Once someone gets bit by the slow-pitch bug the natural inclination is to start fishing in deeper and deeper water.  It opens up a new world of challenges, an entirely different group of species, and it’s just plain fun.

Jigging in deep water is an entirely different animal than the traditional 100-300ft depths that anglers usually begin at.  Sure, some of the basic principles are the same, but deep water jigging requires a bit more specialized technique for success, and maybe a few considerations that you might not have thought of as you venture into the depths.  In this post I’ll go over a series of tips for the beginner, intermediate, and advanced anglers to help make sure you have the best possible day on the water.

Now, when I say “deep,” I’m talking about 500ft and deeper. I think that’s the threshold where the game really starts to change. North of 800ft can become tough even for more experienced anglers. Simple things, like keeping good bottom contact, can suddenly become a challenge. Add in a multi-layer current, additional water influence on your line, and increased effective drag on from the reel - and you can see it’s not as simple as drop the jig and hope for the best. 

Let’s dig in.

Some General Principles:

The deeper you go, the more line that you’ll have out, and the further down the spool you’ll go as the jig descends. These facts are not exactly earth shattering news, but let’s talk about what that means for you. 

First, we want to stay as vertical as possible.  To accomplish this, line diameter becomes even more important than in shallower water.  The thinner the line, the less water influence it will have.  Think of it like this: if I have 800ft of 20lb PowerPro out, and wove that into a square cloth, that square would be significantly smaller than 800ft of 50lb PowerPro woven into that same cloth, and therefore will have less water influence. This means that you’ll stay more vertical in the water with an equivalent weight jig (i.e. you would need a heavier jig to stay vertical when using heavier line) just by downsizing your line.  That’s why I look to products like PowerPro Maxcuatro when going deeper.  At 25% thinner diameter than standard PowerPro, yet retaining the same breaking strength, I have the confidence that I am maximizing my jig’s effectiveness in the water, with all the strength that I expect out of standard PowerPro.  In areas where current influence is minimal, my go-to is standard 4-strand PowerPro in either white (for ease of visibility) or in Depth-Hunter when the conditions call for metered braid. In higher current situations, I’ll move up to PowerPro Maxcuatro 20lb for even thinner diameter to cut through the water.

Second, the further down the spool you go, the more effective drag that your reel will put out when compared to a full spool.   This means that deeper water requires a lighter drag setting at the surface than you would fish in shallower water for the same effective drag when you hook up to a fish.  I generally back my drag down about 3-5lbs lower at strike when I’m fishing in deep water than I would fish in shallower - for a strike setting of 8-10lbs.  I’ve seen way too many people break off at depth when they hooked the big one, only to learn that they did not account for this increased effective drag.  To offset this, I look to reels such as the Ocea 2500LD or the Ocea 4000.  The increased spool capacities of these reels, paired with thinner PowerPro, means that I’m not as far down the spool at depth as compared to smaller profile reels, such as the Ocea 2000.  Utilizing these larger capacity reels keeps my effective drag output as consistent as possible, resulting in predictable performance and ultimately landing more fish.

Third, in addition to the increased effective drag, your line retrieve rate decreases the further down the spool you go.  To combat this decrease in retrieve, I look almost exclusively to high gear ratio reels when I’m fishing deep water, compared to power and mid-gear reels that I’ll use sub-500ft.  The power and torque that the Ocea 2500LD and Ocea 4000 have is incredible, and their retrieve stays consistent even at great depths.  If limited to a smaller diameter reel, such as an OCEA 2000 or Torium Jigging Special 2000, I’ll bump my line down to 15lb PowerPro to minimize how much line comes off my spool and to keep my retrieve consistent.

Moving the Jig:

As I often say in my seminars, the hallmark of a quality slow pitch rod is how well it moves a jig in deep water.  To ensure proper action, the Grappler Type Slow J, Game Type Slow J, and OCEA Infinity Motive series of rods all feature Hi-Power X and Spiral X Core technology to do just that.  Hi-Power X is a carbon cross weave along the exterior of the blank that does two things: (1) it allows the rod to be tuned to very precise actions to ensure that the rod performs exactly as designed in any situation, and (2) it adds to the torsional rigidity of the rod - in other words, it keeps the blank from twisting. That means that even off-axis, your rod will stay on-spine and deliver consistent, predictable action - even in unforgiving situations.  On top of that, the Ocea Infinity Motive boasts Spiral X Core, which includes a nano-alloy resin, making it even more torsionally and compressionally rigid than standard Spiral X.  That means a stronger rod at lighter weight - ideal for deep water applications and stress free jigging.

Each rod in the series (Grappler, Game, and OCEA) has rods rated up to 500g max jig in their heavy models.  That enables anglers to use a wide variety of jigs, including those heavier jigs as needed to make an ideal presentation. 

Jig Selection:

For deep water applications, I generally look to longer and more slender jigs to cut through the water and to get to the strike zone faster.  Once past 400ft, the general rule of 1g/ft of depth goes out the window.  Even at considerable depths, it’s rare to fish jigs much heavier than 500g.  Keep in mind, there’s very little sunlight that penetrates 800ft down, so jigs with some form of glow or UV reflection become important. All of Shimano’s jigs, including the Shimmerfall, Sardine Waver, and Wingfall, contain an element of glow on the eye of the jig, while others are finished with glow accents that charge up quickly and last for multiple drops without needing to recharge.

The System:

Shimano’s entire jigging lineup is designed to work synergistically for maximum performance.  If you’re in the market for a new combo, here’s are some choices at various price points that I’ve personally fished, all of which will get you dialed in for the deep:

●     Budget Conscious: Grappler Type Slow J in Heavy | Torium 2000 | PowerPro 15/20lb

●     Intermediate/Advanced: Game Type Slow J in Heavy | Ocea 4000HG or Ocea LD 2500 HG | PowerPro 15/20lb or Maxcuatro 20lb

●     Advanced/Expert: Ocea Infinity Motive in Heavy | Ocea LD 2500 HG | PowerPro Maxcuatro 20lb

Each of these systems provide anglers with outstanding performance in deep water, at a price to match your individual needs.