Trolling For Jack Crevalle: The Proven Strategies

Are you ready to catch the elusive and thrilling Jack Crevalle? Trolling is the perfect technique to reel in this powerful game fish.

Although it is not a tasty fish to eat, people still like to fight it because of its aggressive speed which delights anglers. In this article, we’ll share insider tips and tricks for successful trolling, from selecting the right gear to choosing the best trolling patterns.

Whether you’re a seasoned angler or a fishing novice, you won’t want to miss this comprehensive guide to trolling for Jack Crevalle. Let’s get started and hook the catch of a lifetime!

Is Jack Crevalle Hard To Catch?

Jack Crevalle is a powerful game fish that is known for its strength and fighting ability, but it is not necessarily hard to catch. In fact, with the right gear and techniques, it can be a relatively easy fish to reel in.

Trolling is a popular and effective method for catching Jack Crevalle. The key to successful trolling is to use the right lures or baits, and to vary your trolling patterns to match the feeding habits of the fish.

With the right approach, catching a Jack Crevalle can be a rewarding and enjoyable experience for anglers of all skill levels.

Trolling For Jack Crevalle

The jack crevalle is the Rodney Dangerfield of gamefish. It is a tropical fish found throughout North and South America as well as Africa. It is one of the toughest pound for pound fighters there is. They pull hard and don’t give up. 

Despite actively hitting lures and putting up a very powerful fight for its size, it is rarely particularly targeted and is not often considered a highly rated catch. When they witness how a little fish put up such a hard battle and exhausted them, people are usually dissatisfied.

Trolling is a very effective fishing technique that produces a wide variety of species and jack crevalle is no exception. Anglers may catch jacks when trolling in inshore bays, passes, and open seas, although this method is most popular in the winter. Cold water is intolerable to Jack Crevalle. In search of warmer water, they go up into streams, rivers, and residential canals.

When trolling for jack crevalle, the majority of fishermen utilize plugs. The main justification is that plugs float while at rest. This indicates that the lure won’t sink and hang up on the bottom when the boat comes to a halt. Spoons and jigs do not have the same behavior. Stout tackle is needed when angling for jack crevalle in areas with docks and other structures.

Jacks may be found in abundance in deep bays, offshore reefs, major inlets, deep bays, and canals. Casting along seawalls, where jack crevalles frequently corral mullet or other prey against the wall, is an excellent jack crevalle fishing approach. Florida is one of the best places for trolling jack crevalle.

One of the most important parts is to select the best gear for jack crevalle trolling. Choose the best lures like Storm, Fiiish, Daiwa, Rapala, Williamson, etc lures. Jack crevalle readily attacks lures and bait. They frequently swim while pursuing baitfish while eating at the surface.

The fishing rod is another important instrument in fishing that plays an indispensable role. Smith, Shimano, Daiwa, Mitchell, and Zenaq may be chosen to troll jack crevalle.

It is impossible to fish with only a rod without a reel. So make your choice by discovering the best reels to catch jack crevalle. And it is often difficult to find the best lines for fishing jack crevalle. Varivas is the most used lines for this kind of fishing.

The most important thing about jack crevalle trolling is the speed. Trolling your bait at the right speed is crucial and very realistic. But there is no actual blueprint for the speed you need to reach to get a hookup. Speed depends fast and slow depends upon the situation. 

Jack’s crevalle should be handled carefully because they are just as strong on land. Because of their sharp teeth and the sharp spines along their dorsal, avoid grabbing them by the lip. Before being released, revive in the water. 

Jack Crevalle Fishing Rigs

For catching Jack Crevalle, explore the versatility of these proven rigs. 

  1. Live bait rig: This rig involves using live bait, such as mullet or menhaden, hooked through the nose or back and suspended beneath a float.
  1. Jigging rig: A heavy jig, such as a bucktail jig or a metal jig, is cast out and retrieved in a jerking motion to mimic the movement of a struggling baitfish.
  1. Popping cork rig: This rig involves a popping cork, which is a plastic or cork float with a small button on top that makes noise when pulled through the water. The cork is attached to the fishing line above a hook or jig.
  1. Topwater plug rig: A topwater plug, such as a Rapala or a Zara Spook, is cast out and retrieved in a twitching motion to mimic the movement of a surface-dwelling baitfish.
  1. Spinnerbait rig: A spinnerbait, which consists of a weighted head and one or more spinning blades, is cast out and retrieved in a steady or erratic motion to mimic the movement of a baitfish.

What Is the Best Bait for JackFish

Jack Crevalle, one of the hardest fighting fish that swim, is lean and mean and they love to chomp on fast-moving baits. You need loud, strong, and (most importantly) durable baits to catch big, aggressive, and powerful fish-like jacks.

The best bait for Jack Crevalle is live bait, whatever they eat in this area is good. Mullet is a very good choice. Sardines and anchovies are other good picks. Besides these croakers, mojarras, shrimp or crabs are the best bait to catch Jackfish. 

Cut bait fish segments are a natural alternative if you don’t want to deal with keeping live bait in the boat but still want to use it. Squid and shrimp are good choices. You may throw on a chunk of crawdad for variety. 

FAQs

What weight is a fly rod for a jack crevalle?

Jack Crevalle’s fly rod weight might vary significantly. Jacks typically weigh 10 pounds, although they can go considerably bigger or smaller. Using an 8-wt to 12-wt fly rod may be a standard fly rod weight for Jack Crevalle.

Do jack crevalle fight hard?

It is considered by many that one of the hardest fighting fish in the sea is Jack Crevalle. They are wide-bodied marauders off inshore waters that put up a fight far out of proportion to their size.

Will jack crevalle eat cut bait?

Jack Crevalle eats both live bait and cut bait depending on the size of Jack you are pursuing and the size of your bait. But for Jack Crevalle, baitfish such as mullet, croakers, mojarras, shrimp or crabs are great options. 

Are jack crevalle good to eat?

The majority of anglers think Jack Crevalle is a junk fish. Its eating quality is not very good, rather it has poor taste. Jack Crevalle are very oily, bloody, and bony fish with very little amount of fair food value. Jack Crevalle can be eaten if properly prepared, although they are typically thrown away.

Are jack crevalle good bait?

Yes, Jack Crevalle is commonly used as bait for larger game fish such as tarpon, shark and cobia. They can be used live, cut or dead.

Final Thoughts

One of the most challenging inshore saltwater game fish for anglers is the jack crevalle. Jacks have a pretty wide range across the tropics, grow enormous, are aggressive, and school up in great numbers.

In conclusion, this article on how to troll jack crevalle will encourage anglers to better appreciate these underrated game fish and enjoy the flight despite the fact that they are not desirable to eat.

Anthony Jones
Anthony Jones

Anthony is an expert in fishing and trolling motor equipment, based in Austin. In his free time, he can often be found out on the water, perfecting his fishing techniques and testing out the latest gear.

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