Sagami Bay Mixed-Bag Jigging
— 10 Hits on Young Amberjack at a 30m Drop-Off
Date / Area
Oct 3, 2026 / Sagami Bay (Hiratsuka, "Shojiro Maru")
Technique / Target
Jigging (blade jigs) / mixed bag for young yellowtail
Result
10 hits, 4 lost
Shogo (young amberjack) / kept 3, released the rest
On Oct 3, 2026 (Sat), I went jigging for a mixed bag of young yellowtail with "Shojiro Maru" in Hiratsuka. The result: 10 hits on shogo (young amberjack). I lost 4, kept 3 and released the rest. Every hit came on a Sagami Bay drop-off, a few meters off the bottom in 30m of water. It was a day when it was very clear which depth the fish were holding at.
A Rare Sunny Forecast — Three Boats Out for a Mixed Bag
This was my first time back on Shojiro Maru since my mahi-mahi casting trip last July. The forecast was sunny for the first time in a while, and it was a Saturday. With lots of anglers, we went out on three boats as a "goku" (mixed-bag) trip for young yellowtail.
"Goku" means a shared charter that doesn't target a single species but goes after whatever is biting that day. Starting with inada (young yellowtail), it targets a wide range of yellowtail-type fish.
Cloudy, Then Windy. The Stage: a 30m Drop-Off
When we left port it was cloudy, with light wind and calm water. As time went on, the wind picked up.
The spot was a drop-off in Sagami Bay. A drop-off is where the seabed rises like a slope from deep to shallow water — terrain where baitfish and yellowtail tend to gather. The depth was about 30m.
Every Hit Came "a Few Meters Off the Bottom"
Every hit that day came within a few meters of the bottom. The pattern was clear: drop the jig to the bottom and the fish bit in the layer just above it. Yellowtail-type fish roam everywhere from the surface to the bottom, but that day they were concentrated near the bottom. It was a day that showed how important it is to match the depth (tana) where the fish are.
Hits on TG Bait in Green-Gold and Blue-Pink, and Metal Magic in Candy
The hits came on the bladed TG Bait (60g and 45g) in green-gold and blue-pink, and on the Metal Magic 50g in candy. All of them are jigs that get a fish's attention with blade flash (reflected light) and vibration, and that day the shogo responded to them.
Three Setups
I brought three setups that day.
The first was a spinning setup: a SHIMANO Grappler Type Blade paired with an Abu Garcia Revo SP Rocket, with PE #1.5 and a #7 shock leader.
The second was a baitcasting setup using my Kyoga hairtail rod, with an Abu Garcia baitcasting reel with a line counter and PE #1.
The third was a DAIWA Blast SLJ with the same Abu Garcia counter reel, spooled with PE #0.8. A counter reel shows you exactly how deep your jig is as a number, which is a big help on days when you're targeting "a few meters off the bottom."
Wrap-Up — Next Time, Bigger Fish
All said and done: 10 hits on shogo, 4 lost. I kept 3 and released the rest. The depth the fish were holding at was clear, and they responded well to blade jigs.
On the other hand, I lost 4 of the 10 fish I hooked — something to work on next time. And my next goal is bigger fish. I'll be back out on Sagami Bay for yellowtail a size up from shogo.
Tackle Used on This Trip
Setup 1 (spinning)
Setup 2 (baitcasting)
Setup 3 (baitcasting)
Hit Lures
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