JIGGING OUTFITS

Gear Guide

The first will be familiar if you have read the section on casting outfits: the Shimano TZSW-70MH (seven-foot/heavy power/moderate action) I mentioned above that this rod has a very slow action… As you might gather from my videos, I am a big fan of slow vertical jigging with weighted soft plastics This rod imparts a deadly action to a jig and it can also handle jigs up to four-ounces without overloading or over-stressing the blank You obviously want a rod with some back-bone, but a steady parabolic bend will handle a strike better and result in better hook ups. Rods that are too stiff on a vertical strike will often pop the hook and result in dropped fish.Unfortunately, this rod is no longer available via Shimano

When to Use: Casting & Jigging

Action: Moderate Slow

Power: Heavy

Length: 7'

Reel Size: 6000 size

Lure Sizes: 1oz to 4oz

Typical Line: 40lb Braid

Leader: 30-40lb Fluoro

Dedicated Jigging Outfit

My dedicated jigging rod is the St Croix Mojo Jigging MJJS66MMF (6.5-foot/I bought this rod on a whim after seeing it at the 2016 ICAST show It has a relatively moderate action, but it is not overly “slow” and sloppy. I would call this rod more of a hybrid in terms of length because it is a little shorter than average for casting and a little longer than average for jigging It handles vertical jigging with heavier Epoxy Jigs and soft plastics such as the Pro Tail Paddles and Eels, but it can also cast them if necessary It has the ability to fish heavy enough lures at target depths. I often jig in up to 80’ of water in heavy currents and regularly fish with 4 to 6oz jigs at peak tides and often as light as 2oz at slack.