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The Butterfly Effect - Walk
the dog deep to fetch more fish!
As seen in
Worldwide Angler Magazine
By CAPTAIN ANDREW LOCASCIO
 In
late spring of 2004 a package arrived at my door from the folks at
Shimano. It included a light rod, a very robust reel, an
instructional DVD and a handful of weird blade-like jigs. There had
been growing hype about a “revolutionary” new fishing system coming
out of Japan called butterfly jigging. Now it was in my hands. As a
fishing show host I receive dozens of “hot” products every season,
and few of them actually live up to their claims. Butterfly jigging
looked like just one more piece of fancy marketing designed to catch
more fishermen than fish.
A month
later I was making a solo run from Montauk, N.Y. to the Vineyard
Sound. There had been scattered reports of schoolie bluefin tuna, so
I brought the butterfly gear along to give it a try. When I came
upon my first pod of fish, I threw a five-inch jig just beyond the
school, let it sink for a few seconds, and started the unique,
relatively slow rhythmic retrieve that imparts an erratic
“butterfly” action to the lure. After a few pumps I was hooked up!
Braided line screamed off the reel as the fish made an incredible
run. Several minutes later I was unhooking a 60- pound bluefin.
After a few photos it was on its way. I spent the next few hours
stopping at every school I saw, and though I did not catch a fish on
every cast, I lost count of how many I did catch.
This jigging system, which includes a unique rod, a handful of reels
and a specific style of jig, is not only incredibly effective, it is
also very versatile. A practiced angler can target tuna, kingfish,
yellowtail, stripers, cod, grouper, jacks and dozens of other
inshore and offshore species almost anywhere in the water column.
The key to butterfly effectiveness is presentation. Most jigs
are dropped to a specific depth, lifted sharply and then dropped
again, or dropped and then ripped vertically through the water
column. Butterfly jigs swim up through the water column when anglers
employ a unique pump-and-reel motion. The cut of the jig edge
combined with the pumping action causes the jig to veer side to
side. The action is akin to a “walk-the-dog” retrieve on a surface
lure, except the jig is walking up the water column, not across the
surface. With butterflies, anglers are able to drop the jig to a
specific depth, keep it there longer and present the jig with a very
erratic, seductive motion.
 To
get the right action, you need the right retrieval technique. After
letting the jig fall to the desired depth, point your rod tip at the
water and employ a continuous rhythmic pumping action coupled with a
constant, steady turning of the reel. Turn the reel just fast enough
to keep the slightest load on the tip of the rod. Don’t let the lure
drop nose-first, as you would with a normal jig. Keep it walking up
the water column. As you do this you’ll be moving the rod tip from
one to two feet per pump. With high-speed reels, which are highly
recommended, you’ll be lifting the rod on the upswing of the reel,
and lowering it on the downstroke. The result is an upward zigzag
swimming motion.
If fish are suspended, drop the lure somewhat deeper than the target
depth and begin the retrieve. In many cases the jig is simply
dropped to the bottom. Either way, retrieve for a period of time,
drop the lure back down and start the retrieve again. Around a wreck
or reef, the jig is always dropped to the bottom, retrieved for a
fairly short period of time, and dropped back into the strike zone.
Butterfly jigs are available in a wide range of colors and sizes,
and are now being offered by Shimano, Tormentor and several other
manufacturers. Colors should be chosen based on the available bait
in the area, but size should be chosen based on the depth being
targeted. The angler must choose a jig large enough to maintain a
nearly vertical retrieve (except when casting to busting fish).
Greater depths and faster drifts require heavier jigs.
Shimano and
Tormentor also offer a longer butterfly jig. The
lengthier blades are designed to be dropped to a chosen depth and
retrieved horizontally. Though they descend through the water column
quickly, their center of gravity and the hydrodynamics of the blade
cause the lure to move horizontally when pumped. Additionally, their
asymmetrical shape creates the same zigzag action as the vertical
baits. Use a bigger rod sweep when pumping these jigs. Try starting
with your rod tip pointed at the water, then pump the rod repeatedly
to the 11 o’clock position, all the while reeling to keep the line
semi-taut
With both long and short butterflies, the shape of the jig cuts
through the water on the drop (rather than flutter like a
traditional metal jig), allowing smaller jigs to reach greater
depths. The slow retrieve keeps the jig in the “hit zone” longer.
There’s also an excellent hook-up ratio achieved by the rig design.
Though the jigs are clearly the business end of this system, rod
selection is critical. For the jig to work correctly, the rod must
stay loaded throughout the retrieve. This requires a fairly soft,
medium-fast rod. Shimano designed the
Trevala rod specifically for
this system. These rods appear light, but are amazingly strong and
can put incredible pressure on a fish. Each rod is rated for a
specific range of lure weights. Using jigs outside that range will
certainly compromise the presentation.
Reel selection is also very important. Though the retrieve is fairly
slow, a reel with a fast retrieve is required so the rhythmic
pumping action can be properly maintained. For conventional reels,
narrow spools are preferred so that the angler need not worry too
much about guiding the line. Spinning reels can also be used, but
they must have premium drag systems and significant line capacity.
Some anglers find the jigging action somewhat easier to impart with
spinning gear.
This system would not be possible without the advent of braided
lines. Low diameter, low stretch lines such as
Berkley Big Game
Braid and Stren Super Braid get the lures down fast, provide
superior sensitivity and give narrow conventional reels and spinning
reels better line capacity. The best choice for spinning reels is
Berkley Fireline. Its fused construction has a more textured
surface, making it much more resistant to wind knots. These lines
are always used in conjunction with a three- to six-foot
fluorocarbon leader. The connection between the line and the leader
is critical. Most anglers tie a short Bimini twist in their main
line, and then use an Albright knot to connect the double line
Bimini to the leader. This connection will pass easily through the
guides and has a very high breaking strength.
The connection between the leader and the jig is also unique. The
leader is tied directly to a solid ring that holds one or two
stinger hooks (1/0 to 7/0 depending on jig size). A split ring is
then used to connect the jig to the ring. This allows for quick and
easy jig changes, provided the angler carries split-ring pliers. It
also positions the hooks at the head of the jig rather than the
traditional position in the tail. Most strikes are at the head where
the hooks are positioned. Additionally, when a fish is hooked,
they’re fighting on a direct line to the rod and cannot use the
leverage of the lure to unhook themselves.
Though it takes a bit of practice to get truly comfortable with this
system, the effectiveness is immediately evident. The butterfly jigs
create a more enticing presentation than traditional options such as
diamond jigs and bucktails, and are capable of targeting nearly any
depth in the water column. The erratic action clearly imitates a
wounded or fleeing baitfish, and the ability to keep the jig in the
hit zone for a longer period of time translates to more hook-ups and
more fish!
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