JIGGING ROD RATINGS

[paul708]

with so many rods/blanks coming out now, and the "ratings" on rods being almost meaningless,(very had to understand) lets see if we can get a few ideas about Jigging rod ratings.

with the OTI rods they have 300g and 600g blanks/rods, coming out with a 400g
the JM rods have blanks from 100g to 500g and every 50 in between. 150-250ect.
the shimano have 65-200.and others
the new VJigging blanks i am using are 30-60#- 50-100-and a few others rated for the line you use.


i tkink years ago jap rods were picked by rating.

a100g rod was for 100g jigs and fishing 100m waters?
a 300g was for 300g jigs ect?
and the PE line PE 1-3
PE 3-6?

with the jigging 'craze" moving from japan to usa, it seems the ratings take a change.

as a rodbuilder i try to match the rod to the fish size being caught, also taking into consideration the jig size.and line being used.
i cannot get every blank to test. but get enough blanks to make most guys happy in their choice.
that i think, is a big help with getting the right rod.

here on the east coast Jigging, we catch most fish from either 20-50# or 60-120# and a little bigger, size will vary.
and the guys are hoping for bigger fish this year.

if targeting the "smaller" fish we usually recommend the "lighter' appox 300g rods.
and for bigger fish the 400g and above or something rated for 80# line.


most of our jigging is done with 6-8oz jigs.. i think that relates to appox 175 -235g ratings.
we rarley ever use Jigs 500 and 600g rated here.
BUT
the 400-500 and 600g rated rods seem to do the better job fighting bigger fish.

[Jiggin Junkie]

The only ratings that I have seen that look wacked are Shimanos. They are out of touch with reality.

[paul708]

The only ratings that I have seen that look wacked are Shimanos. They are out of touch with reality.

yeah thats true,
i am trying to see what other guys use to "match" rods to

either line PE3-5-8ect.
lures..200g-300g ect.
water depth 100m -200m ect.
or
fish size..

[Graceland]

we rarley ever use Jigs 500 and 600g rated here.

I use a 400-600g when fishing 400 plus feet for the snowies and goldens.

[paul708]

I use a 400-600g when fishing 400 plus feet for the snowies and goldens.

rods or jigs?

[Graceland]

Jigs. The rod I use is a Seeker Composite 80XXH, no idea what that is in the grmas rating.

[calstabi]

Two of my favorite rods are Japanese sticks.

Xzoga Takadum Taka-SI rated:
Max PE 6G, Lure Max 450g and Drag Max 18K

Lemax Slim Max SM-J551 rated:
Max PE 6G, Lure 150-350g and Best Drag 10-12KG

I think these are older models and I paid cheap........but don't these ratings indicate some backbone??

[ChrisW_]

with so many rods/blanks coming out now, and the "ratings" on rods being almost meaningless,(very had to understand) lets see if we can get a few ideas about Jigging rod ratings.

with the OTI rods they have 300g and 600g blanks/rods, coming out with a 400g
the JM rods have blanks from 100g to 500g and every 50 in between. 150-250ect.
the shimano have 65-200.and others
the new VJigging blanks i am using are 30-60#- 50-100-and a few others rated for the line you use.


i tkink years ago jap rods were picked by rating.

a100g rod was for 100g jigs and fishing 100m waters?
a 300g was for 300g jigs ect?
and the PE line PE 1-3
PE 3-6?

with the jigging 'craze" moving from japan to usa, it seems the ratings take a change.

as a rodbuilder i try to match the rod to the fish size being caught, also taking into consideration the jig size.and line being used.
i cannot get every blank to test. but get enough blanks to make most guys happy in their choice.
that i think, is a big help with getting the right rod.

here on the east coast Jigging, we catch most fish from either 20-50# or 60-120# and a little bigger, size will vary.
and the guys are hoping for bigger fish this year.

if targeting the "smaller" fish we usually recommend the "lighter' appox 300g rods.
and for bigger fish the 400g and above or something rated for 80# line.


most of our jigging is done with 6-8oz jigs.. i think that relates to appox 175 -235g ratings.
we rarley ever use Jigs 500 and 600g rated here.
BUT
the 400-500 and 600g rated rods seem to do the better job fighting bigger fish.

It seems that you guys are using mis-matched rods for your jigging. I don't mean that in a derogatory way, but to explain - the Japanese rod rating in grams indicates the matching jig weight that the rod will safely work with. It will also be its natural rod load in order to "mechanical jig" or "Japanese jig" properly. Jigs that are very light will not load the rod properly in order to jig with good rhythm or timing.
Now I know you catch huge Tuna with small jigs and that is the conundrum. If you follow the jig/rod match, then you might end up with a rod with insufficient backbone to handle oversize fish. This is reason why JM developed their rods with such high lift ratings. The popular 200g Tuna jigs will match the JM200 rod whose dry lift rating is around 12kg or #25. The JM400 has a lift rating much higher - 29kg or #63. IMO the rod rating has nothing to do with the depth you fish. In fact the Smiths Marianna 44 rods were developed to fish very deep waters, down to 1000'. The 200 model recommends 300g jigs and PE4 while the 300 model is 600g jigs and PE6.

This sort of rod rating makes line recommendation a bit confusing too. All rods quote a recommended PE line range. Many PE lines of the same figure can vary in actual test strenght. e.g. YGK Ultra PE8 tests at 113lb whereas bog standard PE8 line can test closer to 80lb.

[Billy 40]

It seems that you guys are using mis-matched rods for your jigging. .

The problem is the Japanese rods, outside of the JM's are not designed for the way people fish here. So people are kind of stuck not knowing what to do - should they get teh rod matchign the jig, should they use heavier jigs to get teh power out of the rod...or should they just continue using diamond jigs and their old standby jigging rods?

Another matter of confusion is the weight of the jigs being listed in grams. Most jigs sold in most shops here are sold in ounces, and if they are not, people ask how heavy they are...in ounces. Having all the rods rated in grams makes perfect sense, but for most people it's very confusing.

BTW, I'm not talkng about the niche of hardcore jigfishermen, I'm talking about the majority of fishermen here, and the majority of tackle shops.

[WhiteLakeBuc]

The problem is the Japanese rods, outside of the JM's are not designed for the way people fish here. So people are kind of stuck not knowing what to do - should they get teh rod matchign the jig, should they use heavier jigs to get teh power out of the rod...or should they just continue using diamond jigs and their old standby jigging rods?

Another matter of confusion is the weight of the jigs being listed in grams. Most jigs sold in most shops here are sold in ounces, and if they are not, people ask how heavy they are...in ounces. Having all the rods rated in grams makes perfect sense, but for most people it's very confusing.

BTW, I'm not talkng about the niche of hardcore jigfishermen, I'm talking about the majority of fishermen here, and the majority of tackle shops.

Billy 40 - When will your blanks be ready for purchase? I saw the pics over on noreast and saying it was impressive...... well... that is an understatement. Any specs on the blanks to be offered?