Kil Song: Jigging Master PE, smaller models of Accurate and AvexĬhris Wong: Maxel Transformer F series, Jigging Master PE series, Accurate Slammer BX series (available only overseas however, newer Valiant series are -similar and lighter) Paul Chua: Studio Ocean Mark L80/50, Shimano Talica 12 II, Shimano Speedmaster II for speed jigging Studio Ocean Mark 元0/50Hi S2T, Shimano Ocea Jigger 2000NR-Hi and Daiwa Catalina for slow jiggingīenny Ortiz: Accurate Valiant (300, 400, 500N and 600N), Shimano Trinidad 16N or 20, Daiwa Saltiga 15 or 35n Also, Ortiz points out that reels sold domestically can generally be serviced domestically, which is a plus.)
(Those that aren’t can be ordered, though overseas -shipping is not cheap. Star-drag conventionals are fine, but experts tend to prefer lever drags.Įxperts weigh in below regarding best reels for jigging, but not all of their faves are easily available in the United States. In wide-spool reels, the smaller line-on-spool diameter you’re left with when fishing deep means fewer inches per crank. He also says he prefers a taller, narrow-spool reel because it gives you a more consistent rate of retrieve. You want a jigging reel to be machined with tight tolerances: “no back play or handle slop,” as Ortiz puts it. Performance differences between the two types of reels aside, cost can be a factor, Wong says: “It’s a fact that a premium spinning reel will cost more than a premium twin-drag conventional.” (In speed jigging, the angler relies heavily on the rod to tire the fish.) Chua says drag is particularly important with slow-pitch jigging because when hooked up, the reel tends to do most of the work. But for bigger game, 25 to 50 or more pounds of maximum drag will help win battles. For smaller fish, most good reels of any type are likely to suffice. If you intend to use a rig for dropping into really deep water, you’ll want to go conventional because many hold far more line for their size than spinners.Ĭlearly how much available drag a jig angler needs has much to do with his quarry. But Ortiz does caution against “sacrificing strength for light weight,” which in part is where the quality of the reel comes into play. Now, he says, he can jig 800 feet of water with a tiny lever drag weighing about 15 ounces.
“Over 25 ounces, and it is too much.” He cites a time not so long ago when jig anglers had to rely on reels weighing 30 to 40 ounces (which in case your math isn’t so good, means a couple of pounds or more).
“Once you’re over 20 ounces a reel, it gets to be a bit much,” Benny Ortiz says. The trend toward smaller reels for jigging has produced some remarkably compact conventional reels capable of holding plenty of surprisingly heavy line (it’s far more difficult to radically downsize spinners without losing key performance parameters). Jigging requires endlessly lifting reel and rod repetitively lighter reels are a huge plus. Some slow-pitchers will go considerably lighter, seeking the thinnest braids they can find, to get jigs very deep-more than 2,000 feet for some Japanese experts, Wong says. Slow-pitch enthusiasts require lighter lines, often in the 20- to 40-pound range. Slow-pitch -jigging involves considerably more finesse these jigs are moved with a quick upward lift, then allowed to drop a short distance as they take up the slack line created by the lift. Speed jigging generally relies on longer, thinner “knife” jigs that are worked upward with a rapid, rhythmic cadence. The difference, in brief, is critical because each method requires different gear. As a sport, jigging is a niche within the niche of saltwater fishing, and it has generated a range of reels and rods made especially for fishing jigs.īut all jigging tackle is not created equal: There’s gear made for speed jigging and for slow-pitch jigging. At the same time, with manufacturers making better and better gear, jigging seems to make commensurate gains in popularity. Thus, with jigging gaining in worldwide interest and popularity, tackle manufacturers make better and better jigging gear. In the yin and yang of tackle design, the development of specialized gear can be circular. The right tackle helps produce strikes from and land trophies like this enormous wreckfish, taken off New Zealand’s Three Kings on a 500-gram Broken Arrow jig. Jigging can be a spectacularly effective technique.