First-Timer Jigging questions

[gman]

Hi all!!

My name is Frank from Atlanta, GA. I have enjoyed all off the insite I have been able to take away from this board. It is a blessing to have so many novice to expert fisherman to network with. I am a newbie to jigging but not to fishing so please bear with me. I have purchased two new outfits so far but I have yet to use them. I only get the chance to go fishing maybe once or twice a year so my gear will not take that much of a beating. I want to learn better before I buy better things but what I have isn't too shabby. I will describe my outfits first for you all to evaluate:

Outfit 1 Conventional-
Rod-Penn Torque 5'8" 80-200lb
Reel- Shimano Torium 20
Line- Stren Green 65lb braid
Leader- 10 turns of 80lb mono

Outfit 2 Spinning-
Rod- Hopper Custom 5'8" 100-200lb 500g
Reel- Shimano Spheros 14000FA w/drag upgrade
Line- Power Pro 65lb Hi-vis yellow braid
Leader- 80lb Yo Zuri HD Pink Flurocarbon

Jigs- (just one so far!) Williamson Benthos Pink/Silver Glow

1. How do my rigs sound for a rookie? I think you have a great starting lineup especially the spinning combo

2. I don't hear much about the Penn Torque jigging rod, any opinions? Ive seen and heard of many that have broken on various boards

3. My main target will be Grouper in the Southeast. Are both rigs enough to stop a big fish and heavy AJ's? Your set ups should be adequate, as long as you can tighten the drag and get atleast 20 pounds of drag you should be fine. The initial runs are your biggest worry

4. I have the idea of changing all of my assist hooks to steel wired ones. Is that a good idea to avoid break off by other fish biting through the assist cords? Personally I would not switch to steel wired assist hooks as I have sen a dramatic drop off with steel assist hooks IMHO

5. I have read that Diamond hammered are great for Grouper. What are some good sources on the net for those jigs? Is their a specific type (color, brand pattern) of hammered Jig?Will regular "butterfly" like jigs work effectively as an all-around alternative? Butterfly jigs will work as well

6. If you are out on a party boat what is the ideal position on the boat? I like the pulpit

7. Any recommended headboat captains in my area (FL to North Carolina) that are recommended?

Thanks to all that took the time to read my long post. I tried my best not to ask things I could have researched on the board!

answers in bold

[fman]

GMan- Thanks for the insite! That is the first I have read about the torque rods breaking.

Both outfits kind of tell you where my education level was in jigging (not that it has improved much!)

The one I bought first was the Tourim/Torque combo. I picked that one up after a fishing trip in Florida from an obvious Shimano dealer that was pushing the whole "butterfly" system. The only thing he couldn't convince me of was buying the Shimano rod because it didn't feel right to me. I was hoping the Penn was better. I will have to test it out and see.

After reading numerous post on many boards I purchased the Hopper/Spheros combo. I felt that was the best my money could afford for now. I also feel between the two combos, it has the best chance at stoping a pretty good size fish(correct me if I am wrong).