Over the past couple of years, no technique generates as many customer questions at the Goose Hummock Shop as slow-pitch jigging. Originally developed in Asia, (Japan, to be exact) approx. 30-40 years ago, it has been catching on strong in the United States over the past seasons. Florida fisherman were early adopters, but It's now being commonly used across the country, and is extremely effective for many species in our Northeast waters...particularly Cape Cod.
Vertical Jigging versus Slow-Pitch Jigging
Vertical jigging with diamond jigs and other styles of jigs is a well known style of fishing for nearly anyone that has fished Cape Cod, but , though they might appear to be similar, the differences between vertical jigging , or "speed jigging," and the newer slow pitch method differs substantially in approach.The tackle is different and so is the retrieve method.
For vertical jigging, fisherman quickly drop their jigs to the bottom , then quickly and steadily retrieve them while violently pumping their rods upwards to imitate a wounded ,escaping baitfish when speed jigging.
Conversely, slow-pitch jigging is a way to get the jig to flutter and fall like an injured or dying baitfish. Both methods work, but slow-pitch jigging has gained a tremendous amount of interest in the Cape Cod fishing community because of its uniqueness and effectiveness in catching various predatory fish. Even species on the bottom that are accustomed to their food falling to them , like fluke and black sea bass are in play with this technique.
And it's alot less tiring...traditional vertical jigging can require alot of conditioning and stamnia. Slow pitch requires alot less fisherman effort.
The main difference between slow pitch and traditional vertical jigging, is the rod and reel used and jigging method. Standard vertical jigging is violent and much faster to get the fish to chase, while slow pitch is much more rhythmic and the jig flutters and falls to the fish."
Slow-pitch rods are specialized, much lighter and designed to work the jigs and allow them to slowly flutter towards the bottom. Vertical jigging requires much stouter tackle, in slow pitch the rod and line need to be much lighter and the reel narrow profiled for the technique to work as intended.
No matter how you are jigging, having a good quality braided line is very important as it will cut through the water better and give you better control of your jig,you should use 20-50 lb Hollow Core braided line because of how thin and strong it is. If I'm slow pitch jigging for fish oriented closer to the bottom, we recommend 60 lb fluorocarbon. It has the strength to prevent chaffing from the teeth of the bottom fish and because you are fishing the jig slowly, the thinner diameter helps keep your line less visible to the fish.
Standard vertical jigging rods are shorter, thicker, and very parabolic,” he said. “Most are between 5 and 6-feet long, a longer rod would break your back fighting big fish. Slow pitch jigging rods are specialized, very thin and a little shorter. We like the NOMAD SLOW PITCH JIGGING ROD as a mid price point ,decent rod or the SHIMANO GAME TYPE SLOW J CONVENTIONAL JIGGING ROD "as an end of the road" higher end option .
Slow Pitch Cape Cod Stripers / Black Sea Bass
Still, fishing for Stripers out of Orleans, MA, slow pitch jigging is one of our favorite mid summer techniques
From about Mid May until mid November, the striper bite ioff Chatham is hard to beat and slow pitch jigging is a fun, less stressful way toto catch them compared with traditional vertical jigging. With the varied species we have on Cape Cod atb that time of year, it's so much fun to fish for them this way and you never know what else you might catch using this techinque
Generally, we search for water between 30 and 80 feet where some sort of unique bottom structure is present . Uneven bottoms and rock strewn bottoms areprime summertime habitat for Stripers in this part of the Cape.
We spools up our reels up with 50 lb Hollow Core braided line with a leader of 40 lb fluorocarbon, because of the thin diameter which is crucial for this technique.
The thin diameter of those lines cuts through the water much better and you can get more action from a small jig in relatively deep water. 50 lb. is incredibly strong and can handle just about any fish you will likely tangle with using this technique.
In regards as to which jigs you should be using, the JOHNNY JIGS SLOW PITCH TORPEDO 150 GRAMS is a popular option for slow pitch anglers in this area, mainly in the 6-to 10-ounce range, varying it depending on the depth and current. Color, although sometimes important, is not as important as keeping your jig at the same level the fish are holding in.
For the retrieve, gently lift the rod tip a small distance and let the jig flutter back down... let your rod do the work.
What makes this technique so deadly is it's a way to precisely imitate a wounded, dying baitfish. You can also wind up four or five cranks and let them fall back down to get them to bite.
Slow pitch jigging has taken the Cape Cod fishing community by storm and as more anglers learn about it's efficacy, fisherman who experiment and refine this technique will likely catch more fish . It's something that's newer to our fishery and certainly you will be hearing more about it as more anglers adopt this technique.
Still have questions about how to get started with slow pitch jigging? The guys in the shop are well versed in the technique and are happy to help you gear up appropriately if you stop in to see them. Or, drop us a line at info@themightyfish.com.
Happy Jigging!
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