Shimano 200g Flat Fall Jig in Pink/Blue
Shimano unveiled new, heavier weights of 200g and 250g for their innovative Flat Fall Jigs at this year’s ICAST. These jigs are designed to entice strikes as they flutter down through the water column. Speed jigging is, no doubt, an effective way to catch fish, but can also be physically taxing. These Flat Fall Jigs take the work out of jigging and let you conserve energy for fighting fish.
We were eager to try out the new 200g in Pink/Blue offshore the Texas coast. On a trip 30-40 miles out of Galveston, we hooked up on red snapper, dorado and kingfish while fishing near platform structure and reefs. This jig falls through the water column slower than other jigs of the same weight so keep a mindful thumb to prevent backlashes.
The Gulf Coast Mariner Magazine crew hooked up on a dorado 40 miles offshore Galveston.
As designed, the jig drew fish strikes as it fluttered through the water column, but this lure can also be worked up back to the surface in typical speed jig fashion. Hook ups on dorado mostly occurred 10-30ft under water as the jig was ripped back to the boat. Keeping it near the bottom was productive when fishing for red snapper.
The 200g and 250g flat fall jigs should also be perfect for other Gulf species like amberjack, grouper and tuna. These lures could be very effective when jigging for tuna at night near the ‘floaters’ or semi-submersible drilling platforms in the Gulf. Blackfin tuna, and occasionally yellowfin tuna, have no problem hitting diamond and speed jigs on the drop near this structure.
Check out the video below for a Texas-sized red snapper brought up on Shimano’s new 200g Flat Fall Jig.
A secret weapon for blackfin tuna! Use the 8 oz. Assault Diamond Jig in Glow near semi-submersible rigs and drill ships at night and at shrimp boats during the day. If tuna are there, they will bite. Most strikes occur on the fall. Slow bounce the jig at different depths on the way back up. Replace the treble with an assist hook and land more fish.
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