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FISHING UPDATE LIST
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Jigging To Perfection
Shimano's new system to be tested in N.J.
waters
by Daniel Nee
May 22, 2008
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Shimano's new
Lucanus jigging system utilizes a
combination of jig, rod and reel in
one system for better fishing.
(Photo Courtesy of Shimano)
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Shimano claims to have developed a new bottom fishing and jigging platform, and the Jersey Shore is where it will be put to a versatile test this season.
The company’s Lucanus system, named for a genus of beetles, is on sale now, and both Shimano executives and local tackle dealers say its use could be the difference between throw backs and keepers this fluke season.
Though its name is derived from the aforementioned group of beetles, it doesn’t quite resemble the insect. Instead, the Lucanus jigs resemble a mixture of squid, shad and insect all in one. Though this goes against the traditional “match the hatch” mentality involved in most fishing applications, Shimano says its new system works.
As Dave Arbeitman, owner of The Reel Seat, Brielle recently explained to Jersey Shore Angler, Shimano has applied the Lucanus system to rods and reels in addition to the jigs. The curiously-designed jigs are mated to several conventional and spinning model Calcutta reels and Tescata model rods, which offer significant bend at the tip, a requirement for successful jigging under the Lucanus system.
“When you’re fishing this jig, it’s not like a conventional kind of jig,” said Mr. Arbeitman. “You drop it down to the bottom and then start a slow retrieve. You’re not imparting any sort of action into the jig. That slow retrieve will make the jig move around.”
“The advantages far outweigh the disadvantages,”
said Mr. Arbeitman in a recent interview.
Mr. Arbeitman added that most anglers will retrieve their lines one-third of the way to the surface and then drop the jig down again.
“The whole time you’re reeling it, the rod is going to be bent,” Mr. Arbeitman said. “Fish will attack the back side of the jig, and they’ll keep biting at it and biting at it and biting at it until they finally hook themselves.”
Using Lucanus jigs with a stiff fishing rod may obstruct the jig’s usefulness.
“If you have a stiffer rod, as they would take the bite, the rod would react and pull the jig away from the fish,” said Mr. Arbeitman.
The individual jigs, which range in size from 2-ounces to 7-ounces, range in price from $14.95 to $17.95. The jigs are not designed to be tipped with bait, rather, used on their own as part of a larger tackle system.
Though the price is higher than most other jigs, the Lucanus models are designed to lure a more diverse array of fish species than other jigs. Anglers in New Jersey can expect to use Lucanus jigs to find fluke, sea bass, cod, pollock and striped bass. Shimano representatives will be experimenting in the offshore canyons this season to see if tilefish find the jigs appetizing.
[ Editor’s note: The Reel Seat is located at 608
Green Avenue, Brielle, N.J. ]
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