Choosing a jig is one of the areas where deep jigging can become unnecessarily complicated.

There are hundreds of jig shapes, colours and weights available, and it is easy to start believing there must be a particular jig for a particular species, depth or situation.

My approach is much simpler.

The first job of the jig is to get to the fish and let me fish it effectively.

The most common mistake I see is anglers fishing a jig that is too light for the depth or the conditions. Just because you can eventually get a 300g jig to the bottom in 300 metres does not mean it is the right jig to use.

Newcomers often assume a lighter jig will be easier to fish. In deep water, the opposite can be true. A heavier jig can give you better contact, a more vertical line angle and a much clearer feel for what is happening at the bottom.

That is why, when I am deciding what to drop, weight comes first.

🎯 What You’ll Learn

• Why jig weight should not be chosen from a fixed grams-per-depth formula
• Why fishing too light is one of the biggest mistakes in deep jigging
• How wind, surface current and undercurrent affect your jig
• Why thin braid can make such a large difference to jig control
• How jig shape changes the fall and retrieve
• Why more action is not always better
• How I think about colour and glow
• Why I choose jigs for the conditions rather than for a particular species
• Why I generally prefer a stronger leader rather than dropping to 40–60 lb

1. Start With Weight – Not Colour

When I stop over a mark, my first question is not, “What colour should I use?”

It is:

For me, vertical presentation is the starting point for everything else.

A jig that is working properly should get down efficiently, give me good contact with the bottom and remain close enough to the vertical plane that the jig can move the way it was designed to move.

Once the line scopes too far away from the boat, you start losing control. The line pulls the jig on an angle. Bottom contact becomes harder to feel. The action changes. And the risk of snagging increases.

That is why I would much rather start too heavy and lighten up than start too light and spend half the drift fighting line angle.

2. Forget the “Grams per 10 Metres” Rule

I am not a fan of fixed jig-weight-to-depth formulas.

They sound simple, but they can be very misleading.

I have used a 600g jig in 50 metres of water with great success. At the other end of the scale, there are days offshore when I will keep increasing weight until I simply cannot go any heavier. If that means fishing a 900g jig in 200 metres because that is what I need to stay vertical, then that is what I will use.

Depth is only one part of the equation.

Jig weight is affected by current speed, wind, boat drift speed, current direction, undercurrent, braid diameter, and jig shape and surface area.

So instead of asking, “What weight do I use in 300 metres?”, ask:

“What weight lets me control my presentation in the conditions I have today?”

3. The Big Mistake – Fishing Too Light

This is probably the most common mistake I see.

If the jig is too light, it will usually begin scoping away from the boat. You may still reach the bottom eventually, but by then the jig can be a long way from directly underneath you.

That creates several problems. It becomes much harder to feel the jig hit the bottom. If it touches down and you do not realise immediately, there is a very high chance of getting snagged.

The jig is also no longer working in the vertical plane. Most jigs work best when you lift them upward and allow them to fall back down. Once the line is pulling heavily on an angle, the fall becomes less natural and the action is affected.

If I am scoping out quickly within only a few retrieves, I normally take that as a clear signal to increase the jig weight.

4. Keep the Jig as Vertical as You Can

Perfectly vertical is not always possible, but that is the target. I want the line running as close to straight up and down beside the boat as I can keep it.

This is also where boat handling becomes part of jig selection. If the jig starts scoping out, you can drive the boat back along the line angle to get back over the jig.

Always lift the jig well off the bottom before you start reversing or manoeuvring the boat.

As you reduce the line angle, the jig can drop closer to the bottom. If it is already close to the structure, it is very easy to snag it while you are trying to get back over the line.

5. Wind, Current & Drift – The Conditions Decide

Two days in the same depth can require completely different jig weights.

When wind and current are working in the same direction, the drift can be quite fast. It can still be manageable, but you may need considerably more weight to maintain the presentation.

When wind and surface current oppose each other, the overall drift can slow down. In the right circumstances this can let you fish a lighter jig or use a jig with more action.

Crossing wind and current can be much more difficult because the boat and jig are being influenced from different directions. That usually requires far more boat control.

And then there is the nightmare scenario: undercurrent.

You can arrive offshore and see a nice, slow surface current, only to discover that deep in the water column the water is moving strongly in a completely different direction. The jig gets dragged back under the boat and then scopes away the other way.

Depending on the wind direction, an undercurrent can be extremely difficult — and at times effectively impossible — to fish.

I will try increasing jig weight and driving on the jigs, but sometimes the smarter decision is simply to move and find Plan B or Plan C.

6. Braid Diameter Changes Everything

Thin braid makes an enormous difference in deep water.

Thinner braid creates less drag, which means the current has less line to push against. That allows the jig to get down more easily and helps you stay vertical for longer.

One of my early experiences really drove this home. We were fishing a little over 200 metres on PE2 and lost a couple of big fish to bust-offs. I thought I would solve the problem by putting a jig down on PE5 so I had more pulling power.

I used the same jig weight. The difference was enormous.

The PE5 caught so much current that it felt like I was trolling the jig behind the boat. It had no chance of getting down effectively.

That is the trade-off. Thin braid gives you better depth penetration, contact and presentation, but less margin when you hook a very large fish. Thicker braid gives you more security, but creates more drag and may require you to go up significantly in jig weight to compensate.

7. Don’t Confuse Thin Braid With a Light Leader

There is another important distinction here.

I want my braid thin because reducing braid diameter gives me a very real presentation advantage in deep water.

That does not automatically mean I want my leader light.

I have experimented with leaders in the 40–60 lb range. In my own fishing I did not see any meaningful increase in bites or fish caught by dropping down to those lighter leaders.

What I did see was more risk when I hooked very large fish — especially when I needed to put the brakes on hard to stop one getting back to the bottom.

For most of my fishing I therefore prefer 80 or 100 lb mono, moving to 130 lb in very rough country and occasionally 150 lb for very big fish or particularly snaggy ground.

The one genuine advantage of a lighter leader is that it naturally creates a weak point in the rig. If you get badly snagged, it is easier to break it off.

But I believe the Albright knot does that job better.

It lets me fish a stronger, more abrasion-resistant leader with greater stopping power, while still giving me a practical failure point when I need to break a snag free.

8. Jig Shape – Different Shapes, Different Actions

Once I know I have enough weight to control the jig, then I start thinking about shape.

The shape and weight distribution of the jig have a major influence on how quickly it falls, how much it flutters or slides and how it behaves when you lift it.

Less current: I am more willing to use a jig with more surface area, more flutter and more hang time. Wider, flatter and often centre-weighted jigs can be very effective.

More current: I progressively move toward longer, slimmer and more streamlined jigs.

Heavy current: I favour fast-falling, streamlined and often tail-weighted jigs because they sink straighter and cut through the current better.

This is why I do not believe there is one “best” jig shape. The right shape is the one that lets you create the action you want without sacrificing control.

9. The Fall Is Often Where the Bite Happens

There are no guarantees in fishing, but in my experience a large percentage of bites happen on the fall.

That can be on the initial drop before the jig has even reached the bottom, or during the fall after you lift it on the retrieve.

If there is a big show of fish on the sounder, it is not unusual for the jig to get eaten on the way down.

I will mix slow lifts and winds with short bursts of faster retrieve, particularly if fish are showing higher off the bottom.

One simple technique that can be very effective is what we call the “Yo-Yo” — bouncing the jig up and down without actually winding it higher through the water column. Sometimes that repeated lift-and-fall action really fires the fish up.

Different species can respond differently from day to day. Kingfish will often respond to speed, but they will also eat a jig fluttering down. Cod often respond well to a jig that slides and flutters near the bottom. Blue Eye can respond to faster movement on either the drop or retrieve.

10. Don’t Get Locked Into “Species Jigs”

Another mistake is believing that a particular jig is only for a particular fish.

The same jig can catch completely different species across very different depths.

What matters more to me is whether that jig suits the conditions and allows me to fish effectively.

11. Does Jig Colour Matter?

Colour matters — but probably not as much as many anglers think.

The biggest thing for me is confidence. If you have no confidence in the colour you have tied on, you are probably going to change it anyway.

There is an old saying that lure colours catch more fishermen than fish, and there is probably some truth in that.

I have had a lot of success with all-black jigs with no glow. Striped jigs with glow sections have also been very successful. Silver fish-scale patterns have accounted for plenty of pelagic fish on both the fall and retrieve.

I like glow and lumo, but I do not regard them as essential. I have even caught fish on plain lead jigs with virtually no paint or colour at all.

For me, the hierarchy is:

I will never choose a beautifully coloured jig if its weight and shape are wrong for the conditions.

12. What I Carry in My Jig Box

I carry jigs from around 200g right through to 900g.

For water deeper than 200 metres, the weights I use most often are 600g, 700g and 800g.

My first drop of the day is commonly with a 700g jig, and I adjust from there depending on what the first drop tells me.

If the current is light and I can stay vertical easily, I may go lighter and choose a jig with more action. If I am scoping out, I go heavier.

I would much rather have a useful range of weights and actions than twenty colours of the same jig weight.

13. When Should You Change Jigs?

If other anglers are catching and I am not, I pay attention to what they are doing.

If their jig shape is vastly different from mine, I will consider changing shape before I start obsessing over colour.

If there is a good show of fish on the sounder but nobody is getting bites, I will experiment with different jig styles and actions to see whether something triggers a response.

And if the current changes during the day, I change with it.

⚠️ Common Jig-Selection Mistakes

• Fishing too light: If you cannot feel bottom contact or the jig scopes out quickly, go heavier.
• Choosing colour before weight: A great colour cannot rescue a poor presentation.
• Using a fixed depth-to-weight formula: Conditions matter more than a chart.
• Ignoring braid diameter: Thick braid creates significant drag in deep water.
• Using a high-action jig in strong current: Too much surface area can send the jig a long way from the boat.
• Allowing the jig to scope too far: Retrieve, reposition or go heavier.
• Leaving the jig near the bottom while manoeuvring: Lift it well clear before moving the boat.
• Buying too many colours and not enough weights: A range of useful weights and actions is more valuable.
• Everyone fishing very different fall rates in strong current: When several anglers are jigging together, very different jig actions and fall rates can increase tangles.

🎯 Jim’s Jig-Selection Process

1. How fast are we drifting?
2. What is the current doing? Is it the same at the surface and deeper down?
3. How much weight do I need to start vertical?
4. What shape will give me the action I want without creating too much drag?
5. Can I feel the bottom clearly?
6. How quickly am I scoping out?
7. Only then do I start worrying about colour.

Jim’s Five Golden Rules for Choosing a Jig

Blueprint #003 – The Deep Jigging Jig Selection System

By this point, the decision-making process should be starting to look much simpler.

Rather than choosing a jig because of a depth chart, a favourite colour or a particular target species, work through the system in order:

Conditions come first. Weight gives you control. Shape determines the action. Colour is the final adjustment.

If you cannot feel the bottom, go heavier. If you are scoping out, go heavier or move to a more streamlined jig. If the current eases, you can experiment with more flutter and hang time. If the presentation looks right but the fish are not responding, then start changing shape, action or colour.

The Key Takeaway

Jig selection does not need to be complicated.

You do not need a magic weight chart, a different jig for every fish species or a tackle box full of twenty colours in the same size.

You need a jig that allows you to get to the fish, stay in control and present it properly.

Start heavy. Stay vertical. Match the shape to the conditions. Experiment with action. Use a colour you have confidence in.

🛒 Gear Used in This Lesson

• ⚡ SeriolaPro Deep Water Jigs
• 🧵 SeriolaPro Deep Jigger Braid
• 🪝 SeriolaPro Assist Hooks

Coming Up in Lesson 5

Reading Your Sounder Like a Pro

Now that we can choose and control the right jig, the next step is knowing where to put it.

In Lesson 5 we will look at the practical basics of reading your sounder for deep jigging — identifying structure, understanding what you are actually looking at and using the information to put your jig in the right zone.