Jika Rig (Jig Rig) 2024

Tkramer22 reply :

Have any of you guys tried out the Jika rig? Ive been reading about it lately and im curious to know how its worked for everybody. If so, how have you been using it and with what supplies? :eyebrows:

Felix77 reply :

Discovered it over the winter. Bought some weights and wacky hooks. Can't wait to try it myself!

Mud River Matt reply :

Felix, you said you bought some wacky hooks??? I was thought you used a wide gap hook with the Jika Rig???? I may be wrong but thats what I thought, I tried to use it yesterday, but I didnt have any split ring pliers with me and I couldnt get the stupid split ring on my hook or my weight so I wasnt able to use it....lol

Felix77 reply :

You are correct. I got it confused with the neko rig. I also got stuff for the Jika. EWG hooks, split rings and bell sinkers to make my own.

Lol

Will Wetline reply :

I used the Jika Rig a bit last year and it does work.

Being a tackle tinkerer, I make my own using two #2 split rings. It looks very similar to the screenshot I lifted from the Japanese video below:

For those of you who own the Do-It Drop Shot Sinker Mold, simply turn the specialized fitting end for end in the mold so you have the loop sticking out rather than the pinched-down end. Whether you're making ds weights or Jika Rig weights you'll find this fitting much easier to position if you use fine point tweezers.

Back to the effectiveness of the Jika Rig, it appealed to me initially because it gives your bait a degree of articulation that you don't get with a soft plastic pegged to the bottom on a jig head or T-rigged. On the other hand, you get pretty much the same mobility with a real short dropshot set up.

Hey, try 'em all. It's good to be versatile.

Ima Bass Ninja reply :

I use this a lot with a white fluke. Works great especially for bedding fish

MemphisFF reply :

How did u work this rig did you jus drag it or do you jig it or maybe a combo of both I plan on tryin this rig also..

aavery2 reply :

On 3/11/2013 at 4:02 AM, Tkramer22 said:
Have any of you guys tried out the Jika rig? Ive been reading about it lately and im curious to know how its worked for everybody. If so, how have you been using it and with what supplies?

I made some of these myself a year or so ago. I have had good sucsess with this rig. One thing I have noticed is that I have better luck using heavier weights than those that are made by the tackle companys.

WRB reply :

Owner makes a good off the shelf Jig Rig, and they have vdeio on their site with how to use it.

Tom

.ghoti. reply :

Aavery2, that is interesting. I made a bunch last year. 2/0 - 1/16oz, 3/0 - 1/8oz, and 4/0 - 1/4oz. Didn't even think about building anything heavier. Now I'm gonna have to try. Hat's off to you for the tip.

I did well with my home-made versions, except when using a worm. For me, the worm/jika combo was no good. Short, compact baits seemed to be the ticket; craws, roosters, monkeys, hula grubs, Ikas, etc. But, the real surprise was a tube, on the lightest rig. That was good all year.

J Francho reply :

The Jika rig has all but replaced the Texas Rig for fishing craws and creatures in moderate milfoil. The swinging weight leads the bait down through the weed canopy to the open water below more effectively than a traditional Texas rig, or even a jig. If you make your own, I highly recommend you use a pencil style weight. I find you can step back a size or two under what you'd normally use with a T-rig.

clayton86 reply :

I used home made ones last year briefly when on leave and had good success with white super flukes. I just cast to ledges and kept a semi slack line and dragged it occasionally usually got hit on the pause or weight on the semi slack line

Felix77 reply :

I have been using these all season with good success. My favorite bait is the 6 inch Roboworm.

Sam reply :

Yes. Nailed one on my first cast and put it away.

Made a few myself and then found them at BPS and at Janns Netcraft.

They are not called JIKA rigs at BPS. Since I am at my office I can't get to them to note the package but if you look at the hook section you should be able to find them. I also think Tackle Warehouse has them now.

Glenn spoke with the inventor at this year's ICAST and Glenn was impressed.

Does it work? No idea. One fish on one cast is not the end result.

I think it would work if the bottom is not a lot of slop and is a hard bottom.

I already have my baits ready for the JIKA Rig and will try it on the Pamunkey River on September 28th to see how it works.

Felix77 reply :

Sam I think BassPro calls them the ZEKA or ZIKA rig.

I have been using my own all season (from the bank and as a BOBA) and they definitely do work. You are right about the mucky bottom situations ... I switch to a drop shot in those conditions.

I am a big finesse worm guy and this is another one of my favorite techniques when needing to keep something finesse on the bottom. Try it with a floating worm and you have a deadly combination. LOL

I have seen the BassPro ones and I prefer making them myself. Comes out to less than $1.50 each using quality components.

Fishes in trees reply :

I bought several of the BPS version of this rig. Before I even got them wet, it occurred to me that I could make a better one myself. So I did. I used a variety of old sinkers I had laying around. I experimented with different kinds of wire before I settled on using 50 lb Fluorocarbon leader material to hang the weights on. Mine turn out a little longer than the factory styles, maybe an inch or more longer. Most of my creations so far are around a half ounce, + or - a few grams.

The tackle stores and BPS and Cabelas here in KC are pretty limited in tackle making gear. I was having trouble finding sleeves to crimp the fluorocarbon. Finally ended up a Michaels, a crafting store that had a jewelry making section. They have all kinds of fine wire crimping sleeves, generally at reasonable prices it seemed to me.

The only other variation that I do that is different from the others I have seen is that I am using a regular gap Gamakatsu hooks rather than the wide gap ones I commonly see.

I get to go fishing maybe once per week, I missed a couple of weeks this summer. Mid July through August I caught 17 keepers ( 15" & up) and probably another 50 or so slot fish (12" to 15"). All the keepers were 10' to16' deep, on a shelf or within a foot or so of the deep edge of the weed line, close to but not below the thermocline.

For the most part for where I fish (medium sized, pressured MO conservation lakes), this rig has replaced the TX rig.

ww2farmer reply :

On 3/12/2013 at 1:40 AM, J Francho said:
The Jika rig has all but replaced the Texas Rig for fishing craws and creatures in moderate milfoil.

Maybe for you, but not for me. In fact, I am totally un-impressed with it. So I don't bother. I do well enough with out it.

J Francho reply :

On 9/22/2013 at 7:57 AM, ww2farmer said:
Maybe for you, but not for me. In fact, I am totally un-impressed with it. So I don't bother. I do well enough with out it.

As it's gotten a little colder, the T-rig is coming back into play. Something about the fall with a sliding sinker seems to be enticing them better.

Catt reply :

The Texas Rig hasn't went out of play in over 50 yrs & never will.

JB Spilker reply :

On 3/11/2013 at 7:53 AM, aavery2 said:

I made some of these myself a year or so ago. I have had good sucsess with this rig. One thing I have noticed is that I have better luck using heavier weights than those that are made by the tackle companys.

Where do you get these! I love the looks of them. I'm like the idea of the colored weights and the extra o-ring

JB Spilker reply :

Here is another decent video on how to set up a jika rig and what it looks like in the water on youtube:

aavery2 reply :

On 11/22/2013 at 1:18 AM, JB Spilker said:
Where do you get these! I love the looks of them. I'm like the idea of the colored weights and the extra o-ring

The hooks are a stock Gammy with a welded steel ring I forgot the part number, but I am sure they arev still available. The weights I had poured for me with a crane swivel inthem and I just powder coated and baked them. Use a good splitring to join them and you are done. My advice is just buy the BPS version because the rest is just for looks anyway.:-)

toddwchandler reply :

I tried it last year with some success. I actually rigged up some Zoom lizards on it last spring and had some pretty good success.

Delaware Valley Tackle reply :

He may have one in his library. This is 2 yrs old.

War Eagle 44 reply :

On 3/11/2013 at 8:43 AM, WRB said:

Owner makes a good off the shelf Jig Rig, and they have vdeio on their site with how to use it.

Tom

Blaker87 reply :

Ok I just made a bunch of jika rigs up so they'd be ready to go in the spring. As I was rigging them I noticed something that brings me to a question. First I'll explain how I rigged them so that y'all understand completely what I did. I used casting weights and either a size 4 or 5 split ring that I attached to either an offset worm hook or an ewg worm hook. Now here comes my confusion point. I noticed that the eye of the hook will not slide over the area of the split ring where it's 2 wires and can only sit in that single wire gap. It still has mobility, but is this a problem? Obviously the weight can move freely but is the hook supposed to be able to go all the way around the split ring? I hope yall get what I'm asking. Any info would be great!

roadwarrior reply :

On 3/11/2013 at 8:43 AM, WRB said:

Owner makes a good off the shelf Jig Rig, and they have vdeio on their site with how to use it.

Tom

Use this with the Rage Stucture Bug, one of my biggest producers last year!

wisconsin heat reply :

It is pronounced Zee-ka

The jika rig was created several years ago in Japan, and in Japanese ji is pronounced like Z and ka is pronounced like kah. -http://www.in-fisherman.com/midwest-finesse/jika-rig-update/

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. -http://1source.basspro.com/index.php/component/k2/238-fishing-tackle/2743-the-jika-fishing-rig-a-how-to-from-bass-pro-stacey-king

aceman387 reply :

I couldn't find my split ring pliers so i rigged up some using these. They look like a decent alternative for those without pliers or split rings. http://www.basspro.com/Bass-Pro-Shops-FastLock-Bass-Snap/product/7816/

aceman387 reply :

I'm not sure if the link i posted is working.I used some fast link snaps instead of the split rings.I figured one of the benefits of the snap links would be that you could change the weights easy if you wanted to.

KyAngler_1120 reply :

I love the jika rig. Made them with a wide variety of weight and hook size combinations for my various needs. Last year I started fishing worms on this rig with some good results. The fish in my avatar was caught on a Berkley Power worm 12" green pumpkin, jika rigged.

Dogmatic reply :

On 2/21/2015 at 8:08 PM, aceman387 said:
I'm not sure if the link i posted is working.I used some fast link snaps instead of the split rings.I figured one of the benefits of the snap links would be that you could change the weights easy if you wanted to.

I like this idea, of snap lock allowing you to change out weights quickly. What size, because I would wonder if length of lock would become a problem?

Fishes in trees reply :

I experimented with jika rigs quite a bit last year, here are my thoughts. I don't think that the hook resting in the little niche created by the split is a problem, I never had a split ring open there when I got rigs stuck and I got them stuck some. Leaving the hook in the niche, you had unlimited left/right flexibility and enough up and down flexibility, at least for me.

All the ones I fished last year were 3/8 oz and bigger, mostly in the half ounce, 5/8 oz size. I don't see the need to ever go smaller than 3/8 oz. One of the points of the rig is to drop down and get to the bottom asap. If you are looking to get bit on the initial drop, I think that there are better baits to use.

I fished my jika rigs a lot on deep weed line edges, I made my rigs as slick as possible, with nothing "sticking out" unnecessarily. I wonder if the snap would attract more weeds/moss.

You can build jika rigs with the weight very close to the hook or an inch or 3 away from the bait. I found a modest distance, around an inch between the top of the weight and the bait, worked best for me. It could be that that is the model I fished the most.

Any more distance than 3 inches, you might as well fish a drop shot, which is another way to think of the jika rig, i.e. a drop shot rig with a very short distance between the weight and the bait.

Jika rigs have become my first choice for presenting baits on the bottom deeper than 10 feet.

Will Wetline reply :

On 2/21/2015 at 3:25 AM, Blaker87 said:
Ok I just made a bunch of jika rigs up so they'd be ready to go in the spring. As I was rigging them I noticed something that brings me to a question. First I'll explain how I rigged them so that y'all understand completely what I did. I used casting weights and either a size 4 or 5 split ring that I attached to either an offset worm hook or an ewg worm hook. Now here comes my confusion point. I noticed that the eye of the hook will not slide over the area of the split ring where it's 2 wires and can only sit in that single wire gap. It still has mobility, but is this a problem? Obviously the weight can move freely but is the hook supposed to be able to go all the way around the split ring? I hope yall get what I'm asking. Any info would be great!

I noted this same potential problem using size 2 split rings and Gamakatsu 584 EWG hooks. I've used this hook for years and it has served me well fishing very clear water with 8lb. and 10lb. mono or fluoro.

I didn't fish my homemade Jika rigs a lot but a 3 lb. smallie did not cause a problem with the eye of the hook settled into the split of the ring.

Blaker87 reply :

Ok great. Thanks Will

dreamertino reply :

How do you guys work this rig? I just picked up a few of the owner jig rigs. They are a 3/16 oz with a 1/O ewg hook.

Jeff H reply :

My oldest son used this with a tube last fall and cleaned my clock one day. I thought his rig had a small ball-bearing swivel involved too. I'll be trying it this year.

KyAngler_1120 reply :

On 2/22/2015 at 8:09 AM, dreamertino said:
How do yguys work this rig? I just picked up a few of the owner jig rigs. They are a 3/16 oz with a 1/O ewg hook.

There are several presentations for this rig. I personally fish it like I would a Texas rig, like a jig, and I swim it also. All three have produced fish.

dreamertino reply :

On 2/22/2015 at 9:15 AM, KyAngler_1120 said:
There are several presentations for this rig. I personally fish it like I would a Texas rig, like a jig, and I swim it also. All three have produced fish.

So dragging or swimming right

KyAngler_1120 reply :

On 2/22/2015 at 10:14 AM, dreamertino said:
So dragging or swimming right

Yep and I guess I should say that not everyone fishes a jig the same...I bounce my jigs depending conditions and bouncing a jika rigged craw or worm seems to be a presentation that really works for me. Your mileage will vary, but I think you will be pleased with how versatile this setup can be. You can give a power presentation or fish it finesse and everything in between. Not many rigs you can use that have such a wide variety of presentations.

Schuyler co reply :

Correct me if I'm wrong but this rig presents a bait the same way a football jig would right? So what's the advantage? I drag alot of football jigs, Just trying to decide if I should give it a try. Thanks guys!

roadwarrior reply :

No. The Jika Rig will tend to keep your bait just off the bottom when you move the lure.

Schuyler co reply :

10 4...so the idea is maybe a little more action than my football jig when dragging bottom

poisonokie reply :

I've found that the free swinging hook is great for swim baits and a light 1/8th oz sinker makes for a perfect keel. I'll bust this out if I'm getting light or no bites on a swim jig. Jika rigs are just awesome for about any soft plastic, especially when you are in a situation where you feel like you need to peg the sinker on a Texas rig. It's not a T-rig replacement, but a great addition to your arsenal.

DocNsanE reply :

On 2/23/2015 at 4:43 AM, Schuyler co said:
Correct me if I'm wrong but this rig presents a bait the same way a football jig would right? So what's the advantage? I drag alot of football jigs, Just trying to decide if I should give it a try. Thanks guys!

You could also throw a 10" worm or a fluke on this thing which would be quite a different look from a jig

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Jika Rig (Jig Rig) 2024

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