Although many peacock bass anglers erroneously believe that fishing with bucktail jigs for peacock bass has been a relatively recent technique, savvy fishermen have been using these baitfish imitating lures for years. Traditional white bucktail jigs (see image at left) are extremely versatile lures, catching just about any gamefish in fresh or salt water.
However, approximately eight years ago we began fishing with longer jigs, tied in a variety of colors, basically borrowing from the fishing repertoire of successful fly anglers who were casting long, brightly colored flies that pulsed below the surface using a fairly fast retrieve. As opposed to the traditional three or four inch white bucktail jigs, we began designing jigs using a variety of dyed premium bucktails, with a splash of flashabou, in lengths from 6 to 8-inches on ½-ounce jig-heads. We further enhanced the jig by affixing a short leader of 80-lb monofilament from the main jig body to an enticing trailer tail to give it a longer, streamlined appearance and pulsing flow on the retrieve (see image above). Rather than using the traditional bucktail "jigging" techniques (basically an up and down or vertical presentation), we swam the jigs erratically in the same manner as fishing a jerkbait. The results were phenomenal. Over the past five years, no other lure has been responsible for landing more "grande" size peacock bass than the enhanced ultimate bucktail jig. Our jigs have been responsible for one line class world record and many trophy fish up to 26 pounds.
When fishing our ultimate peacock bass jigs use medium to medium/heavy action spinning tackle (6'6" rod* and roughly a 9-10 oz. [300 size] spinning reel) and 30 lb Power Pro, FINS or Suffix braided line. After casting the jig, point your rod tip towards the water. The retrieval action is a subtle series of wrist snaps to get the lure darting, followed by a brief pause, allowing it to fall briefly, all the way back to the boat. This dart and subtle pause allows the jig to flash and swim erratically. We believe you will have much better control of the swimming action and rip of the jig using spinning gear than when using heavier baitcasting equipment.
For information regarding our new trolling jigs, please click here.
It has become quite a hassle to travel with large, heavy rod cases to South America. In addition to additional fees for oversized luggage, many anglers visiting South America have experienced broken rod cases or, in some cases, failure to receive their cases in Manaus or Caracas. For this reason, we highly recommend Goldrush Custom Rods. Each of Goldrush’s three–piece travel rods are hand crafted by custom rod crafter Dink Alston. Dink makes the finest travel rods, in both spinning and casting, for peacock bass that we have ever used. To contact Dink Alston, he can be reached at dink@aol.com or by phone at 561-261-1904.
