Jig Rod Recomendation

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MCROUT14
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Jig Rod Recomendation

Post by MCROUT14 » Tue Jan 22, 2019 5:23 pm

Fishing mainly 1/2 football and casting jigs from 8-25ft dragging/hopping on structure. Recommended length,action, taper, or even a rod suggestion would be appreciated.

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Re: Jig Rod Recomendation

Post by Blacktail 8541 » Tue Jan 22, 2019 5:39 pm

What is your budget? A lot will depend on it.
I do not do a lot of jig work, but I have been doing a lot of reading to see what rod I would be best served with.
On the high end I have narrowed it down to the Megabass FMJ or the NRX 894 or 895.
On the more reserved side the Dobyn's Champion 735 witch I already have for frogs and pitching.

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Re: Jig Rod Recomendation

Post by WannaGoFishing » Tue Jan 22, 2019 5:47 pm

Length: 7’ (or longer if you don’t feel it’s too unwieldy). Good casting distance and leverage when fighting fish.
Medium heavy
Action: mod fast or fast. Slower action helps to keep the fish pinned and helps keep them from spitting the jig. Fast action give you more control in steering the fish (helpful if you’re throwing into heavy cover and there’s a big fish)

In any case, sensitivity is key because sometimes the bit can be subtle.

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Re: Jig Rod Recomendation

Post by Heddonfrog » Tue Jan 22, 2019 10:29 pm

Man, this is one of those questions that’s going to get so many differing replies because what we all end up dialing in as our “ultimate” jig rod is such a personal preference. I don’t flip or punch but know a ton of guys that do and those guys like the mod-fast mag heavy action rods because they don’t either rip the bait out of a fishes mouth before hooking up or tear it out of their mouth once they are hooked up. It is the situation where that action keeps fish pinned. Think like if you’re in close quarter combat fishing situations, then use the mod fast actions...which btw differ from a mod fast cranking rod. You said you’re using footballs and casting jigs so I’m guessing you’re throwing the footballs on some kind of hard bottom and using casting jigs near possible weedlines and you’re saying depths from 8’ to 25’. This is how I fish jigs 85% of the time. I personally prefer a longer (7-3 is good) heavy action rod with an ex-fast action. Not a pool cue, I still want some tip to it, better for casting and when I lift the jig and a fish is there I’ll have some give in the tip and not pull jig out of a fishes mouth. I like the length and action because I can get a better hook set from a long cast if a fish hits on the fall and when I hop it off a rock which will immediately throw some slack in the line. It’s also the best action if you get bit and you’re not in perfect position for a set and end up only making a 1/4 or 1/2 hook set. It happens. It simply hooks fish better for me in those situations.

Lots and lots of rod options from $100 to $600. Like the previous poster said “your budget will dictate brand and model advice” you’ll need to let us know how much you plan on spending before anyone can recommend a rod. I think one thing we will all agree on is, spend the most money you can on bottom contact sensitivity rods and save on moving bait rods. Your jig rod is the one you should push the envelope on price
Last edited by Heddonfrog on Wed Jan 23, 2019 8:26 am, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: Jig Rod Recomendation

Post by Hobie-Wan Kenobi » Wed Jan 23, 2019 5:59 am

The type of line used will be huge too. Youd want a faster rod if using FC because of the stretch. If using braid, a mod fast will help with some give
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Re: Jig Rod Recomendation

Post by poisonokie » Wed Jan 23, 2019 8:18 am

Hobie-Wan Kenobi wrote:The type of line used will be huge too. Youd want a faster rod if using FC because of the stretch. If using braid, a mod fast will help with some give
Yeah, and that's a tough choice for football jigs by itself. Generally, I throw them on braid with a Tatula 711MHRB, which is a stiff, powerful regular fast rod. If I can't get them to commit on a steady retrieve I switch to 12# fluoro with a Tat 6101MHFB, which is slightly lighter in power and has a faster action and more flexible, more sensitive tip so I can still get a sense of bottom structure and have a better chance of feeling pick ups on the pause.

Neither of those rods are currently set up that way, though, so next time I'll be trying them out on my new MS-X's, a 7' MH/RF with 16# fluoro and a 6'10" M/R with 12# and then experiment with braid on each. They're more sensitive and have better actions than the Tatulas and should be great for a lot of different things. Football jigs are a great way to gauge a rod's performance (casting/pitching, sensitivity, backbone, power), and like Heddonfrog and Hobie Wan hit on, a lot of different sticks can fish them well depending on the line, reel, and structure.

Good luck!
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Re: Jig Rod Recomendation

Post by DavidSA » Wed Jan 23, 2019 3:17 pm

I like 7'3 to 7'6. I grew up on 7 but that feels short in 2019.

action- fast to quick side of fast for deep water. Power is at least a 4 power. I fish 30# braid and find braid and true xfast rods not great together;;;; breakoffs on hookset.

rods I fish in order of preference for your app

1- NRX 894---------- the bomb for performance

2- Helium 7'3xfast H---- very good cost performer. may not pass big knots well if you tie leaders.

3- zbone 7'3 xfast H----- prior model- this rod is really xfast. Needs FC to fish in shallow water. most sensitive of the three and I rank it last. I mention because performance to me is about more then just feel. Must be able to set hook and land and with braid this is not the best rod.

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Re: Jig Rod Recomendation

Post by MCROUT14 » Thu Jan 24, 2019 7:54 am

Thanks for all the help and recommendations guys I really appreciate all the feed back/input:

I fish with 30lb braid to a 20lb fluoro leader most of the time because I'm targeting structure and in a tournament situation I don't have time to re-tie and don't want to risk breaking off a fish. I am a college student so I can only work part time so it limits me to how much I can spend. It sucks because as Heddonfrog stated you should never skimp on bottom contact rods but my budget is around $200-$300 so the NRX and FMJ are out of the question. I've tried a 7' and a 7'1" before and thought they both felt to short and I felt like I was lifting the jig off the bottom rather than dragging it across the structure. With that being said I'm thinking 7'3"-7'5" would be ideal for me. I hear guys talking about the dobyns 745 a lot for 1/2 jigs and t-rigs so I was thinking about the new 2019 Levante Brailist? Lmk what you think about- again thanks for all the help!

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Re: Jig Rod Recomendation

Post by MCROUT14 » Thu Jan 24, 2019 8:54 am

Alpha Angler Zilla? A lot of people say they're really good rods.

https://www.alphaangler.com/products/al ... ishing-rod

Evergreen Combat Stick 73MH?

https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Evergre ... -COMX.html

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Re: Jig Rod Recomendation

Post by down4ttown » Thu Jan 24, 2019 10:07 am

Go to jig rod is still the Dobyns DX744. That is number one. My number 2 is the Edge Black Widow 704.

Just like everyone said: 7' or longer, I consider both of those MH action with a FAST tip. I only use Flouro if I am fishing a jig.

Flipping is a whole different deal down here.

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Re: Jig Rod Recomendation

Post by down4ttown » Thu Jan 24, 2019 10:09 am

MCROUT14 wrote:Thanks for all the help and recommendations guys I really appreciate all the feed back/input:

I fish with 30lb braid to a 20lb fluoro leader most of the time because I'm targeting structure and in a tournament situation I don't have time to re-tie and don't want to risk breaking off a fish. I am a college student so I can only work part time so it limits me to how much I can spend. It sucks because as Heddonfrog stated you should never skimp on bottom contact rods but my budget is around $200-$300 so the NRX and FMJ are out of the question. I've tried a 7' and a 7'1" before and thought they both felt to short and I felt like I was lifting the jig off the bottom rather than dragging it across the structure. With that being said I'm thinking 7'3"-7'5" would be ideal for me. I hear guys talking about the dobyns 745 a lot for 1/2 jigs and t-rigs so I was thinking about the new 2019 Levante Brailist? Lmk what you think about- again thanks for all the help!
DX 744 can be had for a good price if you know where to look. I would also recommend the Orochi series if Dobyns is not your thing. Great rods in that price range.

Zillion Rods are another one I really like for the price now too.

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Re: Jig Rod Recomendation

Post by CaptPeteJ » Thu Jan 24, 2019 10:48 am

I own and regularly fish a Dobyns Dx744, and for 1/2oz jigs, I'd go 745 personally. I tend to fish up to 3/8oz+trailer on my 744. This a preference thing though.

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Re: Jig Rod Recomendation

Post by poisonokie » Thu Jan 24, 2019 8:14 pm

down4ttown wrote:
MCROUT14 wrote:Thanks for all the help and recommendations guys I really appreciate all the feed back/input:

I fish with 30lb braid to a 20lb fluoro leader most of the time because I'm targeting structure and in a tournament situation I don't have time to re-tie and don't want to risk breaking off a fish. I am a college student so I can only work part time so it limits me to how much I can spend. It sucks because as Heddonfrog stated you should never skimp on bottom contact rods but my budget is around $200-$300 so the NRX and FMJ are out of the question. I've tried a 7' and a 7'1" before and thought they both felt to short and I felt like I was lifting the jig off the bottom rather than dragging it across the structure. With that being said I'm thinking 7'3"-7'5" would be ideal for me. I hear guys talking about the dobyns 745 a lot for 1/2 jigs and t-rigs so I was thinking about the new 2019 Levante Brailist? Lmk what you think about- again thanks for all the help!
DX 744 can be had for a good price if you know where to look. I would also recommend the Orochi series if Dobyns is not your thing. Great rods in that price range.

Zillion Rods are another one I really like for the price now too.
I was going to mention that Daiwa made a Zillion rod specifically for football jigs on braided line, or at least it seems that way to me. I think it's a 7'3", MH Regular worm/jig rod. It was the last one to go on TW when they were on clearance I think because people didn't know what to make of it. 731MHRB? I'll look it up.

Anyway, that would be a good choice because the Zillions I have are super sensitive and powerful and have great tapers. I mentioned not long ago on a different topic about how I considered their sensitivity to be on par with or slightly better than the Tatula, but after doing a little head to head comparison lately I have to say I think it's actually quite a bit better. I don't know if it's the SiC guides, the Zaion reel seat, or if the blanks are actually better or what, but I can definitely discern more detail about what a 1/2oz jig is dragging across with the Zillion, and that's with heavier line on a heavier rod. I really need to up my skipping game with that 661HFB, because I want to use that thing to power some pigs out from under docks this year. I've just got to get used to the power of it, I think.

I, for one, feel that Daiwa is spot on with their technique specific rods. It's just that every series has so many and, aside from the Tatula Elites and their frogging and flipping sticks, they rarely publish that information, so you have to experiment to see if what looks ideal on paper is what the rod is best for. It would be worth looking into because I'm sure they're still out there.
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Re: Jig Rod Recomendation

Post by poisonokie » Thu Jan 24, 2019 8:24 pm

My mistake. It's 7'4". ZIL741MHRB worm/jig rod. It's not on their US website for some reason, though I could've sworn it used to be. It was probably launched later in the run of the series. ALFC still has it up on their site, but they're sold out unfortunately. No wonder at $162 a pop.
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Re: Jig Rod Recomendation

Post by njbasscat » Fri Jan 25, 2019 7:24 am

If I could only pick one for football jigs and pitching jigs, it would be NRX 894. Hands down the best 1/2 oz pitching jig rod I've ever used. I personally like the 893 for just football jigs in deep water but the 894 will cover both techniques.

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