This relatively new and exciting method could be the trick to unlocking more reds this spring. Scott Gray shares his top tips to inspire you to give
microjigging a go.

Microjigging for snapper is fast becoming popular with snapper anglers across the southern half of the country and it’s easy to see why being that it’s such an active and exciting way to get the most out of your fishing. This technique is essentially a scaled down version of more conventional jigging and with lighter, stronger rods hitting the market each year, the experience is further heightened.
Microjigging is ideally suited to snapper as they migrate into our southern bays during the spring months and school up prior to spawning and while the size of fish varies from location to location, trophy fish in excess of 10 kg are a possibility which makes them serious light tackle opponents.
Snapper just love crunching metal jigs and there are plenty of types on the market, including soft plastics (lead jigheads), octopus styles jigs, blades and leaf style (slow fall) metal jigs. Soft plastics have been around for some time and have earned their fair share of admirers; however, the metal blades and slow fall jigs continue to rise in popularity.
TECHNIQUES
Vertical microjigging is an active form of fishing whether you are working a lure or trying to find the schools of fish. I always keep my motor running and my eyes glued to the sounder and take every opportunity to mark the location of schools of fish using the GPS.
Actively searching for fish comes with other benefits too as you don’t need to anchor which reduces the likelihood of spooking the fish when they are holding or attracting other anglers to your location. It is also very effective when your favourite spot is really crowded and you can simply take the time to head off and search around for a patch of fish out on your own.
Most of the microjigging for snapper I do is in water depths of 10 to 20 m around Port Phillip Bay, Victoria or up in the St Vincent Gulf, South Australia. Generally I find myself targeting schools of fish between September and November and the use of a good sounder is really important. As the fish are schooled up and aggressive at this time of year, the fishing is often exceptional as there are usually large concentrations of fish in a small area if you can find them. If you aren’t fishing in these locations though, it can be a struggle.
Just because you mark fish doesn’t always mean they will bite. With that in mind, persistence, attention to detail and tidal regimes are important. If you know the fish are there and you aren’t getting any strikes, keep changing lures and persist until you manage a hit or two.

A solid snapper taken on a 40 g slow fall ’leaf style’ Koika Jig with single assist hook. Note the rubber squid added to the assist hook.

TACKLE
Despite the large size of some of the snapper available to anglers in southern Australia, you don’t need to fish with heavy gear and microjigging tackle really epitomises the whole idea of fishing as light as possible. Microjigging rods are light and strong and for most of the fishing that I do, when I’m fishing in the spring months in the bays, I fish a Storm Gomoku PE 0.4-1.0 (4 to 10 lb rod) with 10 lb braid on a 3000 sized reel and a fluorocarbon leader. I’ve caught fish to over 10 kg on this outfit so it certainly packs a punch for its size. This outfit is usually reserved for fishing over sand and mud, and if I’m fishing on structure I’ll move up to a heavier outfit.
I usually fish with 20 lb fluorocarbon leader when microjigging for snapper. I like to use a leader of at least two metres for the simple purpose of trying to minimise the braid hitting a rock on the bottom while fighting fish in rough terrain. It also makes it easier to handle the fish around the boat if it is to be released. You can certainly fish a lot lighter, particularly in shallow water situations, and that can be important when the fish are being a bit fussy. Just remember that big fish will hit hard and you need to make sure your terminals and knots are up to scratch if you want to hold onto the bigger fish and pull them out of structure.
Jig selection is of great importance. Getting the jigs down toward the fish quickly is key, and staying in the strikezone as long as possible means more chance of a strike. If the jig is too heavy it may sink out of the strikezone too quickly and if it’s too light, it might not reach deep enough to begin with.
Jig weights required to get down to the fish will depend on the type of jig you are using and the tidal current that you might need to contend with in the location you are fishing. Generally speaking though, jig weights of 20 to 40 g are ideal for fishing in 10 to 25 m of water. If the fish are holding mid-water, off the bottom, I like to drop jigs like blades that have plenty of ‘hang time’ in the strikezone. These type of lures finds it hard to get down to the bottom quickly in current though, so when this is the case, I prefer a heavier slow fall leaf jig, like a Storm Koika jig.
I prefer to retrofit my blades and vibes with single hooks as big snapper tend to crush the light gauge trebles. When using slow fall jigs, one single assist on the top of the jig is usually enough for the larger fish, although you can use two hooks (one on top and one on the bottom, or two on top) as long as they don’t tangle. A good way to prevent tangling when fishing a top and bottom hook is to fix the bottom hook directly to the jig with a split ring. Adding a rubber squid or tinsel to the assist hook is also a favoured method and as long as it’s not too bulky it shouldn’t affect the way the jig swims in the water.
CONNECTIONS
Most microjigging rods come fitted with micro guides which are very narrow in diameter and unsuited to more commonly used braid to monofilament knots. This is mainly a problem when using heavier leaders. There are two ways to approach this problem: firstly, you can use a shorter leader of around 1 to1.5 m so that your knot is not going through the guides repeatedly, or you could learn a strong and slim knot like the FG knot.
The FG is a slim profile knot in which the braid is wrapped over the monofilament leader and avoids the monofilament being knotted at all. This allows the knot to move freely through the guides and onto the spool; allowing trouble free use when using heavier leaders. It is super strong and close to 100 per cent knot strength too. It might take a little longer than a uni knot or albright to tie, but is well worth learning and once mastered can be used for most fishing situations.
Connecting your jig is just as important and as is the case with many other lure styles, you will get better action from jigs and vibes if the lure is able to move naturally from the tow point. Blades and vibes usually come with clips which you can tie on directly with a uni knot and for soft plastic jigheads a loop knot will allow the plastic to swim naturally. For simplicity, when using metal jigs, I like to use a swivel to split ring connection which helps to reduce line twist while providing a smooth connection point for your leader. It also makes it quick and easy to change your jig if required. It is very important when doing this that you make sure the swivel is not too big otherwise it may affect the way the jigs swims. This method also makes it easy to change the assist hook if required off the split ring.

The opportunity to land a big fish on light tackle really enhances the fishing experience.

SPRING INTO IT
With spring in full swing, now is the time to try microjigging for snapper and if it’s something you haven’t tried before, don’t worry, it’s not expensive to get rigged up. If you’re an angler that still enjoys bait fishing it doesn’t hurt to have at least one microjigging outfit rigged and ready to cast while the action is hot, or when things are quiet to keep things interesting. One thing is for sure though; when you find the fish, the action is hard to beat and once you’ve been converted to microjigging, it’s hard to go back!

Hooked up on a rampaging snapper with a Gomoku microjigging rod – look at that bend.

Scott Gray is located in south-west Victoria, but spends plenty of time chasing fish across Australia and the South Pacific. While he enjoys all forms of fishing you will often find him spinning for big brown trout in the region’s rivers and lakes or stickbaiting for kingfish or tuna along the coast. He has a rich background in fisheries science and education and is currently sponsored by Rapala VMC Australia, Garmin, Spotters and Richardson Marine’s ‘Seacruiser’ aluminium boats.