The 8th Way To Wren

The Jika Rig:

     About this time last year I wrote my first blog (HERE) sparked by the inspiration of my first pro-staff position with Cactus Wren Outdoors.  The topic was on all the various ways to rig Cactus Wren baits from deep to shallow, and power to finesse presentations.  If you read through that post, you may have noticed I left off two rather popular rigs: Texas, and Carolina.

      I did not simply forget about these bass fishing staples, I left them off for two reasons.  First of all, there's already so much information out there about these, I do not see the point in saying it all again.  Never in my wildest dreams will a Google search of "how to Texas rig" ever lead you to the dark and meaningless corner of the internet where my lightly treaded blog resides, so what's the point?

      Secondly, I just don't use those presentations very often.  Arizona isn't known for it's vast acreage of quality bass fishing waters.  The few areas that are productive are so over pressured that the bass have learned that these common presentations bite back (this of course comes from years of scientific studies from the University of My Ass, or UMA as it will from this point forward always be referred to).  To be successful in this bleak world of Arizona Bass Fishing, you've got to push the envelope, think outside of the box, [insert other ironic cliché here], and be progressive.  Since writing that first blog, I've been experimenting.  Now I'm ready to introduce the 8th way to Wren:  The Jika Rig.

 

1/4 oz left, 1/2 oz right

     

     The Jika Rig may not be news to you.  In doing a bit of Google research I've found articles and videos dating back four or five years.  Still, however, it's talked about very little compared to other soft plastic presentations.

     As you can see in the picture above, the Jika Rig is comparable to a dropshot in that the weight is below the hook.  Instead of being connected by several inches of line, it's connected by two small split rings.  This allows for the natural horizontal position that the dropshot is known for, but very near the bottom.  It is a similar presentation as a Texas Rig, but with some minor, but important, differences:

 

     The image above illustrates how the Texas Rig tends to pendulum forward as it falls.  I'm no physysist, but I do have a Bachelors of Science Degree from UMA.  From my intense research there, I have determined that the water resistance against the line pulls the weight forward at an angle which causes the bait to glide forward through the water.  With the Jika Rig, the weight leads pulling the worm and line behind it at a steeper angle.

      You can buy these rigs pre-made at any of the major retailers, but they are simple enough to make on your own with just a couple of split rings, a hook, and a dropshot weight.  This lets you further customize the rig with your preferred style of hook and weight, and costs much, much less of that hard earned money!  I just saw a pack in one of those big box stores today, seven bucks for a pack of two!  Let's break down this new and improved Texas rig with some suggestions for gear, baits, and locations:

      Just like a Texas Rig, the Jika can be thrown on just about any rod ranging from a light spinning rod to a heavy flippin' stick.  It all depends on the size of your bait, hook, weight, line, and of course location.

 

     For a finesse approach you could drop all the way down to a 1/16 ounce weight with a size 1 hook and a small two inch grub.  This presentation is going to be tough to cast on baitcasting gear, so a light spinning rod is the best option.  I like this finesse approach in the dog days of summer when the fish are deep and relating to underwater structure like points and humps.  As the size of your presentation grows, so does the need for heavier gear.

      I prefer two different set ups depending on a variety of factors.  For open water, or deep water presentations I will use a quarter ounce weight with a 2/0 EWG hook and a four to five inch strait or curly tail worm like the Cactus Wren Talking Stick or Quail Tail.  I'll throw this on a 7 foot medium spinning rod lined with 20 pound test braid and a few feet of 8 pound test fluorocarbon leader.  Bouncing this rig over rocky points during transition times like pre-spawn or late fall can be deadly for those big females looking to feed up before spawning or slowing down for the winter.

 

     As I move to shallow cover, I think along the lines of flipping and pitching.  My favorite area to flip and pitch this bait into, especially on hot summer days, is vast submerged grass flats.  Bass will hide in the thick oxygen filled cover in the heat of the day waiting for any food to stop by.  Flipping the Jika Rig along the grass lines, or in the pockets of grass triggers hard strikes from any bass that may be in the neighborhood.  I'll use a bigger bait like the 6 inch Quail Tail or a creature bait like the Canyon Craw.  Since I up the size of the bait, I up the size of everything else as well.  A half ounce weight pairs well with a 4/0 EWG hook and 12 to 15 pound test flurocarbon or monofilament.  If you're not comfortable with baitcasting gear, you can throw this on a medium heavy or heavy spinning rod, but I prefer a medium heavy baitcaster because I can flip and pitch the bait into multiple targets for more presentations faster than I can with a spinning reel.

      This is the same reason I like a fast 7:1 gear ratio reel.  When I'm working the shallows, I'm often picking apart individual pieces of cover.  If a bass is hanging out near a specific piece of cover, the strike zone is going to be relatively small.  He's there to ambush the prey, not chase it down.  After you've worked that bait for a moment near the cover, you can just bring the bait right back and cast out again.  There's very little chance of getting hit in the abyss between the cover and your boat, so a high speed reel will get that bait in quicker so you can get on with your next cast.

 

     Another benefit to the high speed reel is to pick up slack line before the hook set, and to keep tension on the line while fighting the fish if he makes a run towards the boat.  It may seem contrary to logic, but any time I'm slowly working a bait along the bottom, I want a fast reel for the reasons mentioned above.  There simply aren't any advantages a slow reel will give you with any bottom bouncing technique.

      With all that said, this is a very versatile technique.  Any rod and reel set up you have will get the job done in at least one situation or another.  Just remember to choose a size of presentation based on the gear you have available and you can catch fish!

 

    So go hit up Cactus Wren Outdoors and get all the soft plastics you need for the Jika Rig.  And as always, let me know in the comments or on social media if you stick a hog on this thing!

     Tight lines!