Captains below the Mason Dixon line have been using these super-sized leadheads, skirts, and shads to catch trophy rockfish since the 1990s, but it’s just in the last decade that the lures have caught on in New Jersey and New York.
The appeal of trolling Mojos? The simplicity. No wireline or leadcore, no specialized rods, no worries about finding the right depth or tuning them to swim right; just clip the rig on a heavy conventional outfit and let it swim just above the bottom.
The Reels
A large conventional reel with a lower gear ratio to crank in the heavy jigs and the fish is a must for trolling Mojos. Keeping the rod steady when fighting a fish (rather than pumping and winding) will result in fewer lost fish on Mojo Rigs. A reel should also have a smooth drag and enough line capacity to hold 300 yards of 65-pound test. Reliable choices include the Daiwa Saltist LW30, Shimano Torium 16PGA, and Penn Fathom II 20LW.
The Rods
A medium-heavy conventional setup is perfect for trolling Mojos. Though the rigs are heavy, they don’t have as much water resistance as an umbrella rig or even a deep-diving plug, which means you can use slightly lighter tackle. Some companies make Mojo-specific rods, like the Daiwa 24 Blackline Mojo, that are designed with the technique in mind. Other, general purpose, moderate-fast action, medium-heavy conventional rods, like the St. Croix Rift Salt 73MHMF or the Penn Rampage 2050C66 will do the trick for mojos are well as deep-diving plugs or umbrella rigs.
The Lures
A Mojo is basically a big jig with a swinging hook and a 12 – to 32-ounce leadhead designed to keep the lure deep while trolling. The leadhead is dressed with a skirt and the hook threaded with a large paddle-tail shad. This combination gives the Mojo Rig a big bait profile and a pulsing, tail-kicking action. Chartreuse and white are the most popular colors, but Mojos are available in a wide range of patterns, including some that are a close match to local baitfish.
There are a number of mojos made by local companies from Maryland to New York, such as the Magic Tail Mojo, Bluewater Candy Mojo, and the Tony Maja Mojo.
The Rig
Many captains troll two Mojos (one heavier and one lighter) off a three-way swivel, with a 4- to 5-foot length 100-pound test leader to the heavier Mojo, and a 6- to 10-foot length of 100-pound-test leader to the lighter Mojo. Often, it’s the smaller Mojo Rig that draws the bite, as stripers attack the bait that is lagging behind.
These long leaders can make landing fish a challenge, forcing fishermen to grab the leader and handline the bass within landing range. Recently, Nonpareil Fishing Equipment released a “wind-on” Mojo Rig, called the Y-Knot. This rig the two lengths of leader spliced together in hollow-core braided line, which is attached to the rod via a loop-to-loop connection.
The Technique
With the boat in gear and trolling at a speed of 3 to 4 knots, drop the Mojo until you feel it hit bottom, engage the reel, and after a second or two, drop back until it hits bottom again. The idea is to keep the lure just off the bottom. Watch the rod tip to make sure the lure isn’t dragging; if it is, reel up a couple cranks. Occasionally bouncing bottom is fine and can trigger strikes, as long as you’re trolling over sandy bottom.
Adjust the size of your Mojo to the depth and current speed. Rigs of 12 to 20 ounces work well in depths of 25 to 50 feet, while Mojos as heavy as 32 ounces can be used in water from 40 to 60-plus feet.
Mojos will draw strikes without any additional input from anglers, but occasionally pulling the boat out of gear to let the rigs sink can also trigger strikes. After a missed hit, some fishermen “jig” the Mojo by making a few sweeps of their rods to entice strikes from a following fish. This is also a good way to turn a single hook-up into a double-header. After a rod goes down, without taking the boat out of gear, grab another one and give the Mojo some extra action.
Mojos work best in waters deeper than 20 feet that have sandy, snag-free bottoms. With rigs costing as much as $50, you want to limit how many Mojos you lose to the rocks.
Need to have
Nawed to try these
For a reel I use a Penn 113H with metal spool .I use this reel for Mojo’s,spoons,umbrellas,and wire.Cheap, strong, easy to maintain,and have rings on them to attach safety lines. If you fish from outrodders you want a safety line.
Always check the connection of the hook to the lead head. This is the weakest point and the hook wears through ring in the head. Lost a few this way.
I Just bought a few 8oz / 4oz tandems from Blue Water Candy. How does the technique differ for these lighter Mojos?
No different bro. Just don’t need as rigid a rod. Keeper just off the bottom, 3.2 to 3.6 for speed. Impairative that you can read a drag from a swim….not always as easy as it sounds. Rougher water, harder to set, but our top go to for over a decade.
Fished Mojos on our annual Striper trip aboard the Little Hawk out of Atlantic Highlands. We have been fishing Mojos for the last few years with good success rather than Clamming or Bunker Chunking with fish finder rugs. Bait fishing has not been working as well recently, however while productive, I think that reeling in a bass hooked up on a Mojo on a moving boat seems to take some of the fight out of the fishing.
Its great article. you explained every think point to point
thank you for sharing
I have really enjoy your article
A friends daughter bought a house boat in Virginia Beach. He was helping her move in and found a bucket with a pile of these rigs and a new 3500 yd spool of 80lb test. He gave it all to me because he doesn’t fish salt water. I had never seen anything like them before. A few were beat up pretty bad but I cleaned them all up, replaced some hooks and they’re ready to go. Heading to Edgartown today for two weeks of fishing ( I retired a month ago) I will give them a solid testing after reading this article and watching some videos. It’s sounds very straight forward
who makes the mojo in the 1st image?where can i get them?
I fish out of Indian River Delaware and have used mojos to fish for strippers. I’m wondering if anyone has used mojos to troll for tuna at the inshore grounds, Massy’s canyon, Hot Dog, etc.
i have been fishing a variation of this rig for the past 30 years. In the 90s I discovered the 3 way buck-tail/sinker in Long Island Sound. however instead of using the plastic shad – I would use something else fleshy on the tail of the bucktail. I would run them in the Race (CT/NY Fishers island to Plum gut) rather than troll i would drift through but ether side of the tide you can drift as fast as a troll in those waters. a few years later I decided to replace the sinker with another rig a few feet longer out and it worked wonders. Its a little bit different variation but I am excited to try this newer innovation. Thanks for the info : )
I am just going to start for the 1st time to troll with Mojos and hopefully not a crazy question that nobody seams to ever address . When 1st dropping the rig down to find bottom is boat underway? Then strait trolling after a few cranks or I am assuming the latter to drop when boat is already under way.
I have the same question as Sal. anyone??
While the boat is underway let the rig down while holding the spool, you will feel it hit the bottom. When it hits, thumb the spool for a second and then drop it one more time until it hits. Lock the drag and good to go. There is an effective depth ratio of mojo weight/depth. Some will never hit bottom regardless of line let out. If thats the case get a heavier leading mojo.
Reeling in a Striper on a moving boat does take the fight out , so stop the boat when you’ve got one . Much more fun.
They work great on the Hobie PA14.
it’s not easy to maintain 3 knots whilst pedaling but it’s worth it.
All very informative and I will attempt to hunt for some monster Striper this winter on Lake Powell with its receding water. The standing lake record is 45 lbs I believe but an estimated 77 lb fish was bulldoged off the surface years ago by a young man who saw the fish floundering with a five lb Carp stuck in his throat. That fish now hangs in the local tackle shop in Page Arizona , Styx Market.
Is there a leader required from the main line to the 3way swivel ?