Yo Yo Jigging

[something fishy]

Hello, I was wondering if anyone can help me out. I never actually had any luck using a Yoyo Jig for yellowtail. I've try different color Salas 6x Jrs and didn't have any luck in the past. It could be that they weren't interested at that time but I was mainly thinking I'm doing something wrong. I was told to just drop it to the bottom and crank as fast as I can. The jig looks like its spinning in the water while its coming up. Is that the way it is supposed to look like or is it supposed to swim different? Am I doing something wrong? or is it just a bad jig?

Thanks!

[Ricky-Ray]

Welcome to the boards.

Yo-Yo jigging fishing for yellowtail is kind of both art and science. It takes alot of of time a practice.

The basic concept is that you want a heavy iron like a 6x jr. drop it to the bottom then give it like 10-20 cranks (this can vary depending on where the fish are in the water column) fast then drop it back down again a little bit and then repeat. Basically your working the water column back up the surface. The jig should be doing a kicking motion left to right. If it's just spinning you winding too fast. If it's not kicking left and right then you are going too slow. Ideally your reel should be somewhere around 5.0-6.0 gear ratio for the fast winding. It just makes it easier.

Spend some time dropping the jig about 20 feet down and practice and see how the jig moves in the water and adjust your winding speed until you see it start kicking back and forth. Once you see that your winding correctly.

You want the reaction of the jig going back and forth as that's what's going to cause the fish to react to biting it.

Good luck.

[Yellow Fever 80]

Yo-Yoing can be very frustrating. There is a time and place for it, but it is sometimes hard to figure out when and where that is. Usually fish that are down close to the bottom in deeper water and earlier in the year are the best for the yo-yo. A jig that sinks fast and swims good at fast speeds when reeled strait up are best. Some people will say you cant reel too fast when fishing yellows, thats bullshit. You have to reel very fast, but you can reel to fast and have to slow it just slightly. 30# line at least for yo-yo.

[Swampchicken]

Yo-yo-ing can be very frustrating, I agree. But once you get slammed, you are definitely hooked.

Davey

[migfrias]

A good 6 1/2 ' med heavy rod with a 4/0 size reel with a least 4.1 gear ratio topped with 40lb line. Stick to basic colors like blue / white , green / yellow , scrable egg or chrome/blue. I like using the 6x jr's with a si-wash hook tied to mono using a double san diego knot.

Remember if you are drift fishing, "that the wind should be blowing in your face". If the bite has slowed to a "pick" bite, you may want to drop anywhere from 250 - 300' deep. Then start cranking as fast as possible. You can not crank fast enough for yellows. Come up about 1/3 of the way, and let it back down again then try 2/3 of the way up and start all over again. If the school is up and biting, I would cast a short distance, let it sink down a bit (100-150'), then start cranking. In alot of cases, I just ask the cappy how deep is he reading them on his sonar and start just below them.

Fishing the yoyo gives you advantages over using bait because it allows for heavier line, larger hooks (4/0 to 5/0 si-wash) and being able to search the deeper water column for larger fish.

Hope this helps

miguel

[something fishy]

thanks everyone for the help :)

[BingJr]

Any color will work as long as its scrambled egg! My buddy swears by blue and white. But I wouldnt venture too far from either of these colors for starters. They are proven producers.

[Ambassadorhawg]

Yes, it is supposed to come up spinning fast. The faster you can crank, the better your chances of getting bit because your jig will draw more attention. I have seen this happen time and time again. Scrambled egg, blue & chrome, chrome, dorado color (Blue green & white) or blue & white are the usual suspects. Be ready for the slam of your lifetime too when you get hit.

As mentioned by others here, there is a time and a place for it. Generally, a boat that is drifting over a school of fish that is a ways down from the surface is the best condition to fish with this approach.

[jerryG]

There are a few things to take in to consideration when yoyoing for yellows.

The yo-yo is used year round at places like Cedros, Benitos, and Guadalupe Islands however locally it more of a winter time technique. It involves chasing down bird schools but the yellows more often then not will stay deep feeding on fast moving bait. It's usually fast fishing running and gunning on bird schools. The fish typically won't stay with the long making it necessary to continue chasing until they sink out for day.

It's critical to use a jig (Tady A1 heavy, also Salas 6x or 7x in scrambled egg, in colors blue/white, or green/white) that will get down to where the fish are fast. When the boat slides up under the birds you may only have a minute or two to get your jig down to where the fish are at. Once your jig hits the bottom wind it as fast as you can.... YOU CAN NOT WIND IT TOO FAST! Believe me they will eat it as fast as you can wind it. However you can easily wind it too slow to get bit.. When the yellows are on the yoyo bite they want the jig fast (spinning).

Yo-yoing is a great way to catch a lot yellows in short period of time. Using the proper gear is critical. I agree on the larger reel. A 4/0 narrow AKA yellowtail special matched up with 7 rod with a plenty of backbone is a good choice. you want to get the fish on the boat as quickly as possible so the boat can continue chasing the school if necessary also the faster you can your fish on board the faster you can get on another. More often then not yo-yoing represents a short window of opportunity so you must try to make the most of your time before they sink out.

JerryG