rod for casting 1/16 oz jigs

[waz]

What would be a good rod for casting a 1/16 oz jig with a minnow. Looking for good distance and sensitivity. Typically use 5 1/2 -6ft jig rods but they are not good for casting light jigs.

[dave]

well i am not the walleye angler alot of these guys are but i use a 10 1/2ft micro light from bass pro. i bought the rod for crappie fishing but i have also been useing it for throwing light jigs trying to catch a walleye. dave

[Eyez]

I just finished building a 6'6" loomis IMX. I believe it's a s781. It's not the sj series, it has considerably less backbone, and I'm hoping that the flex and the length helps with casting light jigs withought losing the minnow every other cast. I built it with slightly oversized guides to help casting distance also. The soft tip should load up good when casting, but be sensitive enough to feel the light bites. Short stiff rods don't work well for casting small jigs.


Eyez

[waz]

That is a bit whippy with no hookset I believe.

[Gunga Din]

I bought a new Loomis last year and love it. It's a SR843-2 7' GL3. I put a Stradic 2000 on it (should have gone 1000) and Fireline 6/2. I can cast a 1/16 oz jig halfway across the lake, and can even cast a 1/32 pretty well too! I've caught some nice fish with it, and it provides great sensitivity with adequate backbone. I haven't caught a fish yet that was too much for it.

[dave]

now you didnt say that you wanted a good hard hookset on this pole<G> just kidding. i have only caught small walleyes and it is great for them but on the larger ones you are probably right about the hook set. but when i set a hook about any rod will get the job done. dave

[Eyelander]

what does oversized eyelets have to do with casting further???
My rods have smaller than normal eyelets along with the fact that the number of eyelets are probably twice as many as your average rod and I get casts out there far.

[dave]

less friction between the guides and the line.

[WAeyes]

According to the Fuji company, more and smaller guides cause less friction and get farther casts. Look at any of their ads where they are on different rods, including St. Croix. Check out their website too.

[dave]

well lets look at it this way<<G> i have a bas pro walleye marshel crappie rod it has 13 eyes and all of them are small compared to my bass pro micro light. my micro light has 9 eyes and i can cast a 1/64 oz jig about twice as far. now i have always been told that larger eye caused less friction. if i am wrong i apologize for the missleading information. dave

[GregK]

I came into a great Leminglass fly rod blank that a friend turned into a "noodle" rod for me. Lots of small Fuji guides. It will cast most anything that is small. You need to hammer during hook sets but the rod is very good at keeping tension on the fish. I use it for smallmouth as well. The downside is that it will kill your arm after about 3 hours. It's an 8 1/2 foot blank that goes all the way through the grip. We use a smaller spinning reel and 6# line.

[Eyez]

Not all of the guides on that rod are oversized. The tip is either a 7 or 8 ring (can't remember for sure), pretty standard. IMO, the guides on most rods are not ideal for long distance casts. This is still an experiment, but I don't like the way rods have one large guide towards the reel seat, and the rest are all about the same size. I used sizes that allowed a more even taper in the diameter of the guides toward the tip. That should result in less line slap on any single guide, and smooth the flow of line through the guides when casting light jigs. With a heavy jig, I don't think it would matter much, but with a 1/32 oz jig, the friction can be a major factor. Casting distance also has alot to do with the flex of the rod, that's why I used a relatively soft rod. It will load up good with light jigs. Casting a 1/16 oz jig with some 6' jigging rods is like trying to cast with a broomstick, because the jig isn't heavy enough to flex the rod on the back cast.

I'll take it out in the back yard tonite and make a few casts to see how it feels.


Eyez

[WAeyes]

I am not real positive which is better for longer casts and less friction. I was just bringing up the point of view from the Fuji company, I have no ties with them, just reporting what I have read. I think the only way you could compare Fuji guides to oversized guides is if you had 2 identical rods except for the guides, in my opinion.

[REW]

Eyez.

This is a mixed bag.

I used to believe in the rod guides size as you speak. I have built a lot of rod in the last few years and have experiemented quite a bit with different guide sizes. I have found that if you are using a spinning reel - the best guide sizes are determined as much by line test as well as several other variables.

i.e. - if you are fishing very light jigs - it is likely that you are fishing very light line. i.e. 2-4 lb test line. With line this light - the coiling of spinning line - is much reduced, compard to what the line would be doing if it were 10 lb test.

Hence the reasoning - and the testing completedy by Fugi and others - in determining that if the first guide or two if fairly large - the vast majority of line loop and twist has beel straightned out by the time that the line gets to the 3rd guide. That is why - for the Fugi concept guide system - that by the time that the line gets to the 4th guide, the guide is small and fairly close to the blank. There is no reason to have the guide off the blank - if the line is running straight and true. Also, by having as many guides as possible close to the blank - more of the line is sheltered by the blank and is less subject to wind whipping - when you fisn on those windy days.

So, as one of the others have mentioned -- I also just completed 3 of the 9 foot steel head blanks to be used for crappie and other light line, light jig fishing. I did use the concept guide system - and did a bit of practice casting in the back yard. Certainly no problem is casting over the neighbors roof - well behind me with a 1/16oz jig. This is with 2 lb test line.

I also built up the same rod - except cut 3 feet off the butt end to make it a 6 1/2 foot rod - when I don't have the luxury of transporting a long 1 piece rod. i.e. I don't have my boat - where I can keep it in the storage locker.

For now

REW