s worth remembering and practicing the simple techniques. The simple things can and do achieve good results, and a lot of fun to boot!
For a long time I have been a big fan of the Tronixpro Casting Lure and it was partially through my use of these highly effective lures, that I entered discussion with George over my consultancy place!
Now we have the HTO Shore Jigs in a good range of weights to cover a variety of situations on the shore. They are the simplest of jigs, yet their profile and fall rate just seems to drive fish crazy. I must admit to changing the assist hook for my own home made ones though, it is not always necessary, but I like to prepare for an unexpected lunker!
Lately I have been fishing deep and fast running water, over a very snaggy, kelpy sea bed, and I know very well that not only am I going to catch something, I'm also likely to lose a bit of tackle too in the pursuit of those fish! Now I could go there and fish with fancy slow jigs and all manner of expensive lures, but why, when there are cheaper yet equally effective options available?!
For some time my go to lures for these snaggy, kelpy marks has been the HTO Shore Jig. For working these types of grounds my personal choice is the 9’ Hart Boushido 15-60g rod coupled with a reel loaded with 30lb Asari Masaru Light Coloured braid and a 30lb YGK leader. This kit might seem overkill to some anglers buy I have seen enough fish lost that I'm not willing to take chances on ground such as this. I'd rather be kitted out for every eventuality and give myself the maximum chance of landing any decent fish that could come my way on this hostile terrain.
The technique I use when fishing these areas is really simple! I cast out my jig as far as I can and when the jig hits the water I leave the reel bail arm open, lightly pinching the the braid to feed line in a controlled manner until my jig hits the sea bed. Once this happens, I click my bail arm over and any slack is taken. To work the jig I twitch it three times in an upward motion before letting the jig fall again. More often than not fish will take the lure when it's falling as opposed to when I twitch it.
Jigging motions can and should be varied on the day too to maximise your chances of connecting to a fish. Sometimes short sharp twitches work best whilst a more long modified sink and draw style can also provoke a response. It's all about reading the situation on the day and finding a retrieve that works. Rest assured though, these jigs are awesome and work exceptionally well!
HTO Shore Jigs come in five different colours and five weights ranging from 5g all the way to 40g. They are designed to cover shore fishing activities from LRF to Light Shore Jigging, designed to be simple to use at a great price, making the sport accessible to everybody! You can check out some of the catches I've been getting on them in the gallery below.
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