If you fish salt water or follow the salt water beat, you have probably heard of Butterfly Jigging. Right now it may be the hottest thing out there to take a variety of species of salt water game fish. Originating in Japan this technique involves a lure that looks very similar to a normal jigging spoon, but it acts very different. The jigs used in this technique are travel in a side to side manner very similar to a walk-the-dog surface bait.
Special rods, reels, and hooks have evolved out of this deep jigging system and now with the introduction of Do-Its Flutter Lure mold, you can produce your own great lures for this technique.
Five different molds are available for the Do-It Flutter Lure making jigs that range from one-quarter ounce up to nine ounces. For those of you who make salt water trips, the four, five, seven and nine ounce models will suit your salty habit. For the rest of us living in the Midwest, the model FRS-4-A which makes one-quarter, one-half, three-quarters, and one ounce and the FRS-2-23 which makes two and three ounce lures will fit our bill.
As I mentioned earlier, this deep jigging technique has become the rage in the salt water. But till now, its use in fresh water is absolutely untapped. Till now, these lures weren’t available in sizes that were appropriate for fresh water applications. Till now!
I was fortunate enough to use these lures last fall and I can certainly see why it’s all the rage in the salt. In the past four months I have caught everything from panfish to Lake Michigan salmon on this lure. If you fish for Perch or Crappies you will love the one-quarter ounce Flutter Lure. If you’re after Bass, Walleye, and Pike, you will be interested in one-half, three-quarters, and one ounce sizes. Pike, Musky, and Striper anglers may even be interested in sizes bigger than that.
The new Flutter Jig features life like features and recessed eye sockets that will accept stick on eyes, the 3d stick on eyes or make painting perfect eyes very easy.
True flutter jigging uses one or two “assist” or stinger type hooks attached to a split ring which is then attached to the nose of the lure. These hooks are attached to a loop of sturdy braid and dance along the side of the jig offering great hookups. Do-It offers a great selection of assist hooksfor all the flutter jig sizes.
Assist hooks can also be hand tied using a quality octopus type hook and some heavy super braid line. The assist hook system eliminates the leverage a fish can get from a hook permanently attached to a jig. They also allow you to change lures without changing the hook rig.
So how do you flutter jig?
You cast the jig out and let it settle to the bottom. With the rod tip at about 9:00, snap it up to the 11:00 position while reeling at the same time. While you are reeling drop the rod to 9:00 and repeat. Unlike a standard jigging spoon which is in a yo-yo pattern, a flutter jig moves forward in a zigzag fashion. Fish generally hit a jigging spoon on the fall. Fish will hit the Flutter Lure on the retrieve. Vary your retrieve speed to suit the mood of the fish.
Also, vary your retrieve depths. If you know fish are near the bottom, let the jig settle back down after four to six lift/retrieve sequences. If you are trying to find fish, bring the jig all the way back to the boat without stopping, thus covering the whole water column. Note where strikes occur, work that depth on subsequent casts.
If flutter jigging isn’t your thing, don’t worry. In a very short time, the Do-It flutter Jig has become my favorite spoon for traditional vertical jigging. When it falls it has a deadly glide pattern that covers several feet horizontally. For vertical jigging I use a standard split ring and treble hook at the bottom of the jig. You ice fishermen out there will want to try this one for Walleyes this winter.
Weights for the Flutter lures are based on standard lead. Lighter jigs can be made using pure tin. Tin Jigs fall a little slower.
Deep jigging is an extremely effective way to catch all fresh and salt water gamefish. So whether you would like to try this new flutter jigging technique or traditional vertical jigging, you can’t go wrong with the new Do-It Flutter Jig. And it’s always great to catch a fish on a lure you made yourself.
