[Sea Crappie]

So I'm wanting to build myself a jigging outfit specifically for YFT. I've caught them on jigs using everything from a 5'6" jigging outfit all the way up to my 7'6" GT style popping rod but it's always been a fluke thing for me.

My only requirement is that the outfit be a conventional (so I can use the rail). I build most of my own rods, so blank suggestions are just fine.

I know lots of east coast tuna jiggers like Kil Song are using longer rods and a sweeping up and down jigging style.

Anyone have a strong opinion on rod length and action as well as jigging technique when it comes to YFT?

 

[SkeeterRonnie]

my limited experience suggests YFT like a slow jig- either falling, or Yo-Yo style. BFT like it fast and furious.

OTI had an ad for some blanks for 400 gram. I like a short jigging rod (5'6")-400 gram, and a long popping rod (7')15-50 . I am 5'9" 165 lbs. Seems to work for my proportion. If I was taller I would go with 6" longer on both setups. If I was stronger, I would up the ratings on the rods.

 

[ksong]

I think you need both, long and short as tuna can be caught on Japanese style jerk/crank technique as well as slow up/down technique.

I experimented with short 5'4" and 5' Japanese jigging rod this year and the shorter 5' is more convenient for Japanese style hectic jerking and cranking.
The problem of short rods is when tuna start to circle under the boat. I did not lose any tuna because of the short rods, but I am not comfortable at all.

I even used Japanese 5'6" short rod for cod jigging on Monday. Everybody on the boat laughed when they saw me jigging and fighting cod on that short rod. It was fun, but longer rod is definitely right choice for up/down jigging.
I found Calstar 700H, 700XH and GUSA Wahoo are good blanks for tuna jigging.

 

[Sea Crappie]

Kil,

Since I have the shorter japanese style rods covered, what length do you think is best for YFT when it comes to a long rod? What's the min length you think I could get away with for yo-yo style jigging? What action do you look for in a longer rod?

Appreciate your help.

 

[ksong]

Kil,

Since I have the shorter japanese style rods covered, what length do you think is best for YFT when it comes to a long rod? What's the min length you think I could get away with for yo-yo style jigging? What action do you look for in a longer rod?

Appreciate your help.
Most guys on the East Coast use 7' - 8' rod.
Many guys think it is hard to fight tuna on longer rods, but it is not, especially when using the rail. As I always say, it is not the length of rod, but the light drag which kill you. The fighting technique is somewhat different when using longer rod. I am extremely ashamed myself if I land a 100 lbs tuna over 20 minutes.
I need a longer rod as casting is a big part of my game and longer rod can give more action to jigs when using up/down technique.

 

[Sea Crappie]

Ok Kil, now I'm really gonna pick your brain. I agree on the drag/fight time and am not opposed to a long rod to jig w/ per se, just didn't want to buy any longer than is necessary.

I've seen you write about casting being a big part of your jigging. What does that entail. I've casted Tady style jigs to tuna (both heavies and surface iron), but are you casting japanese style jig? What's the technique?

 

[ksong]

Sea Crappie,
I am packing my fishing gears as I fly down to Florida for a 44 hour bottom fishing trip on the Viking out of Tarpon Spring tomorrow morning. As soon as I have time, I'll get back to your questions.

 

[Uncle Russ]

Crappie, if you don't mind I will toss in a couple of questions along this same line for Kil as well (with the understanding that yours have priority :

Kil: Am I correct in assuming from other things you have said, that when you refer to using the 700XH (or even the 700H for that matter), you are only referring to conventionally wrapped rods?

Assuming that is correct, what would be the longest spinner you would ever use for jigging YFT?

Russ

 

[peterk814]

hey guys while i dont have the experience that kil has as far as jigging tuna goes, I have learned a few things along the way from kil as well as from my own jigging experience here on the east coast.

My personal settup which has allowed me to land yellows upt to 75 lbs in less than 2 minutes and bluefin up to about 150-175 in under 10 minutes is a tricked out trinidad 40 or 50 with 80lb tufline and a 100 meter topshot of deep one japanese jigging line along with a 10-15ft leader of 80lb flouro. The rod i use ia a 8ft 3 inch custom rod. I took a calstar 900M and cut 9 inches off the tip of it. It give me a very nice parabolic action while being extremely light. The length as kil says give me the ability to keep the fish away from the boat, as well as cast the jig further.

I have used rods as short as 6.6 feet for jigging tuna but i find especially with the up and down jigging motion that is used (yoyoing) on the east coast the longer rod makes for a lot easier jigging, and covers the most depth. the Japanese jigging style however is much more difficult with the longer rods from my personal experience.

I have caught a few tuna using the japanese styleof jigging but many more on just a simple up and down motion or squidding (reeling in slow or fast). However i utilized the up and down much more therefore that will account for the skewed data.

For the most part my fishing style consists of fishing very hard drag from the start and muscling the fish in. I can put the rod on the rail and either straight wind it or use the rail while using my weight to pump the rod slightly to gain line.

One more advantage i noticed with the longer rod is when sometimes mistakenly people try to set the hook my raising the rod rather than reeling tight and allowing the fish to set the hook, is that it gives you a little more room for error as when you lift the rod on the longer rod you take much more slack out than a shorter rod.

Hope this helps guys

 

[Guest]

i fished a 4ft 8 inch ocean tackle international 600 gram rod on the shortened gem-06 trip for several hours. it handled the 2 yellowfins that i hooked up on jigs great. if i only had one rig to fish with it would be the oti 600gram short rod and an avet lx-2. i can chunk fish and work jigs with this outfit and it excells at both for 95.3 percent of gulf tuna.....

 

[Uncle Russ]

Rick: What weight line did you use. And does that rod have a price yet?

All: What is the problem with the short rod on a party boat--just getting it far out enough over the side?

Russ

 

[Guest]

russ
i had a kaikon 4000t (trinidad 30) mounted on that rod when i was field testing the rod. it was loaded with 65lb spectre and a 15ft 50lb fluorocarbon leader. i have an avet lx2 with 80lb sprectre mounted on the rod now. that is the way i would fish it if i was chunking.

i didn't have any issues with the shorter rod as it has plenty of backbone and i was able to control the fish. a longer rod that was rated for say a 300 gram jigs would be just as short when it was bowed up under drag....rick

 

[peterk814]

"a longer rod that was rated for say a 300 gram jigs would be just as short when it was bowed up under drag....rick"

depends on what kinda rod your using. some of the extremely slow japanese rods which dont even usually com ein lengths over 6 ft bend all the way to the reel, where as a lot of the rods used here in the north east, calstar 700 xh , h, gusa wahoo, etc. shut off at a certain point and you really do get to keep the fish a lot further away from the hull of boats. especially when the fish charges directly under the boat.

As far as why we like longers rods for casting. We like to cast away from the boat to work a lot of different amounts of water, and depending on which way the current is running to keep the jig from going under the boat. We typically anchor and chum chunks and while the bait fishermen chunk jig up towards the bow. I like to cast uptide and jig yo yo style working my way back to the boat and doing the process over and over

 

[ksong]

Ok Kil, now I'm really gonna pick your brain. I agree on the drag/fight time and am not opposed to a long rod to jig w/ per se, just didn't want to buy any longer than is necessary.

I've seen you write about casting being a big part of your jigging. What does that entail. I've casted Tady style jigs to tuna (both heavies and surface iron), but are you casting japanese style jig? What's the technique?

For some unknown reason, I have more bites when I jig under the boat than when my jigs drift away. To maintain my light jigs more in 90 degree in current, the best way is to cast upcurrent.
Of course, casting away from others' lines helps not to tangle with other lines.
By casting far away from the boat, you can cover in differnt depth.
Sometimes we have tuna close to top early in the morning and I had pretty good success by casting away.

It is a challenge to catch yellowfin tuna among so many blackfin in Gulf Coast. The first thing I want to try when I go down there is the casting method. You don't need to be a rocket scientist to figure out where you fish when most yellowin usually stay on top and blackfin are thick in deep at oil rigs. When tuna are on top they usually stay outskirt of lights of a boat and you need to cast to reach them.

Our tuna jigging fishermen on the East Coast are heavily influenced by cod jigging which has been done for generations. Casting is always an important part of cod jigging and I've never seen a good cod jig fishermen who can not cast. The most popular length of cod jigging rod is 8' on party boats.

Most of my tuna jigging rods ( I use them for cod jigging too) are 8'. I experimented a 6'6" Japanese rod and Calstar 700H/700XH purposely this year. I found that the shorter rods are more convenient when I fish on a small private boats, but I still prefer the 8' rods when fishing on a big party boat. As I said before, you can fight with long 8' rod effectively when using the rail. However, you have more advantage of using shorter rods if you want to fight on harness. You can fight a 8' or longer rod on harness whether it is a spinning rod or conventional rod, but there is a trememdous difference using 6' rod and 8' rod when using a harness.

I see many Gulf Coast fishermen got to know Japanese style jigging systems and use them. But I foresee they will recognize the merit of long jigging rod eventually. We need both depending on fishing situations.

 

[Sea Crappie]

ksong,

Thanks for the explanation on casting the jigs, that helped tremendously. I figured going into this I would have to decide between a 6'6" and a 7-8ft. Looks like I may have to do both (for the sake of completeness).