I recently had the pleasure of taking Jerry and Jerry or as they came to be known on the boat “Big Jerry” and “Little Jerry” fishing off Kirinda, Sri Lanka. I met up with the guys the night they arrived for a few drinks and a tackle inspection. This was their popping and jigging trip so the tackle was a bit of a mishmash with some great stuff mixed in with some unsuitable gear. We quickly went through everything, binning the shaky gear and prepping the good stuff. Eventually we had to re-spool their Stellas with some decent line and the loan of a few company Racepoint 200’s put them in fine form.
The guys took to popping and jigging like ducks to water. It’s rare to see anyone pick P & J gear and start banging out big casts and jigging three to four hundred gram jigs from day one but the guys did it. Weather conditions where great for the entire trip. At times they were too good, with clear glassy seas and very little wind, making for some hot days out on the water. We split our time fairly evenly between topwater and jigging and the occasional bit of light jigging for a break. With all the techniques providing great results.
The jigging especially was on fire and we landed multiple species in good sizes and opened up some new areas to boot. A quick three hour afternoon session in the local estuaries even yielded two nice Mangrove jacks on the boys’ day off in the middle of the trip. The fact that the jigging is starting to take off is very encouraging. We have been waiting patiently for things to come alive and over the last few weeks it has really started to gain momentum. We tangled with a few doggies on this trip but we had our arses handed to us and never boated any, either getting reefed or bringing the jigs back bent into odd shapes. The GTs have become very active on Jig as well which is always fun.
Something that I would like to mention is that if you are a first time angler in the popping and jigging world or are heading somewhere new, speak to the guys on the ground if you need advice on the tackle you want to purchase. Both Nico and I are happy to help. There is a lot of good information on the web as well but it can be a bit confusing and misleading at times so take it with a pinch of salt. It will always be best to get in contact with the guys taking you fishing, regardless of destination, they want you to catch fish more than anyone else and know what works in their waters.
Enjoy the photos and till next time tight lines!
Cameron
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