[sportsman625]

When diamond jigging for bass what is the recommended reel ratio? I fish mostly from party boats if it makes any difference. I usually use 40lb line for fear of losing a big fish at the boat. Also do you fish into the drift (direction boat is going) or with it? What angle do you try and keep the jig (straight up and down or more horizantal)? Thanks Lou

 

[togmaster]

Lou That's a tough one!

The reason I say it's a tough one is that you could need a high speed reel, as well as a low or in between speed also. The reel speed has a lot to do with what you?re fishing for. Like albies will hit a fast retrieve while a bass wants a slow retrieve. Then again bluefish may want a med retrieve. So to play it safe get a 4:1 or a 5:1 ratio. This way you could reel slower on the slow retrieve. And speed up on the faster retrieves. Hope this gives you an idea of what needs to be done? But if you?re like the reel fanatics you could had 3 reels in all the ratios like most of us crazy fishermen have LOL.

 

[619627]

Sportsman625....the answer is a simple one when we look at one key word in the first sentence.... "JIGGING". Jigging is the act of casting the lure out, and working it in a up and down motion. This is different from SQUIDDING, which is the act of retriving the lure.

The greatest pinhooker i know, always told me that the 4 to 1 jigmaster gear ratio was perfect for what we fish for in our water, specifically for our big three game fish, Stripers, Blues and Weakfish. What some would do with the jigmaster, to get a little more cranking power, was to switch out the jigmaster 500 pinion and put in the 13-99 pinion making a reel with a 3.75 gear ratio. It made the jigmaster a great reel for pulling fish!

I find the best gear ratio for jigging is 3.6 to 1 ratio, which you see used in newell reels. I find that PERFECT for striper fishing. 5 to 1 reels are made for squidding bluefish and other speedsters. You will notice a big difference in cranking power when you first use a 3.6 reel and then use a 5 to 1 reel. Pro Gear and other companies now use a 4.6 ratio which is a happy medium as far as gear ratios, in that it has decent pulling power, let is quick enough for squidding lures.

To figue out a gear ratio, just count the teeth on both the pinion and the main. As a example, to get a 4 to 1 ratio you have a 12 tooth pinion and a 48 tooth main, while a 3.6 to 1 gear ratio requires a 13 tooth pinion and a 48 tooth main.

Do we fish into the drift? Well we try to! We try to get the boat ahead of the fish and try to fish into them, not drift away from them. That means we have either the current or wind setting us down on the fish. Of course, the best thing, is to be on the outer perimeter of busting fishing, and cast into them, without distrubing them from feeding.

What angle do we try and keep the jig? Well when jigging, its more important to feel the way the jig is working, which essentially means, straight up and down.

Lou, if you are on the Island, if you want, contact me or Togmaster, and we will take you out on our boat and we can toss some lures around. Right now is the right time for jigging bass, and it should not be to hard to find some fish to jig....of course weather permitting!

EC NEWELL MAN*