Japanese Style Spinning rod for Butterfly Jigging

[JerseyBrian]

Howdy folks! I've been a big fan of Japanese style butterfly jigging ever since I first saw Jose Wejebe on ESPN2's Spanish Fly show use the technique out on the oil rigs off Venice to catch small YFT, Kingfish and Big Snapper/Grouper a couple years ago. I've had some success using smaller 2oz. Butterfly Jigs on my St. Croix Tidemaster rod with an Okuma EB-50 on open boat charters out of H&M Landing in San Diego and on the Spitfire in Redondo Beach, CA catching Cudas, small bonito and yellowtail last year, but that's been it so far for my fish catching experiences with jigging.

Now, with my newly acquired tax return money, I'd like to buy some rods specific towards jigging with spinning reels

Would the best option be to get one rod for lighter butterfly jigs and another for the heavier jigs upto 600g? I've read that you can use lighter jigs with the heavier lure rated jigging rods, but what would be the smallest jig you could effectively use on a 500g or 600g rod? That's the $100 question I'm on a budget (so I can buy one of Paul's custom tuna rods for my Acurrate 665W 2 spd!!!) so cost is a concern to consider. I've probably got around $250 to spend on a jigging spinning rod(s). So far, I've been looking at:
1) Hopper rods - I could pick up 2 of these rods (one for lighter and one for heavier jigs) for under $250. I've been looking at the HOPS165FH for lighter jigs and the HOPS-500FH and HOPS-600FH for heavier duties.
2) OTI rods - From what I've read on here, they have a 600g spinning jigging rod as well and are regarded as top quality products. Don't know how much they cost since I can't seem to find their spinning jigging rods on oceantackle.net
3) Van Staal Jigging Rod - I found that the VJS58-500 is rated upto 500g and is right at my price limit of $249. The big question would be if the VJS58-500 could still handle lighter jigs and not overpower their action.
4) Lamiglas Tropic Pro Jigging & Popping Rod - The TP5650SJ sounds like it could cover 85% of my jig size (rated for 5-16 oz) and is priced moderately at $179.95. It could probably still jig 3-5oz lures well....
5) VFox Tblade Tournament Type rod - This is a rod company that I found on ebay that uses Expert Graphite Blanks/Fuji SiC guides and is built in Japan (although the seller is from Malaysia). I was looking at either the J554S or the J556S rods they have listed. The J554S has a PE line Weight of PE4-8, a Lure Weight of 250-350g and a "Max" (drag?) of 24kg. The J556S has a PE line Weight of PE6-10, a Lure Weight from 350-450g with a "Max" (drag?) of 27kg. Both sell for $217.00. But once again, the big question would be if these rods could still handle lighter jigs and not overpower their action. I've heard nothing, but good reviews about VFox rods, but some people have said it may be a little heavy which is not good if I plan on jigging throughout the night
6) Quantum Boca Jigging Spin Rod and Daiwa Saltiga Boat Jigging Rod - Affordable, lots of rods with a variety of lure weight ratings and made from 2 well respected companies. I haven't heard anything bad about them, but I haven't heard anything great either. Based on other members' reviews and feedback, I'd rather purchase some Hopper Rods for the same price ($99.95) instead of these....

That's all I've found through a few days of searching that might suit my budget and needs. I'm looking for rod(s) that are LIGHT, have a nice parabolic action and sturdy. If you have any feedback or comments on the rods I've listed please post up! I'm always willing to listen and learn more about fishing! Which of the rods above do you think is the lightest? Which has the most backbone? Which has the most flex? Most jigs I will be using will range from 4-10 oz and I will be fishing many different depths and species since I do a little bit of traveling (not as much as Kil tho!) every year.

I'm most likely going to purchase an Okuma V-80a spinning reel since it is economically priced ($174.95), has a good amount of line capacity and is "supposedly" rated for over 70lbs of drag I read on this forum that someone did test the drag upto ~37lbs or so and it was still real smooth....However, I haven't heard of a lot of people using this reel yet.

The other option is dependent on if I can swindle my way to getting a 35% off discount on a Shimano Saragosa 18000F spinning reel from an employee at Ramsey Outdoor I know that Kil has already tested this reel out on some 70-80lbs AJ down in NC so I know it can take a lot of abuse

Thanks for reading this long post!!! Jig'em up!

Brian

[JerseyBrian]

Originally Posted by ksong

He said he had to choose between buying tackles and fishing trips.
It seems he bought too many tackles to go fishing.

Well, how can you jig without tackle first? I just can't buy 5 rods and 5 reels, that's all. I WILL have money this summer to pop and jig for some BFT up in MA with you this summer/fall Maybe even a trip to NC! The only fishing trips/charters I have planned so far are for stripers

I don't think I'll be stopping by Paul's tonight. I just called his number on his website and it just rang until the phone went silent. No dial tone or anything...just silent... Paul if you read this, maybe I could drop by this evening?

[papio]

the two on bottom left looks similar to CB Nagamasa

[JerseyBrian]

I even got a Mini Maglite with my Berkley Gulp! purchase

[A.whitman]

get a cabo 70 or 80. the drag is much better than the non stella shimanos. it has a dual drag surface and is supported by ball bearings. i have a cabo 50,60,and 80 and they all kick ass. for under 200.00 dollars they can not be beat.

[Ragman]

Our new Jackal jig comes in three weights 230g-9" long, 180g-7" long, 120g-6 long".

Though you can jig for anything with it, AJ's really love the 230g!

[BretABaker]

Originally Posted by Ragman

Our new Jackal jig comes in three weights 230g-9" long, 180g-7" long, 120g-6 long".

Though you can jig for anything with it, AJ's really love the 230g!

that was my initial thought after seeing the jig. i'll have to test that theory out in NC next month

[rtran]

when will they be available?

[Minnow]

They are available now, It will be on our website soon.
PM/email or call me if you want to order these jigs.

[JerseyBrian]

BIG thanks to Tom for helping me out on my first jigging rod. I ended up purchasing Tom's custom Tuna Max 300g rod and couldn't be happier with my first rod. It's SUPER light (and I mean LIGHT, as in lighter than most of my heavy power inshore spinning rods), but has a very stout base. Can't wait to break my cherry on this rod and my Saragosa 18000! From what I can tell, it is probably a custom Big Game series rod, comparable to the BG S57H Titanium rod, but with a slotted gimbal, split grip and an extra 3 inches to the height. I love it!

[Ragman]

Looks great Brian! You'll enjoy it!