Is anyone familiar with the "J Rig"

[Fishnski48]

I was out the other day and it was slow going and I turned to my "slow day" savior, the drop shot and it was still slow.. a fellow came about 10 yards away in a kayak and landed what looked like a 4-5 lbs LM.  the moved about 5 yards and got another beauty.  He paddled over and we were talking and he said he was using a J Rig.  He showed it to me and said when his DS isn't working he goes to this.  Your thoughts on using the J Rig please. 

[TnRiver46]

Never heard of it 

[moguy1973]

Maybe the Jika Rig?  It's like a short drop shot where the bait is attached to a split ring which is also attached to the weight.

 

[Fishnski48]

Apparently it looked like a number 2/0 EWG and a pencil weight on a split ring tied to his line.

Yup that's it

 

[roadwarrior]

I have been using it extensively for the past several years. However, Owner

stopped making the rig. I recently had a dozen custom made, but if you are 

crafty you could make them yourself. I'm not so I had them built for just over

$4 a piece.

 

The leader line in the illustration is actually the mainline unless you are rigging

a leader to braid. Although you can use any soft plastic, I specifically fish the 

Rage Tail Structure Bug on this rig.

 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/143452223525?var=442405226386&chn=ps&norover=1&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-117182-37290-0&mkcid=2&itemid=442405226386_143452223525&targetid=934793863616&device=c&mktype=pla&googleloc=9013543&poi=&campaignid=10877149888&mkgroupid=107912403075&rlsatarget=aud-622524041518:pla-934793863616&abcId=9300400&merchantid=114745280&gclid=CjwKCAiA7939BRBMEiwA-hX5J9w0W8TOSL7i06VLeKN2aakwMiC3ukaWbbir34dEbwbjWF5nFwzY-RoCoXcQAvD_BwE

[Michigander]

The rig works great. This was just coming out into the open when everyone latched on the Tokyo rig so it kind of buried knowledge about the Jika rig.

 

Cadillac of Jika weights is the Hitena tungsten stick weight: https://hitenausa.com/products/tungsten-stick-sinker.html

 

@roadwarrior I totally second the Structure Bug. Also, give a Zoom Fluke a whirl. ?

 

And this is the last we should speak of this. I like that basically no one knows about these, lol. Just kidding, it's a secret that protects itself because people tend to go with other presentations.

[Fishnski48]

 OOOPs.....Thanks... I'll keep the secret now ?

[Revival]

I remember this rig from back in 2013.  I made a bunch in different sizes but I stopped fishing.  I still have some made but have used it only on occasion.

 

I believe Gamakatsu sells it calling it the “Gika Rig”.

[Michigander]

17 minutes ago, Revival said:

I remember this rig from back in 2013.  I made a bunch in different sizes but I stopped fishing.  I still have some made but have used it only on occasion.

 

I believe Gamakatsu sells it calling it the “Gika Rig”.

Looks like it just came out over the summer. Must have decided to pick up the Owners customers.

 

The rig seems to be more advanced than the Owner one but not wildly so. I'll keep making them myself.

 

However, Owner sucks at marketing but Gamakatsu does not, so maybe there will be renewed interest in this rig.

[GetFishorDieTryin]

5 hours ago, Michigander said:

The rig works great. This was just coming out into the open when everyone latched on the Tokyo rig so it kind of buried knowledge about the Jika rig.

 

Cadillac of Jika weights is the Hitena tungsten stick weight: https://hitenausa.com/products/tungsten-stick-sinker.html

 

@roadwarrior I totally second the Structure Bug. Also, give a Zoom Fluke a whirl. ?

 

And this is the last we should speak of this. I like that basically no one knows about these, lol. Just kidding, it's a secret that protects itself because people tend to go with other presentations.

The Jika rig has been out for a long time.  It was and still is popular, but I dont remember it getting half the promo hype then the Tokyo rig got.  I think the popularity and effectiveness of the Jika, along with the crazy amount marketing hype made the Tokyo rig popular overnight.  

[Michigander]

27 minutes ago, Rusty_Shackleford said:

The Jika rig has been out for a long time.  It was and still is popular, but I dont remember it getting half the promo hype then the Tokyo rig got.  I think the popularity and effectiveness of the Jika, along with the crazy amount marketing hype made the Tokyo rig popular overnight.  

If I remember correctly, VMC jumped on the Tokyo Rig early and scaled up the promotion. Jika rig had a single short video by Owner of a craw bait burning over rocks.

[Fishes in trees]

I make my own.   Mine weigh a little over half an ounce, more or less, including hook & hardware.   It is pretty much a situational bait for me - primarily I use it to fish the edges of deep weed lines, mostly at the end of main lake points.   Some summer days I've had decent results throwing them to the root wads of trees in 10 to 18 feet of water.  I've tried pitching them to objects  shallower- with mixed results.  My experiences have been that throwing at objects in less than 10 feet of water, a tx rigged stick bait or a tail weighted stick bait or a 10 " Berkley power worm, or a Zoom magnum trick worm generally works better.  I've had best results with this bait using either a Zoom Brush Hog or a Zoom magnum trick worm.

One fall down at Truman Lake I had decent results throwing the jika rig on 45 degree banks that had the wind blowing into them.   Then the next year I had MUCH better luck throwing a Biffle Bug doing basically the same thing, so these days, on 45 degree banks with maybe /maybe not stumps but little vegetation, a Biffle Bug is my first choice.

 

Next year my plan is to use this rig more as a search bait, i.e. just throw it more, wherever, and keep it moving.   We'll see how that works.

One of these decades, when I learn how to post pictures, I'll post some pictures of my version of the jika rig.

[GetFishorDieTryin]

11 hours ago, Michigander said:

If I remember correctly, VMC jumped on the Tokyo Rig early and scaled up the promotion. Jika rig had a single short video by Owner of a craw bait burning over rocks.

Both of the rigs originated from Japan.  I dont know when the Tokyo rig became popular in Japan, but it  seemed like VMC and Venom had a product just as the rig was becoming popular here.  Both rigs are relatively easy to make.  I think that's one of the reasons why you dont see every brand having their own version of both rigs.   

[Team9nine]

20 hours ago, Fishnski48 said:

Your thoughts on using the J Rig please. 

 

Pfft - As has been alluded to, Jika was just a (original) creative rigging option, but Tokyo was pure marketing hype by capitalizing on a small variation. I don’t own/throw either of them as they move the wrong direction on the tackle continuum for me. 

[fishwizzard]

I use a j-rig a fair bit, mainly for it's seemingly magic ability to resist snagging in rip-rap when bank fishing.  It must be something to do with the angle of pull, but it seems like I can consistently go all day w/o  having to break one off in spots where I will easily lose 4-6 jigs or t-rigs over the same time frame.  

 

It also casts/pitches very well compared to a jig/t-rig of the same overall weight, so I will use it when I want to use a lighter weight paired with a high-resistance plastic to get a slower fall or when I want to hop a lure back to me. 

 

A Rage Craw rigged on a 3/16 Jika works well in tandem with a 1/2oz jig and the "heads" are compact and light enough that it's no issue to keep a couple of them in my jig box. 

[Finessegenics]

Do you guys fish these like you would a swing-head? Constant retrieve along the bottom? Or is it more of a bait to use when pitching to targets that aren't super thick and snaggy?

[Michigander]

5 hours ago, Finessegenics said:

Do you guys fish these like you would a swing-head? Constant retrieve along the bottom? Or is it more of a bait to use when pitching to targets that aren't super thick and snaggy?

I pitch them at super thick and snaggy stuff intentionally. ?

 

I mainly use them the same as a Texas Rig when there's a muck bottom or other soft/obstructive bottom that would hide the bait.

[J Francho]

That's exactly how I use them. In fact, I make my own for punching in 1, 1.5, and 2 oz. weights. 

[Michigander]

8 minutes ago, J Francho said:

That's exactly how I use them. In fact, I make my own for punching in 1, 1.5, and 2 oz. weights. 

Yes, they are great for this. Because the weight is somewhat separate, it pulls the bait through cover so I have found that I can go lighter on the stick weight than I would need to for a bullet weight with the same hook/bait combo.

[J Francho]

Yep, 3/8 will get through what a 3/4 Texas rig will. I use the really heavy ones for punching, where I want it to speed through the cover. Don't want them to get a good look at the bait. 

[Michigander]

7 minutes ago, J Francho said:

Yep, 3/8 will get through what a 3/4 Texas rig will. I use the really heavy ones for punching, where I want it to speed through the cover. Don't want them to get a good look at the bait. 

I saw that you listed a 2oz version, I was curious what cover warranted that in NY. But fast fall makes sense. ?

[Fishnski48]

Thanks folks.. There has been some great feedback on this topic.

[J Francho]

17 hours ago, Michigander said:

I saw that you listed a 2oz version, I was curious what cover warranted that in NY. But fast fall makes sense. ?

I've fished all over the east coast and about the only cover I've seen that's thicker than the milfoil mats we have is hydrilla in the south. We have that in a few lakes up here now as well. 

[Teal]

We have small lake in town that is between Gaston and the roanoke river. (Separated by damns) that has a good mix of hydrilla and millfoil, sometimes together.  That lake is the reason I went to mostly braid and 1/2 jigs and heavy tRIGS.  J rig works ok there.

[5/0]

The picture above looks like the main line is attached to the split ring. I thought the line was tied to the hook eye with the weight on the ring. Also have seen two split rings used with the weight on the second. What advantage is there in this?