|
TIN SQUID
Thus spoketh the sage: “My first encounter with the jig
was
as a wee lad watching my father, who is now in heaven, toss
a “tin squid” out into the surf with his long pole.
He was after
stripers and blues. I don’t remember if he ever caught any.
Chances are you never heard of the ancient “tin squid.”
They were probably replaced with the Hopkins NO-EQL, which
I have
used with good results when fishing the Nags Head beaches.
Hopkins NO-EQL
There came along a new form and the old form was void. The old
form was cast aside along with the linen line that preceded it.
The new form was bright and shiny. It had big red eyes, and it
was fletched with feathers. The fishers whineth unto its maker,
“Is it good?” The evening and the morning were the second
day.
Thus spoketh the sage: “My next encounter with the jig
was
as a youth riding in my father’s boat as we trolled along
with
our “Jap Feathers” for bonito, skip jacks, blues and
other
toothy critters. If we added a strip of bait we might even
catch a king fish. I remember getting a large oceanic bonito
on one of these trips.”
JAP FEATHERS
Then the new form gave way to yet another variety. It was painted
all sorts of colors. It had deer hair tied on it, and it looked
like it had a tail. The fishers became anglers and they yearneth
mightily for the older days, and they cryeth unto its maker, “Is
it good?” The evening and the morning were the third day.
Thus spoketh the sage: “This encounter was with what
is
called a Buck Tail. Verily I say unto you, ‘we had our reward
on trout, stripers, blues and bonito.’ You could cast them
or
troll them and they came in many colors, shapes and sizes.
They were round, bullet shaped, flat, triangle shaped and
shaped like arrowheads. If you named it they had it.”
BUCK TAIL JIGS
Yet again the latest form sank beneath the waves, and a newer
form arose from the ashes of the departed like a Phoenix from
out of the sea. It had filament like hairs tied to it in the wrong
direction and it seemed very strange. The anglers pleadeth unto
its maker, “Is it good?” The evening and the morning
were the fourth day.
Thus spoketh the sage: “By now I had thrown off the
cloak
of the youthful and headed with haste into the big time of
Gulf Stream trolling with ‘Sea Witches.’ We were after
marlin,
sail fish, tuna and wahoo. I mounted the Sea Witch in front of
a balao and skipped it along behind the boat from the short
rigger. I was once rewarded with two white marlin that way.”
SEA WITCHES
Lo the witch’s brew bubbled away until the next generation
covered the kettle and it was no more. A new thing took its place.
The new thing looked like a parachute, and it glowed in the light.
The anglers saw it, and they beggeth of its maker, “Is it
good?” The evening and the morning were the fifth day.
Thus spoketh the sage: “I was older now and, having
succeeded in my Gulf Stream exploits, I longed for an
easier and quieter way to enjoy my time afloat, but it was
not to be. Once I got a taste of parachute jigging up monster
stripers, I was hooked for good. I rigged them every which
way you could think of and bailed my share of jumbo bass.”
PARACHUTE JIG
Forsooth, the parachute collapsed and the bubble burst. There
was panic on the rivers of waters and the sea brought a new species.
It was called a “Mo Jo.” The anglers saw it and they
were sore afraid. They cryeth unto its maker, “Is it good?”
The evening and the morning were the sixth day.
Thus spoketh the sage: “Having retired from the hustle
and
bustle of the business world, I was now ready to undertake
the new stresses and rigors of a charter captain. I quickly
learned that a big heavy Mo Jo with a double hooked 9 or 12
inch sassy shad on it was far more effective as a trolling
weight than a plain lead ball. I made the switch like everyone
else.”
MO JO
Now we must depart from the hairy things of the prior ages and
enter the age of the all metal bottom bangers. There were many
names such as Bridgeport Diamond Jigs, Deadly Dicks, Sting Silvers,
Crippled Herrings and a dozen other monikers. They were things
of beauty and they caught trout, bass, blues and all manner of
other finny things. The anglers used them and they brageth unto
their makers saying, “They are good!” The evening and
the morning were the seventh day.
CRIPPLED HERRING
(top), STING SILVER AND DEADLY DICK
Thus spoketh the sage: “Hey shipmates, give me a break.
God didn’t work seven days and neither will I. I’m too
old to
do that any more. I’ve told you six stories and that is enough.
Be off and go out there and learn for yourself. Before you go,
I’ve got one more tale to tell. Fish seldom strike when the
jig
is up and if they do, you’ll probably never know it. Keep
a
tight line on the drop back and you’ll catch more fish.”
|
