Black Sea Bass fishing has gained some serious popularity over the past few years here in Cape Cod. Each year we seem to get more and more anglers heading out to target these bottom dwelling fish, and for good reason! Black Sea Bass have a lot going for them, to start, they are hard fighting and willing to hit artificial lures. They are also extremely abundant, as anglers usually don’t have too hard of a time finding them. Did I mention they make excellent table fare? The mild, white meat of this fish ranks in high in many anglers list of best eating fish here in Cape Cod.
My favorite way to target these fish is on light spinning gear, utilizing a Jig and teaser combo. In the video below, Capt. Mike walks through his favorite Sea Bass rig, composing of an assist hook rigged Hogy Squinnow Jig, paired with a Jig-Biki Rig. This setup allows for multiple hooks in the water, therefor giving you the chance of hooking two or even three fish at a time!
Technique
What I love about this rig is the simplicity that comes with fishing it. Simply drop your jig to the bottom and begin your retrieve. All that I’m doing to impart action on this jig is raising and lowering my rod. What this does is lifts the jig 5-10ft off the bottom and drops it back down. The jig will have a nice fluttering action as it drops back down to the bottom, often enticing a strike. This mimics a baitfish or crab that is coming out of the structure and going back in. All around a super realistic presentation that flat out catches fish!
Lure and Rigging
As I mentioned prior, the rig I’m using is a Hogy Squinnow Jig paired with a Jig-Biki Teaser. The only modification here is swapping out the treble hook on the jig for an assist hook. The reason for this is often the structure that Sea Bass congregate at is very “snaggy”. The treble hook on the bottom of the jig is likely to get snagged in the rocks, or foul up with grass/weed. By implementing the assist hook on the eye of the jig, you free up the backside of anything that is likely to get caught on the bottom.
Attaching this to the bottom of your Jig-Biki Rigs covers all your basis when it comes to size profile. Some days the Sea Bass will want a larger profile like the jig, and some days they may be a little bit reluctant to hit a jig so that’s when the teasers really shine. Either way, you can be confident you are covering both spectrums when fishing this rig. The assist hook on the jig also matches the crystal teasers on the Jig-Biki Rig, making for a perfectly matching system.
Outfit
Again, super simple when it comes to my outfit. I’m using my standard medium action inshore gear, but feel free to use conventional gear if you prefer that for bottom fishing.
- Rod: 7′ Shimano Terez
- Reel: Shimano Saragosa 5000
- Line: 30lb Braid
- Leader: 30lb fluorcarbon
Tips
- Swap out treble hooks for assist hooks to minimize snags.
- Fish multiple hooks to catch a limit faster!
- Bring your kids! Sea Bass fishing is a great entry into the fishing world for anyone!
