perfect flippin-pitchin jig- setup

[wallywallace]

just got back from dicks a few hours ago and i found somone to run my big mouth to while i was there, we was talking jig fishing 101, SO i wanna know your opnions on every thing, line-reel-pole-ratio and all, just for convos sake, i occasionaly pitch-flip and hope to do it more in 2012. The guy i talked to uses a H action 7'3 carrot stik with i believe a revo, not sure which model, and uses 60lb braid.
so again what do you use, I use a MH rod, he said that its only good to use a H rod

[BigBassin144]

I do much more casting of jigs than I do pitching and flipping them, as I can't reach any cover pitching from shore... and cause I'm lousy at pitching and need practice, lol. My main jig setup for 1/4oz+ jigs is a Dobyns DX784C ML with a Daiwa Zillion 7.1:1 and various fluorocarbon lines in the 12-16lb range. The rod is 7'8" H F and the ML stands for Mike Long signature, not Med-Lite . For the line, I really like Seaguar, but have been using and liking Sunline this past year. The Super FC to be exact.

My secondary rod which gets up to 1/4oz jigs in a Dobyns DX703C. It's 7' MH XF and mainly my t-rig rod, but works good for lighter jigs. It has a Daiwa Sol with 20lb Sufix 832 Braid on it. I love the Sol, it's a great reel... but it's slow. With a retrieve rate similar to some of the faster crankbait reels, it isn't especially suited to jig fishing. But its casting ability really comes in handle with the lighter t-rigs I usually use it with.

If I'm doing pitching or flipping, I will use my DX784C ML, but also a Loomis MBR844C IMX that doubles as my frog rod. It's got a Revo STX-HS with 30lb Sufix Performance Braid.

Sensitivity is really important when jig fishing because a lot of times, it's not so much a hit as it is something just not feeling right. I get plenty of sensitivity out of the Dobyns Champion Extreme series with fluorocarbon and especially braid.

BB

[bassboogieman]

As with the spinnerbait rod question - there is no perfect answer. It's all about what works for you on the water you fish. I prefer a 7'6" H/f action rod, but you can use something shorter or a MH if you're not pitching 1 oz jigs into heavy mats. I know a couple guys that use SPINNING rods and do just fine. They prefer a spinning rod to get the bait to fall straight down without stripping line like a fool with a baitcaster. Personally I think 60# braid is overkill (I use 30#) but as with rod or reel it's all about preference.

[carolina-rig-01]

There are a lot of factors that figure into what rod will work best for you when flipping or pitching. If you use braid then you will be just fine with a rod that has less backbone because the braided line will more than make up the difference with it's lack of stretch. In my opinion the only time that braid is a must is when you are around a lot of vegetation or really narly brush. If you don't have vegetation and don't have really nasty brush then flourocarbon or even a heavy mono will be just fine. Personally I use flourocarbon when flipping and pitching because we have no vegetation and even though I flip and pitch to a lot of wood cover, it isn't nasty enough to require braid. How long of a rod you use really just comes down to what you are the most effecient with. I am much more accurate with a rod in the 7 foot range than a rod in the 8 foot range so even though I have a few 7'6" flipping sticks, I do almost all my flipping and pitching with a 7' Heavy powered rod. Another benefit to the 7' rod is that it's a little shorter so I can work around docks and other over head stuff a lot easier than I can with a longer rod. As for the reel, don't over think it too much. Get something with a faster gear ratio and a good drag system and you will be good to go. I use Revo SX reels for just about everything and I use the 7.1:1 ratio for flipping and pitching. In reality the higher gear ratio will have a little less power than a lower geared reel but they still have plenty of power and the higher speed allows you to get the fish away from the cover faster and also it lets you catch up to a fish that picks up the bait and swims towards you.

[wallywallace]

thank you guys, for all your anwsers, love to hear what others are using, i think i may eventually get a rod dedicated for jig flipping. i also think anything past a 7'3 or 7'2 is moving into my catfishing rods. i know its in my head but when i throw those bigger rods i feel i am lobbing a cat pole, but if i use a 7 foot and under for cats, i feel i am throwing a bass pole, again love your respones

[Tavery5]

I have kinda been going through the same thing, trying to find a setup that allows me to fish jigs in the conditions and manner that I enjoy. What I have come to determine is, that for me it is not only one rod and reel. I fish jigs using two different methods, the first is where I am quickly hitting targets letting the bait fall quickly, and hopping the bait a couple of times, trying to trigger a reaction bite. The other is a slower approach, throwing into cover and letting the bait sit, shaking and hopping it in place, dragging it across the bottom looking for structure to bang it into.

While both of these techniques share some things in similar, I find that I like two different setups to fish them. For the reaction bite, I like a little shorter rod, 6'10" or so MH power fast action, high speed reel and FC line. I feel this setup allows me to cast and retrieve quickly, I get better sensitivity from the FC line while the bait is falling and the rod has adequate power and action to fish this style well.
The slower dragging and throwing into heavier cover method, I like a longer rod, 7ft and over, Heavy power, fast action, braided line, and little slower reel with just a little more torque. This setup allows me to make longer casts, the braid offer fantastic sensitivity while dragging the bait and good visibility so you can watch it on the fall. The longer rod helps to pull fish from cover and move line on longer casts during hooksets.

My current setups are:
Falcon Cara CC-1610-5 6'10" MH/F Revo Premier 7.1:1 Seaguar Invisx
Dobyns Champion 734C 7'3" H/F Shimano Core Mg 100 6.3:1 Suffix 832

This is what I have found to work for me, both these setups are light, well balanced and have excellent sensitivity. They are a pleasure to fish.

Hope you find what works for you.

[carolina-rig-01]

Originally Posted by Tavery5

I have kinda been going through the same thing, trying to find a setup that allows me to fish jigs in the conditions and manner that I enjoy. What I have come to determine is, that for me it is not only one rod and reel. I fish jigs using two different methods, the first is where I am quickly hitting targets letting the bait fall quickly, and hopping the bait a couple of times, trying to trigger a reaction bite. The other is a slower approach, throwing into cover and letting the bait sit, shaking and hopping it in place, dragging it across the bottom looking for structure to bang it into.

While both of these techniques share some things in similar, I find that I like two different setups to fish them. For the reaction bite, I like a little shorter rod, 6'10" or so MH power fast action, high speed reel and FC line. I feel this setup allows me to cast and retrieve quickly, I get better sensitivity from the FC line while the bait is falling and the rod has adequate power and action to fish this style well.
The slower dragging and throwing into heavier cover method, I like a longer rod, 7ft and over, Heavy power, fast action, braided line, and little slower reel with just a little more torque. This setup allows me to make longer casts, the braid offer fantastic sensitivity while dragging the bait and good visibility so you can watch it on the fall. The longer rod helps to pull fish from cover and move line on longer casts during hooksets.

My current setups are:
Falcon Cara CC-1610-5 6'10" MH/F Revo Premier 7.1:1 Seaguar Invisx
Dobyns Champion 734C 7'3" H/F Shimano Core Mg 100 6.3:1 Suffix 832

This is what I have found to work for me, both these setups are light, well balanced and have excellent sensitivity. They are a pleasure to fish.

Hope you find what works for you.

Is the Falcon rod your are using the Falcon Head Turner? Without going out to the boat and looking at mine I can't recall if that is the same model number or not. But if not you should get your hands on the Head Turner because it is an amazing jig rod, it's very responsive and sensitive not to mention it has the perfect power and action for a finesse jig but enough backbone for a heavier football jig as well.

[Tavery5]

No, the one I listed is the Eakins Jig model, I do also have the Head Turner and I use them interchangeably depending on what I am throwing, and your right it is a nice rod.

[keithdog]

I have a couple setups for jig fishing. For the more open water jigging, I have a 7'0" Cabelas XML rod, MH/F paired with a Revo SX 6.4:1 ratio and 15 pound Flouroclear line. I can't tell you how nice this setup is for both pitching and casting a jig! For pitching into cover such as lilly pads, brush and such I have a Shimano Crucial 7'0" H/XF paired with a Rexo STX 7.0:1 ratio. It is spooled with 20 pound Flouroclear. So far the Flouroclear lines have proven both strong and supple, easy to pitch. I can see using braid or flourocarbon line as well in cover, and I do use braid for the frogging rod I have, but I seem to get more action on Flouroclear line than braid, and it's cheeper than any flourocarbon line. If I were a tourny fisherman, which I'm not, I would probably use flourocarbon. Just wanted to point out one thing. I had a coversation with KVD about choosing a pitchin rod and he mentioned something you rarely hear mentioned. Part of the choosing of a pitchin rod should be the height of the one doing the casting and the platform your fishing from. He mentioned a taller person pitchin off the deck of a bassboat could use a longer rod than someone who is shorter and fishing from a jonboat, such as myself. It has to do with ease of casting and how close you would be to the water when pitching. For my uses, he suggested 7'0" H/XF around heavier cover.

[wallywallace]

hey somthing completly off topic but si kvd cool in person, i mean i heard he was comming to my BP in March and was gonna check out some of his seminars, can you actually meet him as well.

back on track, yea i get it with the height thing, i have better distance with my brother on certain rods because of this.

[dannrich]

I use a Denali Heavy action worm/jig rod. this rod is great for flippin about anything. These rods are so sensitive and have enough power to haul in big bass. I use a 7.1:1 or 6.3:1 reel spooled with vicious flouro and braid. But the rod is the main part of my set up if you havent tried one everyone should.

[wallywallace]

well as of now, i am using my new Cl setup, a curado E reel and a dawai balistic 7'3 XH, may not be the best, but hope to try it soon