Here is some practical information of Seafloor Control jigs in comparison with each other as I understand and use them in the field. And I have had it double checked with Seafloor Control.

>> Seafloor Control Jig Catalogue

Sliding Actions

sfc_sliding

Messiah swims the most when given a strong punch.
Spunky does so well too that it can be used with a high pitch rod.
Rector is such a versatile jig that can be used both in high pitch and in dead slow or long-falling actions.
Cranky is more like a falling jig than Rector. Easy to control.
Gawky doesn’t swim. That is why we love it around the rocky bottom.

Falling Speed and Actions

sfc_fallingA


Messiah is the fastest to fall to the bottom. Its back sliding fall property is what makes Messiah such an unique long jig.
Spunky and Cranky are also fast in falling. Spunky falls more regularly and it’s faster. Spunky is mainly used for its sliding, horizontal movement property. Cranky shows different irregular patterns.
Gawky simply wobbles to fall. Medium speed.
Rector are slow to fall, mainly because Rector rocks like a falling leaf.

GAWKY

sfcjig_gawky

GAWKY is one of the first and the best long fall jigs. It’s the specialist. It’s not meant to lift fast. Lift slowly, softly and simply drop. Try to lift slower than its falls. Keep in mind that it doesn’t slide sideways so that the movements is basically simple up and down.

It’s easy to use around the structures. It also means you don’t want to spoil its falling properties by brash uplifts. It’s also a characteristic of Gawky that it can be used in the same manner no matter how shallow or deep.

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RECTOR

sfcjig_rector

RECTOR is a versatile jig. It follows well to punchy uplifts and falls slowly like a leaf. A great pilot jig to try different tones of application to see what works best. Not wise to use in strong currents due to its slow fall speed. But in the deep area, where the water pulls the jig down and the rod can’t kick it up, Rector works well with a simple lift and fall. Because as soon as it falls, it slides on its side and performs nice falling actions. There’s so many techniques you can practice with this jig.

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CRANKY

sfcjig_cranky

CRANKY is a fall jig with different irregular falling actions, designed by Norihiro Sato himself. Unlike Gawky, it’s also very responsive to uplifts. Even though it doesn’t slide to the side at the pitch, Cranky follows lightly to uplifts and lies on its side quickly for all the falling actions to follow. Irregular falling actions automatically perform “the change of pace” that triggers the fish to react. It’s nice to make many small hesitating uplifts to the top and then let it fall all the way down. It’s fast to drop, making this jig very effective in strong currents and complex currents. This is still a new product and heavy weights have not been in production yet. The heavy weights have been very much longed for by many deep sea jiggers.

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SPUNKY

sfcjig_spunky

SPUNKY has a slim body that cuts through the water. At the punchy uplifts, it slides sideways in light energetic movements which is very attractive to the fish with good swimming ability. Focus on punching each pitches with good intervals in between. Spunky can slide for a pretty long time, followed by natural falling actions. It’s important not to interfere its natural movements. Keep in mind that the movements are more horizontal, it can stay in the same depth longer. When the fish is not active, you may be able to switch them on with the energetic movements of this jig. Great to work in strong currents and in complex currents too.

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MESSIAH

sfcjig_messiah

MESSIAH is an ultimate sliding long jig. Sometimes high pitch makes it slide even 2 or 3 meters to the side. Even when you are in diagonal alignment with the jig in the shallow area, it still slides so well. One of the characteristics of this jig is that it falls backwards and diagonally, while most other long jigs fall straight down, to which fish may lose interest. The long sliding and diagonal fall makes the whole sequence smooth and natural. When you mean to go after a big one, always get this one ready with a high pitch rod.

You can find a video of high pitch demonstration in the gallery.

Because of its slide-falling actions, Messiah is sometimes effective in slow pitch as well. Use it in a standard setting with Slow Jerker, and focus on falling.

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ARC

sfcjig_arc

ARC is a semi-long jig. It works in high-pitch, slow-pitch, and long-fall as well. The years of field tests show that it works great in medium action tone for runners like AJ and yellowtail. And it also works great in very soft action tone for delicious but ever cautious deep sea fish like blackthroat seaperch.

When you are on a free-drifting boat and have hard time to stay vertical, you can count on this jig. Fast to fall. It is designed to work in super deep water, in a lot of water influence. It works well in strong currents.
When given a strong impact, it’s got the shape that carries the momentum to go far to the side. Also when falling, the center-balanced semi-long jig does a lot of flashing and spinning rotations, hence, it draws a lot of attentions.

200g, 230g and 260g have been approved by Sato Sensei, and now on sale. But he hasn’t given a go to other weights yet. They need more fine-tuning.

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Field Test #1
Depth: 80m to 150m
Target: Amberjack, Yellowtail, Tuna
Model: Arc 260g
Rod: Slow Jerker 603-4 and 603-6 < medium action tone >

Field Test #2
Depth: 100m to 150m
Target: Demersal fish
Model: Arc 260g
Rod: Slow Jerker 603-4 and 603-6 < medium action tone >

Field Test #3
Depth: 200m to 260m
Target: Deep sea fish
Model: Arc 260g
Rod: Slow Jerker 603-3 and 603-4 < soft action tone >

ABYSS

sfcjig_abyss

ABYSS is a medium size jig with a little fat body. It looks small for its weight. ABYSS is the latest Seafloor Control jig in 2015, yet is probably the most versatile jig that follows the angler’s actions in details. If you give punchy actions in strong tone, it will jump to the side and swim on its own. If you give soft small actions, it will lie on its side right away and start falling. If you give free falls, it will fall in various actions like a crippled bait. If you give a little tension to the fall, it will fall tail first and fast, like a bait fleeing for cover. It works great in currents and in the deep.

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Field Test #1
Depth: 80m to 150m
Target: Amberjack, Yellowtail, Tuna
Model: Arc 260g
Rod: Slow Jerker 603-4 and 603-6 < medium action tone >

Field Test #2
Depth: 100m to 200m
Target: Demersal fish
Model: Arc 260g
Rod: Slow Jerker 603-4 and 603-6 < medium action tone >

Field Test #3
Depth: 200m to 300m
Target: Deep sea fish
Model: Arc 260g
Rod: Slow Jerker 603-3 and 603-4 < soft action tone >

Rod and Jig Match

SLOW JERKER GAWKY RECTOR
ARC
ABYSS
CRANKY SPUNKY
ACTION TONE Soft Soft –
Strong
Medium Strong
603-3 180g –
220g
– 300g
100g –
150g
– 260g
140g –
170g
– 200g
100g –
130g
– 150g
603-4 220g –
300g
– 380g
130g –
210g
– 300g
170g –
200g
– 230g
120g –
150g
– 180g
603-5 260g –
300g
– 420g
150g –
240g
– 330g
200g –
230g
– 260g
150 –
180g
– 210g
603-6 300g –
380g
– 500g
180g –
280g
– 380g
230g –
260g
– 290g
180g –
210g
– 240g

The rod and jig match is just a point of reference to perform the jig’s most characteristic properties. You should be flexible to change the relative balance to lighter or heavier, at least 1 or 2 jig sizes, according to your tactics and sea conditions.

Evergreen Slow Jerker as the rod reference is the original SPJ rod. Sato Sensei designed it and he developed slow pitch jigging with it. For the first 10 years of SPJ history, Slow Jerker was the only SPJ rod too. So it made some new standards for many SPJ rods that followed. One of the standards was the rod rating. The last digit of Slow Jerker model number was later used as a rod rating for SPJ rods. 603-2 stands for Power 2, and 603-6 for Power 5. The first couples of digits of the model number refer to the length of the rod. 603 means 6’3″.

In slow pitch jigging, generally speaking, you use double the size of jig to the depth. In 50m of water, 100g class. In 100m, 200g class. But it all depends on your tactics and the water influence. For example, purposeful use of 260g Gawky or Messiah in the 50m deep has proven to be effective for giant groupers in the shallow area. As long as you are aligned in a straight vertical line with the jig, it works.

Adaptability to Currents

Current SpeedGAWKYRECTORCRANKYSPUNKY
0 to 1 knotAAAB
1 to 2 knotAAAB
2 knot and moreBCBA
Complex CurrentsBCCA
Current SpeedMESSIAHARCABYSS
0 to 1 knotAAA
1 to 2 knotAAA
2 knot and moreAAB
Complex CurrentsAAB

Hope the information helps you! Good luck!