outfit for newbie

[gav matthews]

g,day guys.firstly id like to say hi to you all,im new here and even newer to jigging in general,im more into flicking lures for bass,bream and barra when the opportunity presents itself.my brother is just getting into jigging off townsville and his stories of his recent trips are stirring an itch that needs to be scratched ...i wont have many oppurtinities to get to townsville to fish,but would like to get some gear together so im ready to go.im not wanting to spend to much to start for obvious reasons {also got to make sure the old body is going to stand up to the riggers of this style of fishin  }.....so the question is what would be some reasonable gear to get me started? i understand john is fishing deepish water and using jigs in the 300-500grm range,i see some good 2nd hand gear being sold on this website,but i wouldnt know what was what  so any help would be appreciated,cheers,gav.

[Brandon Khoo]

Hi Gav - if your brother is fishing 300-500g jigs, then he is jigging deep water and you will need equipment that is at least able to stand up to the rigours of being able to constantly retrieve jigs of that weight. I'm probably one of the worst jiggers in the world but I think I can at least give you some idea on what might be suitable within an acceptable price range.

you'd probably be wanting to fish PE6-8 class so I have a few suggestions below:

Most of the seasoned jiggers here use Shimano Stella 20000 or Daiwa Saltiga 6500 Expeditions. These reels are specially made to take the rigours of deepwater jigging but are very expensive, ranging in price from about $1200 - $1500. That said, you don't need to spend money of this magnitude especially if you're just starting off the sport. Two reels you could consider are the Shimano Spheros and Saragosa in the 18000 size. These reels are much cheaper than their stablemate, the Stella. i think you wil find these ranging from about $280 to $400. Both of these reels are capable and have been designed to handle the drag pressure necessary ot extract big tough fish from the depths.

In terms of a rod, again, if you're look at the premium end of the market, there are rods for frightening prices. You don't need to spend that kind of money though and a couple of excellent rods you could look at include the Shimano T-Curve 400. This rod can be had for around $350 and is an terrific rod for the price. It will match up well with the Saragosa or Spheros. A Daiwa Monster Mesh 582XHB would also be suitable and can be had for around $300.

You should be able to put an outfit together for $600 to $700 which is less than the price of a second hand Stella or saltiga.

By the way, if you haven't jigged before, stick to the lightest jigs you can get away with. For me, a 500g jig makes a nice paper weight. Why would anyone with any common sense want to drop half a kilo down 120m and reel it back up again!?    of course, there is nothing wrong with casting a 250g popper and reeling it back..........

[gav matthews]

hi brandon,thanks for your reply,im sorry mate but i may knock you off your "worlds worst jigger" ranking ....ill check and find out if he is using 500grm jigs,i think thats what he said he used last trip.i presume like most styles of lure fishing,circumstances change from trip to trip.i hear you when you say fish as lite as possible.i was thinking along the lines of the equipment you mentioned,just thought id throw the question out there and see whats about,most of your basic tackle outlets dont cater for specialist gear.i also presume the models you mention will cater for the lighter jigs also? [ 250-400 ] ...pe.8 am i right in guessing thats about 80lb? anyhow,thanks again mate,cheers,gav.

[Robert Palcak]

For me, a 500g jig makes a nice paper weight. Why would anyone with any common sense want to drop half a kilo down 120m and reel it back up again!?    

That's nothing, try this...



Dancing Magic jig - 70cm long, 1.2kg , about $300

[gav matthews]

ouch!!

[Brandon Khoo]

That's a baby! Dancing Magic have a jig that is about a metre long. It is supposed to be ornamental but if I remember correctly, one of the guys actually used it in NZ and caught something with it. The put it away pretty quick though - cost too much!

[gav matthews]

  bugger that.hey brandon,you heard of these new spheros they were chatting about on an earlier post? thet out yet or do you think i would be better off with the sargosa

[Brandon Khoo]

Gav, I haven't personally used either of these two reels but the Saragosa is higher up on the Shimano pecking order

[gav matthews]

hi again brandon.firstly,thankyou again for your help mate ...yes i understand that,just thought they were beefing the spheros up a bit may have made it a better reel.ive had a look at the saragosa and it seems like a nice reel to get me started,ive just put two t-curves on layby,one 400 spin and a 200 spin,got them for an ok price so decided to get both ill pay them off and get two reels to suit.obviously the 18000 for the 400 and thinking of the 14000 for the 200.should i consider beefing these reels up or fish them out of the box.cheers,gav.

[Brock Arifovic]

That jig is rediculous, it's asking for trouble & a world of hurt

[Robert Palcak]

Gav, the Saragosa is fine out of the box... really good drag for a mid range reel.
I'd also consider a 8000 Saragosa for the 200 spin... it would make a much more balanced lighter outfit with say, 50lb braid.

[Brandon Khoo]

with a bit of luck, a 300kg cod would take it and the angler would feel obliged to fight it like hell because they wouldn't want to lose such an expensive jig!

That jig is rediculous, it's asking for trouble & a world of hurt

[gav matthews]

hi robert,thanks for that mate ill take that aboard,cheers,gav.