Finish it off with a fall! Jigging for Bluefish off Irago in Winter

The bluefish season is in full swing off the shores of Irago, Aichi Prefecture. Although this is a popular jigging field with a rich population of fish, early in the season it can be difficult to catch them because of the unevenness of the fishing conditions from day to day. Takeshi Ota and Naokazu Naka of Crazy Ocean, Ayuna Iga aka Ayuchii, a field advisor at Crazy Ocean, and Toshiyuki Tsui, a field tester at Crazy Ocean, went fishing there. Here, we will introduce the jigging conditions, the jigs that caught the main fish, and the luring techniques used.

The members who went fishing were Takeshi Ota and Naokazu Naka of Crazy Ocean, Aiyuna Iga aka Ayuchii, a field advisor of Crazy Ocean, and Toshiyuki Tsui, a field tester of Crazy Ocean. Supporting members were Yuya Iwaki and Yosuke Suzuki of Fishing You, and Sea Paradise captain Yoshihiro Iga.

The boat departed from Katana, Minamichita-cho, Aichi Prefecture, and headed for a point off Irago in the morning glow.

INDEX

First, we will use electric jigging to catch sago fish.
Also caught a magochi on spinning tackle.
How to lure “S-GLIDE
AYUCHII has caught a long-awaited bluefin tuna!

First, we will use electric jigging to catch sago fish.

On the day of the fishing trip, we boarded the pleasure fishing boat “Blue Dragon” and set sail at 6:30 in the morning. Bathed in the morning sun, the members headed for a point off the coast of Irago. Although the waters are uneven, they are rich in fish species, and the first hours of the morning, the time of opportunity, are especially exciting.

Mr. Naka, who specializes in bluefish, chose the S-GLIDE 180g zebra-red kumquat color for his first jig. This lure has an excellent action on the fall and has a proven track record in targeting bluefish. The rod is “Ocean Torque YT,” which is tenacious and powerful enough to float bluefish. He uses this rod, which also has excellent maneuverability, to bounce the jig up and down, and then he attacks by giving the angler the timing to make the jig bite. First, he said, “I’ll try a three-stage approach: from the bottom of the water, I’ll lure the fish with a fast pitch to make them chase the jig, then show them the jig, and finally give them a pause to take a bite.

Then, as Ayuchii’s line was gradually cut by a fish believed to be a Spanish mackerel, a long-awaited hit came to Tsui, who was fishing with his specialty, electric jigging. As he floated the fish while enjoying its powerful pull, the body of the shiny silver fish came to the surface. He shook the lure with a single pitch, and the fish bit him. The hit lure was a 210g S-GLIDE.

At first, we checked the 25m depth line.

Mr. Tsui caught a sago shad first.

Also caught a magochi on spinning tackle.

After that, the members continued to target bluefish, changing jigs and luring methods. While there were signs of fish, such as bites and line being cut, Tsui’s rod was squeezed again. He switched to spinning tackle and chose a “Flash Metabo TG” 150g jig with a blade tune. A magochi took a bite on a simple reel.

Then, we moved to a slightly deeper point and started the second half of the season. The bait was small, so I mainly used a short jig, “S-GLIDE,” to see what was going on. Mr. Naka switched to a reeling type jig, and the line broke. Mr. Ota also got a bite and hooked a sago fish, but unfortunately lost it just before landing. After that, he continued to chase bluefish while trying various actions.

Mr. Tsui switched to spinning tackle and caught a magochi.

A sagoichi hit Mr. Ota!

How to lure “S-GLIDE

Mr. Naka usually experiments with various actions in order to find hit patterns. He says, “Even if you use the same jig, the way fish see you will change if you use different luring methods.

One of the methods he was practicing that day was to reel in the jig as soon as it lands on the bottom, let it jump once, and then lure it up with a single pitch and fall. This is the orthodox way of luring fish, and it is said to be effective to change the speed of one pitch to faster or slower. He also tried the one-pitch method, which is similar to electric jigging, where each jerk produces a sideways movement of the jig, and this can be very effective.

Other times, he would mix in half-pitch shakes to add variety. This makes the jig move more flamboyantly and strongly appeals to the target, and then he tries a pattern in which the jig falls to get the target to bite.
The S-GLIDE jig has a very effective fall, so the trick to catching fish is to make the jig fall at some point. The jig has a long dwell time, so I adjust it so I don’t get into a fight with the person next to me,” said Naka.

After that, the members continued to manipulate the “S-GLIDE” in their own ways, searching for the best pattern to hit the fish.

Mr. Naka explains the features of the “S-GLIDE” and how to lure fish.

“S-GLIDE” (S-Glide)

Mr. Naka used the “Ocean Torque YT” rod. It has excellent maneuverability and can bring out the full performance of the “S-GLIDE”.

AYUCHII has caught a long-awaited bluefin tuna!

A long-awaited hit was caught by AYUCHIE in the midst of tough conditions with wind and waves, although sporadic bites were coming in!　Shortly after, Mr. Tsui’s rod was also squeezed by an electric jigging rod. At the stern of the boat, a member of the support team also got a fish, making it a triple hit!
The voltage on the boat reached maximum at once.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Ayuchii was the first to take the fish. The jig was a 180 g “S-GLIDE” Zebra Red Skin. The fish was a good-condition walleye, which was caught on the fall. Supporting member Mr. Iwaki also caught a walassa. Although there were some problems, such as a pinfishing problem, the angler was able to catch the bluefish that turned on.

The bluefish off Irago are promising for the future!　We hope you will go fishing there and enjoy jigging during the peak season.