This style of fishing, particularly the vertical speed jigging invented in Japan some years ago has since become very popular around the world as it proved to be tremendously successful.

A mostly but not always rather long and thin jig is dropped and then retrieved quickly amidst short rod jerks all up to the surface. An assist hook is tied to one end of a short piece of very strong braided line and the other end is attached ideally to a solid ring sitting at the end of the leader. The assist hook should be dangling at about a third to half the length of the jig.

Drop your jig really to the bottom as to pick up pelagic fish throughout the water column as well as bottom feeding species.

It admittedly represents hard work especially until one has adapted the right technique and found a rhythm. But the rewards to reap in Seychelles waters are impressive as a surprisingly wide variety of fish species is tempted by such a rather dull seeming piece of metal. Next to Groupers like the one shown above and many others also countless different  Snappers, Barracudas and the whole family of Trevallies are common catches. Actually about all predatory fish in Seychelles can be caught on a well animated jig.

Even pelagics like Yellowfin Tuna and Sailfish like them. Jigging can be performed either close to the islands or at the Drop Off. In this case heavier tackle is required though as out there you on top pursue the large Amberjacks.

Not to forget the fiercely fighting Dogtooth Tuna of course. Especially those can easily turn out to be massive. The Seychelles jigging record currently stands at 82kg. 

Hint: The conqueror of that fish was one of the first and still few local anglers who specialised in this way of fishing. He eventually resorted to rigging a few meters of 250lb mono trace as he had found out the really big Doggies cut thinner trace by the sharp edges close to their tail fins on their often vertical downward runs. With a view to an always possible Barracuda or Wahoo a stronger and somewhat firm to the bite trace also makes sense.

As jigging is still only on the rise in Seychelles not too many boats can provide the suitable equipment. So it is recommended to investigate on that issue prior to booking if you do not bring your own tackle. Jigs are available in some outlets on Mahe and Praslin so no need to exceed your luggage allowance for those. Just really strong split rings are hard to find. Basically a skipper with good experience in this style of fishing and taking guests out for it comparatively frequently is of great advantage as he will be in the picture where and at which depths to find the fish. This is particularly important if the Drop Off is the destination for big catches.

Furthermore a high quality echo sounder is pretty much a must as such device can distinguish between clouds of baitfish and bigger individual fish even at larger depths. If a spot produces no bites the ultimate test is to drop a piece of natural bait. Just attach it to your assist hook if no bait rig with a sinker is at hands. If still nothing happens the large predators are either unwilling to eat (which is very rare) or just not home. Then change spots for a while and return later for another try. A jigging trip should surely be on you agenda as the Seychelles´ waters without doubt are among the best for this to be found worldwide.