Starter Jigging Combo

[JarrydA]

So im looking at buying a Jigging combo, something to get me started as dont own anything suitable at the moment.

Been looking around a bit and so far i like the look of the Diawa monster mesh rods and im having a bit of trouble with the reel. Correct me if im wrong but you should have a slower ratio reel for jigging?

I like the look of the Shimano Saragosa reels but not sure if they are suited.

Budget is $500 give or take for the whole combo. Any tips or reccomendations would be appreciated.

Also, if there is a reel in here that would do OK (note doesnt have to be ideal as this part is just an idea) to stick on a longer popping rod that would be good also.

[aussie123]

I would be looking at a high speed reel above 6:1 like a Shimano Torium

[dhess]

You are on the right track.

Lower ratio spin reels are better for jigging.

Higher ratio spin reels are better for popping.

If you want a reel for both you are better off with the higher ratio one as in my experience it is easier top jig with a reel that is too fast than it is to pop with a reel that is too slow.

Higher speed overhead reels are fine for jigging as they have a more direct drive mechanism and greater whinching power compared to an equally geared spin reel.

Monster mesh rods are good bang for buck as well.

[Do$tylz]

^^ hey lance - why high speed? I'm by no means a veteran at this.. but most people say low speed for jigging? or is that for spin gear only?

[Shane69]

Have a look at the Biomaster 6000sw- 8000.

Upgrade the drag and you should be fine.

As for rod monstor mesh is good. Good buck for money. You wont be able to pop with it though.

Is this mainly for offshore work.

For the price range i would personally get a biomaster 6000sw with a shimano terez 30-50lb.

Put pe3 braid on it or even the daiwa braid on it.(forgot name but TW has them for $110)

That combo youl be able to fish bait, jig offshore and bay and pop with it.

[sehrguht]

If you want a dedicated jigging rod troll ebay or gumtree, ive seen a few go through recently for fairly cheap. short rods are so much easier to jig with, i used a 7ft6 popping rod and its damn hard work compared to using a combo thats 6ft or less.

[JarrydA]

Thanks for the reply's

I know that i want a dedicated jigging rod, so im defiantely going to go for the shorter rod and get a long one if i decide to go popping at some stage. I just had a look at the biomaster shane and i like the look of it. I was hoping for at least 300m of 30-40lb so id be looking at the 8000. Which Monster Mesh would this suit to best?

[aussie123]

^^ hey lance - why high speed? I'm by no means a veteran at this.. but most people say low speed for jigging? or is that for spin gear only?

It depends on what you are jigging for.

A lot of people jig for snapper and pearlies ect these days so slower retrieving reels are ok but for jigging kings you want high speed to rip the jigs up through the water column.

As for poppers,some people prefer to pop slow by ripping the popper across the water using the rod and then stop and go again.

Slower reels are fine for this style of popping but then you have the guys who prefer to crank a popper as fast as possible across the surface.

For me personally a high speed reel is preferable as I can work lures both fast and slow with them.

A lot of times a slower reel is not fast enough to entice a strike from fish like Kings and tuna as well as other high speed fish like wahoo and mackeral.

It's hard work trying to fish high speed on a standard ratio reel and for me a high speed ratio makes more of an all round reel.

[TIM D]

What depths do you want to jig ?

What size jigs do you want to use ?

Your answers will influence my rod and reel recommendations as light jigging and heavy jigging gear differs quite a lot.

cheers tim

[Runty66]

I don't know much about jigging but I've heard the Diawa monster mesh rods are really weak and do break easy... never used one before just heard about them always being sent back to Diawa in half :/ ..

Reel wise, i don't know but i THINK Hugo ( Hfisho) has a Torsion for 120 or so.. Brand new could be worth it as you would probably only use the jigging rod every so often

[JarrydA]

What depths do you want to jig ?

What size jigs do you want to use ?

Your answers will influence my rod and reel recommendations as light jigging and heavy jigging gear differs quite a lot.

cheers tim

Depth i guess up to the 150m mark.

Not sure about jig sizes too much, maybe 200-250gm jigs. I have some good marks for kings down south so i want to jig there.

[Damien2Rad]

I have at Daiwa Saltist LD20 2 Speed and Egrell B10 4-10kg 7ft rod with a good few hundred metres of of 20 or 30lb braid.

It's definitely not suited to high speed knife jigs but it's beautiful for slow jigging things like lucanis (and similar).

I love it.

[TIM D]

I don't know much about jigging but I've heard the Diawa monster mesh rods are really weak and do break easy... never used one before just heard about them always being sent back to Diawa in half :/ ..

Your right mate, the older model Monster Mesh rods did have a tendency to break in half but the new models don't get a bad rap.

cheers tim

[Genesis]

Depth i guess up to the 150m mark.

Not sure about jig sizes too much, maybe 200-250gm jigs. I have some good marks for kings down south so i want to jig there.

and quite possibly up to 300g too if you are experiencing strong current at the 150m mark.

The Saragosa is a capable reel or you can always consider going one step up to the Twinpower SW?

You have to take into consideration the weight of the combo too because with constant jigging of 200-300g jigs, you will experience fatigue alot faster and when you hook onto a big one, you got to have enough reserve leftover to pull the brute away from the reefs and this is one of the reason why I very much prefer low gear over high gear. Torque is good

Warning though, jigging can be really addictive

[TIM D]

What depths do you want to jig ?

What size jigs do you want to use ?

Your answers will influence my rod and reel recommendations as light jigging and heavy jigging gear differs quite a lot.

cheers tim

Depth i guess up to the 150m mark.

Not sure about jig sizes too much, maybe 200-250gm jigs. I have some good marks for kings down south so i want to jig there.

If you want a cheap set up to try jigging to see if its your cup of tea you could look at this combo for $325.

/>http://www.downriggershop.com.au/jigging-reels-and-rods.html

rod, reel and 200 metres of 50lb jigging braid

Then if you get hooked on jigging you can save for a better reel, something like a stella or saltiga. Other reels will work well for a while but if your doing heaps of jigging and hooking brutes they will destroy cheaper reels quite quickly. Don't spend too much on a heavy jigging outfit at first though, i made that mistake. I went out and bought a T curve deep jig 400 rod with a 18000 saragosa spooled with 80lb braid. Tryed it once jigging in 100 metres and it was so tiring so i sold it. I much prefere my light jigging now with jigs from 40-150 grams.

cheers tim

[PlasticFantastic]

I'd be going for the monster mesh rod and biomaster 8000 and 60 or so pound braid for the budget you're on, as for the speed it's not really needed for kings as I've jigged heaps and and have never needed to get it moving fast to get a strike. It depends more on the type of jig you use as to weather it's centre balanced or rear weighted and then using an action that suits the style of jig you're using. Like the other guys said jigging can be addictive and expensive but so worth it when the fish are on.

Cheers

Mark

[JarrydA]

I'd be going for the monster mesh rod and biomaster 8000 and 60 or so pound braid for the budget you're on, as for the speed it's not really needed for kings as I've jigged heaps and and have never needed to get it moving fast to get a strike. It depends more on the type of jig you use as to weather it's centre balanced or rear weighted and then using an action that suits the style of jig you're using. Like the other guys said jigging can be addictive and expensive but so worth it when the fish are on.

Cheers

Mark

Which monster mesh would be matched to the biomaster 8000 mark?

[Shane69]

Can someone teach me jigging? I really want to learn.

I have never tried it offshore. I dont know where to go or do.

Is there anywhere else closer to straddie either than square patch that you can jig.

What jig do you guys use.

Im pretty keen to go out on those fish head jigging charters. Id take spot next wenesday but i got work. Do they do it all the time.

Shane

[TIM D]

Shane you can jig anywhere there is fish, i jig in waters from 30-50 metres out from South Passage Bar with light jigs and have landed all sorts. Cobia, Pearl Perch, Tuna, Amberjack, Pig fish etc. It's not all about heavy gear and heavy jigs in deep water, light gear with light jigs in shallow water can produce plenty of fish. Some days we fish Square Patch in 90 metres with 50g jigs and get to the bottom no problem, a parachute anchor helps heaps too.

Here is a couple of small fish caught in shallow water out from South Passage Bar

cheers tim

[Genesis]

Can someone teach me jigging? I really want to learn.

I have never tried it offshore. I dont know where to go or do.

Is there anywhere else closer to straddie either than square patch that you can jig.

What jig do you guys use.

Im pretty keen to go out on those fish head jigging charters. Id take spot next wenesday but i got work. Do they do it all the time.

Shane

Shane, square patch can really fire up on weekdays with minimum traffic. We have caught amberjacks and kingies and I was once reefed by a brute on my heavy jig combo with nearly full lock.

With your Stella 5000, you are already halfway there with a light jig combo. You just need to invest in a light jig rod. Have a look at the Maria Steady range at Fishhead.

The next time Kevin and I head out, I will be sure to keep you in mind.

Couple of references here for you to kick start:

 

This link is a very good introduction to vertical jigging.  The forum is American and whilst their jigging style is slightly different to ours, the contents of the thread still prove to be very valuable knowledge and makes for a great great.
/>http://www.sportfishermen.com/board/f172/gmans-intro-vertical-jigging-67557.html

 

This is a local forum especially dedicated to jigging.  These guys done quite a fair bit of trips to NZ Three Kings and you will be amazed at the size of kingies caught.  Apparently 20kg is pretty average size over there and the photos and video can really inspire to spend more time (and money) into the sports.
/>http://www.jigtalk.com/index.php

[TIM D]

With your Stella 5000, you are already halfway there with a light jig combo. You just need to invest in a light jig rod. Have a look at the Maria Steady range at Fishhead.

Or for $200 cheaper grab one from here www.gumtree.com.au/s-maria+steady+jigging/k0

cheers tim

[Shane69]

With your Stella 5000, you are already halfway there with a light jig combo. You just need to invest in a light jig rod. Have a look at the Maria Steady range at Fishhead.

Or for $200 cheaper grab one from here www.gumtree.com.au/s-maria+steady+jigging/k0

cheers tim

Il go see the guys at fish head for jigging rod.

I also have a Ocea Jigger 4000p. Are they any good for jigging. I was going to sell it and buy stella 20000.

[Genesis]

The Ocea Jigger 4000 is a great overhead reel with plenty of power for jigging but like the Stella 20000, it might be a bit over kill for our local water in my opinion. I first started out with a heavy combo but over the years, I try to go as light as possible.

Maybe pair your Stella 5000 up with a PE 2-4 rod and see how you go? It's a lot more fun too. I will let you have a go with my heavy combo and you will see why weight is such an important factor while jigging.

[TIM D]

One of these will suit your 5000 Stella Shane

/>http://www.fishhead.com.au/store/products/Jigging-Master-Sabre-Game-II-55S.html

/>http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=1w7e4rgcjkk

cheers tim