i've carefully read the 26 page jig thread........ really great. so i just started w jigs, and use zman chatters and swim jigs, 3/8 oz, with trailers. so i guess i 'get' that jigs are super subtle, at least in how one detects a bite (or misses a bunch, lol). i'm unclear on whether guys palm their reels for jigs, so that they can hold a finger on the line. i'm currently mainly using my spin rod for jigs - since the line goes round and round in a large circular motion, it's impossible to hold that line... my spin rod is a MH perigee 7', with 20# high vis braid, and i use a 3' flouro leader.

 

i use my bait caster (i just started with that, a shimano slx combo) for texas rigs, plastics.. currently i'm carrying those two rods. it seemed okay to use the spinning rod for jigs, until i started thinking about whether i need to hold that line to feel a bite...

 

i fish a small 7 acre lake in n california.

 

thanks! happy jigging

 

 

Just use your index or middle finger of your right hand.

3 minutes ago, GetFishorDieTryin said:

Just use your index or middle finger of your right hand.

That's what I do - except it's my left hand as I'm a right-reeler even with spinning.

finger on the line? detect bites? Heck i just throw it out there on my spinning reel and when it gets hit i set the hook hard and bring the darn fish in.

I tried to detect the subtle tic,tic bites and then set the hook only to come up with nothing and wasting my time. Now i only set the hook when it gets slammed and then i set it again hard.

 

thanks guys... well, i'm at this point going to try feeling my line.... i'll try putting my hand on the rod, between the grip and the first big guide... otherwise, if my hands too close to the spool, i can't see it working out because of the movement of the bail and line.,, etc..

 

 

I hold my spinners with the stem between the pinky and ring finger. Gives me a good grip on the rod, and I just have to point my index finger out to either feel the line, or 'grab' it when casting. Also balances well too, at least with my rigs.

In my opinion I would swap the two combos around. I think the spinning rod would be better suited for the t-rigged plastics and use the baitcaster for jigs. 1. I find it easier to detect bites through the reel/line on a baitcaster which is important when they hit the jig on the fall, which fish often do. It is very hard to feel the bite on loose line, close the bail, and then set the hook like a spinning rod makes you do. 2. Line management and keeping connected to the bait on retrieve is crucial for jigs which is much more efficiently done on a baitcaster. 3. Your wrist/hand is in a stronger position l on a baitcaster making it much more comfortable setting hard through the thick hook/weed guard of a jig. 4. The gear ratio of your baitcaster is most likely faster which helps, especially if you're swimming a jig all day (Idk your set up though). 5. Typically I use jigs that are heavier than my t-rigs and baitcasters handle heavier lures so much better. Overall it is going to depend on your fishing style, but this is how I look at it. Hope it helps. 

1 minute ago, Cody28 said:

4. The gear ratio of your baitcaster is most likely faster which helps, especially if you're swimming a jig all day

Can't directly compare gear ratios...examples from reels I use

BC: Pflueger Supreme 7.1:1 - retrieves line at 29 inches per turn of the handle

Spin: Mitchell Avocet RZT-3000 5.4:1 - retrieves line at 29 inches per turn.

 

My President BC with a 7.3:1 ratio hss the same retrieve speed as my President XT-30 spin with a 6.2:1 ratio

5 minutes ago, MN Fisher said:

Can't directly compare gear ratios...examples from reels I use

BC: Pflueger Supreme 7.1:1 - retrieves line at 29 inches per turn of the handle

Spin: Mitchell Avocet RZT-3000 5.4:1 - retrieves line at 29 inches per turn.

 

My President BC with a 7.3:1 ratio hss the same retrieve speed as my President XT-30 spin with a 6.2:1 ratio

The concept still applies. Should I have typed IPT instead of gear ratio? yeah probably, but Im sure he gets the point I was trying to make. This varies so wildly depending on your specific reels. That is why I made sure to add "most likely" and that I didn't know what his set up was like. 

1 hour ago, Cody28 said:

In my opinion I would swap the two combos around. I think the spinning rod would be better suited for the t-rigged plastics and use the baitcaster for jigs. 1. I find it easier to detect bites through the reel/line on a baitcaster which is important when they hit the jig on the fall, which fish often do. It is very hard to feel the bite on loose line, close the bail, and then set the hook like a spinning rod makes you do. 2. Line management and keeping connected to the bait on retrieve is crucial for jigs which is much more efficiently done on a baitcaster. 3. Your wrist/hand is in a stronger position l on a baitcaster making it much more comfortable setting hard through the thick hook/weed guard of a jig. 4. The gear ratio of your baitcaster is most likely faster which helps, especially if you're swimming a jig all day (Idk your set up though). 5. Typically I use jigs that are heavier than my t-rigs and baitcasters handle heavier lures so much better. Overall it is going to depend on your fishing style, but this is how I look at it. Hope it helps. 

thanks for the in depth reply,cody. at this point, i had decided to try the bait caster pitching around the edges of my pond, which are lined with about 10 to 12' of weeds and mats, downed trees, etc... idk how to cast over that stuff, and get a fish in very easily, so i cast the spinning rod, w jigs, where the shore is deep - no mats. that's a small, but pretty nice area of the pond. i do try to stay in contact w the jig as it falls...

the retrieve rate of my slx is 28" per rotation, and of my penn 2500 33". i've got my slx reel with LH retrieve, to match my spinning reel...  i'm finding the slx, my first baitcaster, pretty reasonable to cast, but i can heave the heck out of my spinning reel... i've got some shoulder issues, so currently have resorted to using two hands to heave the spinning rod... 

the pond is actually a dam, and although i've never gotten a bite (to my knowledge, lol) in the deep part of the lake, i've been trying to get to the middle of the pond, where the old creek ran through... not sure if that will be worthwhile.

 

 

10 hours ago, fishhugger said:

thanks for the in depth reply,cody. at this point, i had decided to try the bait caster pitching around the edges of my pond, which are lined with about 10 to 12' of weeds and mats, downed trees, etc... idk how to cast over that stuff, and get a fish in very easily, so i cast the spinning rod, w jigs, where the shore is deep - no mats. that's a small, but pretty nice area of the pond. i do try to stay in contact w the jig as it falls...

the retrieve rate of my slx is 28" per rotation, and of my penn 2500 33". i've got my slx reel with LH retrieve, to match my spinning reel...  i'm finding the slx, my first baitcaster, pretty reasonable to cast, but i can heave the heck out of my spinning reel... i've got some shoulder issues, so currently have resorted to using two hands to heave the spinning rod... 

the pond is actually a dam, and although i've never gotten a bite (to my knowledge, lol) in the deep part of the lake, i've been trying to get to the middle of the pond, where the old creek ran through... not sure if that will be worthwhile.

 

 

Following creek paths could definitely be worth while. Also looking for rock bottoms and docks/tree stumps are main targets for me. 28" is a good overall speed especially usable for swim jigs, but I do agree 33" is better for most uses. Even though the rod is a MH I would still try finesse jigs for the most part on your spinning rod. The bonus is you'll get more bites this way and learn how to detect a bite better due to the increased amount of practice. Also I do the same thing as you in terms of left hand retrieve for both (its makes so much more sense that way). 

3 hours ago, Cody28 said:

Following creek paths could definitely be worth while. Also looking for rock bottoms and docks/tree stumps are main targets for me. 28" is a good overall speed especially usable for swim jigs, but I do agree 33" is better for most uses. Even though the rod is a MH I would still try finesse jigs for the most part on your spinning rod. The bonus is you'll get more bites this way and learn how to detect a bite better due to the increased amount of practice. Also I do the same thing as you in terms of left hand retrieve for both (its makes so much more sense that way). 

sounds good... gtk that old creek bed is worth trying... but at this point, i can only reach it with my spinning rod --- i guess its... well, 150'? Since I need to cast with two hands, I assume that means spin rod for long casts...

 

i'll definitely look into lighter things on the spin rod, though, and heavier on the bait caster..  sounds good...   considering getting a heavy bait casting rod.. the mh seems pretty comfortable to me.

 

yeah, when i ordered my slx, i just felt a LH retrieve seemed pretty reasonable. the other way seemed odd, to me, altho it seems most guys do that.

 

happy creek beds

Since you presumably aren't throwing both a t rig and a jig at the same time on two separate rods, cut the t rig off and tie a jig on your casting gear. Use your spinning rod for spinning rod stuff.

21 hours ago, fishhugger said:

i use my bait caster (i just started with that, a shimano slx combo) for texas rigs, plastics.. currently i'm carrying those two rods. it seemed okay to use the spinning rod for jigs, until i started thinking about whether i need to hold that line to feel a bite...

As previously mentioned, I would probably just use the casting setup for jigs. I generally do palm the reel to put a finger on the line when fishing a jig (or t-rig, for that matter). You can hold the line on spinning gear as well but it feels more much natural on the baitcaster.

 

Something else to consider, if you are throwing jigs on a MH spinning rod, many of the MH spinning rods tend to run on the lighter side. Most of the best jig rods are medium heavy powers that run heavy or heavy powers. I'm not sure about the Perigee so I may be wrong here. But if it does run light you may be best throwing lighter finesse jigs so you don't risk not having enough power in the rod, and even if it runs heavier it may not hurt, you'll get more bites.

thanks a lot for the input guys...

 

ok --- i'll try to use the jigs on my bait caster for the advantages mentioned.  at least i can compare the two set ups, although the bait caster set up seems to be what most prefer...  i actually like mine quite a bit - been using it a month or so? pretty fun and efficient... 

 

have a good week...

k...did the bait caster thing w my jigs... it is a LOT more convenient feeling the line, etc... i'm working on my casting - i can cast a 3/8 oz jig (w magnum trailer, so that must be... a half oz?), um., 60', no wind.  and feeling the line w my spinning rod during retrieve feels like a cat chasing it's tail... it's kind of a pita. i don't see how guys do it.

 

so, i have one baitcaster, the slx combo... uh - so i'm thinking of buying another. i'm pretty satisfied with both the rod and the reel, and love the price... ($139 base price). also, i can get it in left handed.

 

please talk me off this ledge.... i've been eyeing getting the slx xt combo, 8.1 gear ratio, but unsure about the rod... i thought of heavy, for more punching, but i think a mh is ok (my mats are only 10' wide). and i no a mh is considered pretty do -all --- i figure it's fine for jigs, punching, texas, chatter, maybe even finesse stuff? altho, i may do finesse on a spin rod... no idea how that will work...

 

all i can think of is a leftie slx xt, 8.1 to 1, the rod, a 6'10" mh but with (i think) an xf tip... mine is merely F tip, mh, 7'....  i feel like moving up a gear cause with my 7.3, i feel fine just barely turning the handle... seems good to me... i'd use this new reel for jigs...

 

enjoying the view from the ledge.

 

 

 

26 minutes ago, fishhugger said:

i've been eyeing getting the slx xt combo,

I didn't even know they offered the XT in a combo. Even though thw rods are "meh", $180 is an effin steal. You can always upgrade the rod later, technically you only paid $40 for it.

I think Tacklewarehouse has a 25% off sale when you buy a SLX rod and baitcaster combo going on right now while they have stock. If you want to stick with all SLX.

On 10/5/2021 at 5:14 PM, fishhugger said:

k...did the bait caster thing w my jigs... it is a LOT more convenient feeling the line, etc... i'm working on my casting - i can cast a 3/8 oz jig (w magnum trailer, so that must be... a half oz?), um., 60', no wind.  and feeling the line w my spinning rod during retrieve feels like a cat chasing it's tail... it's kind of a pita. i don't see how guys do it.

 

so, i have one baitcaster, the slx combo... uh - so i'm thinking of buying another. i'm pretty satisfied with both the rod and the reel, and love the price... ($139 base price). also, i can get it in left handed.

 

please talk me off this ledge.... i've been eyeing getting the slx xt combo, 8.1 gear ratio, but unsure about the rod... i thought of heavy, for more punching, but i think a mh is ok (my mats are only 10' wide). and i no a mh is considered pretty do -all --- i figure it's fine for jigs, punching, texas, chatter, maybe even finesse stuff? altho, i may do finesse on a spin rod... no idea how that will work...

 

all i can think of is a leftie slx xt, 8.1 to 1, the rod, a 6'10" mh but with (i think) an xf tip... mine is merely F tip, mh, 7'....  i feel like moving up a gear cause with my 7.3, i feel fine just barely turning the handle... seems good to me... i'd use this new reel for jigs...

 

enjoying the view from the ledge.

 

 

 

My preferred jig rod is a 7'3" MHF rated for 5/16 to 1 oz. I feel that I have more sensitivity yet plenty of backbone in the MH over the H. I only use heavy for frogging, swim-baits, and SUPER thick junk. Also fast action is best over extra fast just because jigs are easy for fish to spit if they take the bend out of your rod. Some flipping rods are mod-fast for this same reason. The 6'10 MHXF would get the job done for what you need, but a little longer and a little softer tip might be what is best. 

56 minutes ago, Cody28 said:

My preferred jig rod is a 7'3" MHF rated for 5/16 to 1 oz. I feel that I have more sensitivity yet plenty of backbone in the MH over the H. I only use heavy for frogging, swim-baits, and SUPER thick junk. Also fast action is best over extra fast just because jigs are easy for fish to spit if they take the bend out of your rod. Some flipping rods are mod-fast for this same reason. The 6'10 MHXF would get the job done for what you need, but a little longer and a little softer tip might be what is best. 

thanks for the reply, cody. i was leaning to a MH --- graphite, definitely, as i quite like my MHF slx. i had kind of ruled out a M because my MHF can cast the jigs i'm using quite well, afaict... but i started wondering about glass rods, and eventually took a chance on a 7' medium moderate action glass rod, the same slx combo... an slx xt 8.2:1, and the moderate 7' medium slx glass... i can decide which reel to use with which rod later... the slx glass can cast 1/4 to 3/4 oz lures.

Use bait casting for jigs, spinning for light line finesse.

Tom

 

Fish what ever you are most comfortable with.

In my opinion the whole line on the finger method is severely overrated.  I feel the advantage of  putting your finger on the line has more to do with the way you are holding the rod than feeling the line itself.  The rod is balanced better when you palm the reel and your grip is often a little looser.

On 10/16/2021 at 3:30 PM, fishhugger said:

thanks for the reply, cody. i was leaning to a MH --- graphite, definitely, as i quite like my MHF slx. i had kind of ruled out a M because my MHF can cast the jigs i'm using quite well, afaict... but i started wondering about glass rods, and eventually took a chance on a 7' medium moderate action glass rod, the same slx combo... an slx xt 8.2:1, and the moderate 7' medium slx glass... i can decide which reel to use with which rod later... the slx glass can cast 1/4 to 3/4 oz lures.

Sorry if I am confused but I thought we were discussing a jig rod? The glass rod is best suited for moving baits with treble hooks paired with a slower ratio reel and the MHF paired with a fast reel would be best for jigs and other bottom contact lures. 

11 hours ago, Cody28 said:

Sorry if I am confused but I thought we were discussing a jig rod? The glass rod is best suited for moving baits with treble hooks paired with a slower ratio reel and the MHF paired with a fast reel would be best for jigs and other bottom contact lures. 

i haven't decided which reel would go with which rod - the rods being the MHF graphite baitcaster and the rod i ordered, a moderate medium glass rod, both 7'.  i'm undoubtedly the confused one, as i'm trying a few different tactics at this point.   i'm hoping the glass rod will find a good fit with me - i liked that it takes lures from 1/4 oz up to 3/4. 

idk exactly how i'll use the glass rod. i actually don't use lures with treble hooks much, but may start, given your suggestion.... 

On 10/19/2021 at 9:37 PM, fishhugger said:

the rod i ordered, a moderate medium glass rod, both 7'

That's a popper, jerkbait, squarebill, maybe even a spinnerbait rod. Basically has the opposite characteristics that you want in a jig rod.