Serious fishermen all over New England are familiar with the great fishing that takes place on Jefferies Ledge. Jefferies is a haven for sport fishermen. Private boats, party boats and charter boats make their way to these fertile fishing grounds, one of the most popular in the area.

Jefferies is an under water mountain range that starts just off the coast of Gloucester. It’s crescent shape allows it to make it’s course right into the Gulf of Maine. Because of it’s mountainous terrain, shifting currents and abundant food source, Jefferies Ledge has become a popular feeding ground for numerous species of fish. Some of the species of fish that demand the attention of sport fishermen include bluefin tuna, cod, haddock, pollock and halibut.

The most popular and productive method for fishing Jefferies is jigging. This technique has been perfected by the tremendous numbers of fishermen that work Jefferies throughout the season. Some of the individual fish that have been brought to gaff have been very impressive. Every year halibut are taken on party boats and private boats alike. Many of these prized fish will tip the scales at between fifty and two hundred pounds.

The vast majority of fishermen that fish Jefferies are mostly interested in food for the table. Although it is nice to bring a "steaker" cod to gaff, fishermen are quite happy to bring home numbers of ten pound plus cod. During the spring and late fall it is not uncommon to hook into a twenty or thirty pound cod.

During the past few years, haddock fishing has greatly improved with good numbers of haddock taking jigs and jigs, sweetened with clams. Jefferies remains high on the list of haddock fishermen. For the most part, haddock seem to average about eight or nine pounds with a fair to good numbers of fish tipping the scales at up to fifteen pounds. Although most fishermen will continue to jig for haddock but a good number of "old salts" prefer fishing with bait.

Spring fishermen are drawn to Jefferies Ledge for some great pollock fishing. Racing pollock are popular all over the ledge from spring into early summer. The two most popular techniques for attracting hungry racers is jigging and trolling. Jig fishermen have discovered that the biggest pollock are generally attracted to teasers. Rigging a single or double teaser above a jig is the accepted method. Teasers can be norwegian style worms, feathers or tinsel and flashaboo. Teasers should be rigged about twelve to twenty inches above the jig. The hottest colors seem to be fluorescent yellow and green.

Jigging is a popular technique used by most fishermen. As you can imagine this popular technique has been fine tuned. This fine tuning includes the style of jig being used, the style and number of teasers and the speed at which jigging takes place. Fishermen have experimented with many styles of jigs. Many jigs have come and gone but the experienced fishermen will generally stick with the proven Norwegian jig. The stainless steel model is preferred over the chrome plated model despite it’s additional cost. Other jigs in use include the Vike jig, a take off of the Norwegian jig, the diamond jig and numerous home made jigs. The herring jig is used and is most effective during heavy currents. It’s slim design allows it to cut through currents without drifting far down current.

Jig weight is important when fishing Jefferies as the currents created by it’s mountainous structures can be quite strong. Lighter jigs will never reach the bottom where the fish are. Even the tide can make a difference in the currents and the size of the jig that will be necessary to reach the bottom. For the most part, a jig with a weight of at least 17 ½ ounces seems to fit the bill on most occasions.

By adding teasers to their jigs, fishermen have increased their catch by many times. A teaser can be just about any material with a hook imbedded in it. Often times fishermen don’t even use a hook in the teaser and use it strictly as an attractor. Some fishermen find that using flies also works well.

One of the most popular and now what seems to be the most productive is a teaser that was introduced a few years ago. This productive jig is the shrimp tail teaser. It is made of soft plastic. It is available rigged or unrigged as a replacement.

Styles of jigging vary with each fisherman. There are slow jiggers, fast jiggers, high jiggers, low jiggers and twisting jiggers. There are also erratic jiggers and twisters. All claim to have the proper technique for attracting the greatest number of fish. I have found over the years that a deliberate slow technique with limited erratic motion will usually be very productive.

Different tricks are tried in the hopes of increasing the catch. One such trick that has proven to be very worthwhile, especially when deep water jigging is to add a small light stick just above the jig. This technique has been proven and many fishermen swear by it’s effectiveness.

Depth finders are essential for fishing Jefferies. Not only do they let you know just where the hills and valleys are but they can identify schools of fish. Loran units are very valuable as they bring the fisherman to the exact point that has been productive in the past. They guide anglers to specific points and structure.

The following are a list of LORAN numbers located on Jefferies that have proven to be very effective. On your next trip out give them a try, I am sure you will be more than satisfied.

                13610.0 X 44337.5                            130 ft. Hill

                     13709.5 X 44334.6                            125 ft. Hill

                     13636.1 X 44350.0                            110 ft. Hill

                    13612.2 X 44345.1                             Hill

                    13725.0 X 44341.0                             Hill

                   13698.4 X 44346.1                             150 ft. Hole

                  13670.0 X 44338.0                             200 ft. Hole

                 13632.1 X 44349.6                              200 ft. Hole

                 13689.0 X 44296.0                             Tillies Bank