Ajing (the basics)Share

Michael Lim

Well, in general.

Ajing is a method of fishing for Aji (which is actually Horse Mackeral in Japanese).  This fish is however closer to our local Selar (better known as Big eyed scad)

Mebaring is closely related and relates to catching of Mebaru (which is a small rock cod, kinda close to our local hinds or smallish groupers)

So the tackle used for this 2 closely related forms of fishing is quite similar and yet can be different depending on the size of the targets and type of lures used, such as jigheads, vibes, minnows, etc.

Some anglers would target them on super light lines and jigheads so as to be able to drift in the correct depth better and thus would need the necessary tackles to match with rods which are suited for jigheads of up to 2 or 3 gms (occasionally even lighter) and lines of up to 2 to 3lbs as well.

Some target them using caro weights, or with vibes and bigger lures and thus need tackle which can take up to 5gm or 10gms of lure weight and able to use lines of up to 4 or 8lbs.

Thus, this genre is quite wide ranging and can vary widely.

Adding on...

Line diameter needs to be thin so as to use the small jigheads.  Sizes which are commonly found would begin from 0.5gm onwards.  And locally, we do start around 1gm for our conditions tend to be more windy and also more open waters thus we have stronger current flows.

Choices of line range from monofilament, fluorocarbon, ester line and PE line.  They can be as thin as # 0.2 and work upwards to about 0.6 where it would be quite hard to feel or let the jighead sink properly in some conditions.

So matching the whole setup becomes pretty important so as to achieve a fishability state.  You may have a decent reel and good line but once the rod is not sensitive enough, you will find that sensing bites or how much the jighead has dropped down the water column is gonna be very difficult.

Michael Lim

Rods is one of the major components in this genre as you need the extra sensitivity to be able to feel the nibbles or taps as the fishes take the baits.  Brands include Daiwa, Olympic, Tict, Thirtyfour, Breaden, Shimano, and many more...

Tubular tips are designed for better casting but compromises a lil on the sensitivity.  Solid tip rods on the other hand is all about the sensitivity but loses out on the casting bit.

They would need to be able to handle the light lines used as well as the sensitivity for either the light jigheads or vibes and minnows.  There is also another method used by some anglers (also recommended for beginners as well) which is the caro weight method where you add a weight of a few grams to increase the casting distance as well as the sink rate.  For this method, you would need to use a slightly stronger rod as well as slightly heavier line.

Reels for this would be light and small as you want to achieve a nice balance with the lightweight rod.  It also needs to be able to load in the lines of about # 0.2 to 0.6 (depending on targets as well as type of bait used) and also have a smooth drag and gear for smooth operation.  Some might also use a double handle (for ease of grabbing the handle in the dark or when not looking at the reel).  And when the double handle is used, one might also choose to use a reel balancer.

Line choices, they range from monofilament, fluorocarbon, ester line as well as PE line.  Each have their pros and cons, so take your pick of the lot to see which suits you better for your budget as well as how you would want to use it.

Michael Lim

Anyone else with more knowledge to add on, pls kindly do so.  Thanks