10 hard-earned lessons about big-game kayak fishing on Panama’s Wild Coast

#6  When jigging is hot, it’s super effective—and exciting

Deep saltwater jigging is a great way to give your shoulder a break from casting, but it’s exciting in its own right. The top styles are slow-pitch (aka flat-fall) and knife (aka speed) jigs, ranging from two to four ounces. And again, unless you’ve jigged in 100 feet of water, forget everything you know about using jigs in lakes and rivers.

The jigging technique is very active, and not particularly intuitive, but it’s also not difficult to learn. So pay close attention during Sam Wadman’s famous on-the-water jigging seminars.

At times, virtually any fish found in deep water will hit a jig. Though unlike tip-tapping a walleye jig along bottom, there is no mistaking the thumping strikes. Over the course of my two trips, the species hooked on jigs include: roosterfish, cubera, rock and yellow snappers, African pompano, jack crevalle, yellowfin tuna, orangeside triggerfish, sierra mackerel and bonito.