| Here is everything you need to make your own Jika Rig! |
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| Use a soft plastic like Bass Pro Shops River Bug. |
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| Use a hook like the Bass Pro Shops XPS Wide SuperLock fishing hooks. |
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| Use a bass-casting weight like the Bass Pro Shops Premium Bass Casting Sinkers |
by Bass Pro Stacey King
Combining the best aspects of Texas rigging and drop-shotting, the Jika (pronounced zee-ka) rig is a bass angler's dream come true, and it has proven its effectiveness on all three species of bass in Table Rock Lake.
The original Japanese rig is a finesse-type set-up with light line and light sinkers on highly pressured bass, but I've adapted it for use with heavier baitcasting tackle that's more appropriate for bass fishing in America.
The Tackle
It's built like this: on a 3/0 or 4/0 wide gap Texas-rig-type worm hook, attach a #3 split ring to the eye; then attach a #2 split ring to the #3; then attach a 3/8–1/2 ounce bass-casting weight to the #2. Tie your line to the #3 eye, and you're ready to slip on a soft plastic and fish.
The Advantages
The Jika rig's advantage lies in the double split rings and the point of line attachment. By tying to the #3 ring, you allow both the lure and the sinker to swivel freely, providing lifelike action, positive contact with the bottom, and a virtually weedless performance. Using low-stretch, low-visibility XPS fluorocarbon line in 14 or 17 pound test will help the lure
sink faster.
The Technique
You can use any soft plastic on this rig—I prefer a Bass Pro Shops River Bug or a Zoom Brush Hog. Fish the Jika rig on the bottom in submerged cover of any type—with short casts straight into cover, you can cover water fast. Use longer casts to cover expansive structure like channels, ledges, and points. I like to give plenty of slack line after the cast (by pulling it off the reel) so the rig falls as vertically as possible. This allows you to cover more of the bottom—if you don't give enough slack, the rig will sink in an angle back toward you. Hop the rig along the bottom with erratic twitches and shakes in between, and prepare for battle!
Want more information about fishing tackle? Check out other articles at Bass Pro 1Source on fishing tackle.
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