For me, slow-pitch jigging will be a totally new learning experience,” I explained to Blaine Anderson, saltwater product marketing manager for Shimano North America Fishing, as we neared the first stop of the day, an offshore structure area in 200 feet of water off the coast of Alabama.
“Don’t worry, slow-pitch jigging is pretty easy to learn,” Anderson replied. “Newcomers pick it up quickly, especially once they start catching fish.”
With that in mind, I took a deep breath, sidled up to the rail, and made my first vertical drop. Once the Shimano Shimmerfall jig reached bottom, I swept the rod upward—this is where the “slow pitch” name comes from—just as Anderson had coached me.
But then there was a problem, or so I thought. The line went slack. “Quick,…
