the ultimate jigging rod and reel

[mudslinger64]

i was just putting new line on my reel and noticed that there is a groove worn into the bail next to the roller not the wire but in the graphite itself.i am sure this happened when i was using fireline on it last year the thing that really gets me is i only used it for 1 day but i just had to try this line,wow what a difference very sensitive i could feel everything.when I would get light hits it would feel like the fish would hit my jig with everything it had and i know they weren't,it impressed me in that way but for all the hassle with tying knots and the way it ate my reel up i am choosing not to use it for my type of fishing i also had problems with it when i would hook a nice size fish all the line on my spool would just start spinning it wouldn't stay tight on it and i know how to put line on a spool so it stays put,but not with this stuff i will never use it on a jigging rod again i am sure it would work fine on a trolling rod with a baitcaster but i dont fish that way i only fish in the st.louis river,90% of the time anyway i don't have to go anywhere else i catch tons of fish there i have had a lot of days where i have caught 100 fish in a day don't get me wrong here i am not trying to brag but i know the river very well i've been fishing it for over 20 years and now i only live 2 miles from the forbes dam so i am on the river every day.most of the people that i see fishing it don't know what they are doing sure they catch a few fish but not big numbers of them i have helped quite a few people learn how to fish it over the years and now some of them give me a run for my money thats the way it is up here on the range anyway.sorry didn't mean to get off track here but i am sure you guy's know what happens when we start talking fishing.so here is my question like i said i am a jig fisherman mostly 1/8 oz but not bigger than 1/4 oz what do you think the best rod/reel setup would be for the river? after this happened i am getting a new rod and reel its been a couple of years so it's time.my rod now is a fenwick hmx 6'6''ML action/reel is a shimano solstace 2000RB quickfire 2 rear drag and for line i use excalibur 10x 6LB test it's the best line i have found for fishing in the rocks very abrasive resistant i also use it on my steelhead rod.so i am just curious on what your opinions would be as to what would make the ultimate setup for this kind of fishing as there is a lot of very knowledgable people on this site and i respect your opinions.again sorry for being so long winded but you know how it is when it comes to fishin,later Bruce

[delmuts]

bruce! first the fire line will wear a groove in ceramic bails. a stainless steel won't do that . the stuff is very abraisive. the reason the line was turning on you reel is that it won't bite into a spool like mono. if you put a layer of mono on first then the braided then it will not do that. i've gotten partial to the bass pro rods.( bionic blades) ( im 8/ 6-6 med) watch for a sale and you can get them fo $50 ea. reg $79 i used shamano symetrey reels. love the set up. del

[slick2526]

If you liked that braid so much just dont give up on them. Put on some Powerpro 10lb. I use rods that have ceramic guides (fenwick, and my berkley) with no problems yet and thats been a year or so now. Also I use Okuma reels on my rods. the one has a ceramic roller and i havent had any problems with that. I would say take a look at red barn rods if you wanted a high quality jigging rod. Maybe even put a a Okuma reel on there? either a Avenger or Epixor. Thats what I use and I can complain about them. When I did get the Avenger the bail spring was set wrong but the seemed to fix it right.

[smallies24]

They may be a bit spendy, but I've yet to use a jigging rod compares to St. Croix's legend elite, 6' 3" med with an xtra fast tip-$310. Super sensitive and the strongest high modulus graphite rod I've ever used. As for a reel, I'm a bit partial to shimano and I like the stradics. Makes for a good combo. Ilike to use it with fireline and a vanish leader.

[Guest]

Rod - G Loomis IMX SJR642
Reel - Pinnacle Deadbolt Limited 1000

Despite the Deadbolts problems in cold weather, I really love them. They have wonderful drag system. They have came out with two new models that are supposedly cured of that.

The G Loomis rod is 5'4" and very light which is valuable if you verticle jig for days on end. I had ones that had rings to position the reel that gave a very balanced feel. After 8 years in my boat, I am sad to say I lost the last 6"'s of both of them to the rod locker door while fishing at night. I still haven't gotten over it.

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Kevin Neve's Devils Lake Guide Service
fishingminnesota.com/kevin-neve-guiding/
e-mail: [email protected]
Phone: 701-473-5411 or 701-351-4989
Minnewaukan ND

[Guest]

I've turned myself into a hardcore loomis user. For jigging, you couldn't ask for anything better. I've got pinnacle on my loomis and have had nothin but good times with it.

[mudslinger64]

thanks for the replys i went to red barn rods HSOforum and like the selection of rods does anyone know if they are sold in any stores in the duluth area? i would like to feel one with a loomis blank or st.croix i have never seen a rod with those hardwood handles it must help a lot.as far as a reel i have been considering going to pinnacle as i have heard nothing but good about them also who makes the power pro line i was looking at L&M supply and lucky seven in virginia today and can't find it.i sure spent a lot of money on jigs and spinners today it's funny how fast it all ads up,oh well i guess there is worse things to spend money on,no matter how much tackle i have it never seems like i have enough i always need more i just wish the wife could understand that she seems to think 1 rod and a couple of jigs are good enough.wonder what she is going to think when my cabelas order gets here in a couple of days hundreds of jigs coming HEHE well thanks again for the info later,Bruce

[slick2526]

im not shure who makes powerpro but the HSOforum is powerpro.com As for pinnacle reels if i was to spend that much on one have you ever took a look at Fin-Nor spinning reels. I dont know any sites off hand for theese but if you type it in a search engine you should be able to find it. Now theres a nice reel
If you fish very clear water you might want to consider using a flourocarbon leader also if you decide to use powerpro. I use 8lb Segaur CARBONPRO flourocarbon fishing line. No complaints about it. Caught plenty of 5-8lb pike on it without snapping or cutting my leader in a day. I use a small swivel in the middle of the 2 lines to connect them. Noticed that if you use the uni-to-uni knot more than likely the powerpro will start to cut into the knot of the floro. Hope some of this helps

[DTro]

mudslinger, not sure if it was mentioned, but when you use the "super" lines you have to put mono backing on your reel to keep it from slipping on the spool. I worked at Gander MT for a while and countless numbers of guys came in saying my **** drag is broke. But really it wasn't.

[slick2526]

Mono backing does work well. If you need all the space for like wrap your spool once or twice with electirical tape. works well for me.