# Entry level Jigging rod for Kingfish - Which one?



## Nbh00d (Feb 12, 2012)

As per title I am looking to get into mechanical jigging for Kingies and wondering which rod would be suitable for my purpose? I would be jigging around areas such as Long reef, the colours, the artificial reef, etc where I suppose light jigs around 80g - 200g would be suitable? Can I use my Stradic FJ 8000 spooled with 30lb Powerpro braid? I would like to keep it as affordable as possible so that if I do enjoy the sport I will definitely upgrade to something better and heavier for those brutal Kings. But for now I'm just thinking to get a decent jigging rod and a few knife jigs to test it out.

I saw the Okuma Salin jig rod in the 15kg model and wondering is it any good? What other rods in similar price range would you recommend for a beginner? 
http://www.chsmith.com.au/Products/Okum ... g-Rod.html


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## avayak (May 23, 2007)

The stradic should be fine for jigging. As for rods 15kg suits the jig weight you mention.
I have a jigwrex and a monster mesh both work well. For longy my favourite jig weights are 100-120g. You don't need heavier since the depths are 10 to 30 m. Sometimes I go down to 80g. I think Mrx has an Okuma rod.
Some good jigs to start with are the River2sea 120g knife and the Wilson 100g Abyse.


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## Nbh00d (Feb 12, 2012)

avayak said:


> The stradic should be fine for jigging. As for rods 15kg suits the jig weight you mention.
> I have a jigwrex and a monster mesh both work well. For longy my favourite jig weights are 100-120g. You don't need heavier since the depths are 10 to 30 m. Sometimes I go down to 80g. I think Mrx has an Okuma rod.
> Some good jigs to start with are the River2sea 120g knife and the Wilson 100g Abyse.


Thanks Gary, this is exactly the info I was looking for.


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## paulthetaffy (Jan 27, 2010)

The Okuma rod will be perfect for you. I've had a play with one in the shop and they seem reallextremely good value for money. Fish outta water in Manly Vale stock them so perhaps go try one out against a more expensive rod to see how they compare.

I use a Daiwa monster mesh max in the PE 3-4 rating which is similar in design (with the high grip split butt) and similar rating but twice the price. http://www.fishingtackleshop.com.au...er-mesh-max-fishing-rod-spin-mxs-531-200.html. Mine is also shorter at 150cm (about 5'3") - the Okuma is 6' which I actually think would be perferable, but you wouldn't want it any longer. I almost bought the Okuma rod but at the time I wanted it they were only available in the US and I was too impatient to wait for delivery 

Your reel will do fine, but these rods can really take some punishment so 30lb braid is as light as I would suggest. You won't get anywhere near 30lb of drag out of your reel but you can easily put 30lb of pressure on the line before the drag will pull due to resistance in the guides and the effect of inertia. So you might want to step up to 40lb+ later. The counter argument to that is that if you drop your jig into the reef and snag it - which you will I assure you - then trying to break 40lb+ is difficult at best. Sometimes dangerous. If you are well and truly snagged then let out some line and paddle away to create a shallower angle and try to snap it from further away. That way if a wave rolls through you're less likely to be tipped!

I second Gary's advice on jig types/weights. I only started jigging at long reef last year but 80-120g seem to get me into the fish if they are around and drop slowly enough to make them usable in the shallower water. BUT! I was out there one day watching two guys on a boat using long 250g+ jigs in 18m pulling up keepers up to 1m every single drop. I was sat next them dropping small jigs and could only manage rats. Somtimes it pays to have a large jig just as something different to avoid the rats.

One last thought - spend time perfecting your knots, particularly your braid-leader knot if it passes through the guides. Jigging puts huge pressure on them over and over again and running them through the guides does even more to wear/loosen them. I've had two knots come completely ondone on me this summer and I thought they were tied as pefectly as I know how!! When you're spending $15-$20 per jig it's an expensive lesson to learn!

Paul


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## avayak (May 23, 2007)

paulthetaffy said:


> One last thought - spend time perfecting your knots, particularly your braid-leader knot if it passes through the guides. Jigging puts huge pressure on them over and over again and running them through the guides does even more to wear/loosen them. I've had two knots come completely ondone on me this summer and I thought they were tied as pefectly as I know how!! When you're spending $15-$20 per jig it's an expensive lesson to learn! Paul


Look up the FG knot, similar to a PR knot but you can tie it by hand and don't need a bobbin. It has a smooth profile even with 80lb leader, I have not broken one yet.

One tip that may save you a lot of wasted effort. Before you drop your jig make sure you can see something on the sounder first. It can be a bait ball, squiggly line or small trace near the bottom, all are worth a drop. Jigging in dead water and hoping something will come along doesn't work. You will tire out by then. 
When you get your gear together send me a PM and we can arrange a session.


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## paulthetaffy (Jan 27, 2010)

Thanks, I'll look into the FG knot. Surprisingly the one that has failed on me is the slim beauty, but the version I use doesn't have a double in the braid. I think that's fine for lighter lines (I've only ever had a failure on my jigging outfit) but you really need the double for higher ratings where more stresses are involved and more liklihood of slippage.

Good point on the sounder. I also use mine to accurately check the drop speed of my jigs so that on subsequent drops I can just count it down to within a metre or so of the bottom every time without ever snagging the reef.


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## Nbh00d (Feb 12, 2012)

Thanks for the great info. I am starting to understand this mechanical jigging stuff and hopefully by next month I can start catching a few kings at my trip to Jervis bay.


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## premium (Nov 23, 2011)

Nbh00d said:


> Thanks for the great info. I am starting to understand this mechanical jigging stuff and hopefully by next month I can start catching a few kings at my trip to Jervis bay.


Nbh00d, give us a PM when you're on your trip - wouldn't mind joining you if conditions are good!


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## Nbh00d (Feb 12, 2012)

premium said:


> Nbh00d said:
> 
> 
> > Thanks for the great info. I am starting to understand this mechanical jigging stuff and hopefully by next month I can start catching a few kings at my trip to Jervis bay.
> ...


Sure and more than welcome to have a local who I can tag along with. I will be staying in Huskisson on the 22-24th Feb and will work out where I should be going when the days are approaching.


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## premium (Nov 23, 2011)

Sounds Good, hopefully the water has warmed up a bit by then.
Apparently there's some good Kings around, but they're mostly loners and not taking baits - Spearfisho's have taken a few though.


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