Jigging Rod Dilemma

[Jason D'Angelo]

hey all, in the process of booking a trip next year in fiji for a weeks gt popping and doggie jigging.
i pretty much have the popping aspects covered and most probly be purchasing a popper rod from Fishhead.

now my dilemma is i am not to familiar and experienced in jigging, but i really want to give it my all at jigging dogtooth tuna
which i no is a very hard ball game.
im running a 6500 saltiga with pe8 braid, and will most probly be using jigs from 200 grams up over the seamonts in fiji.

i have read so much info over man forums and there is so many rods choices and options suited for all aspects of jigging.
i have been over to fremantle jigging the samson fish, using my Jigging master three kings special 53SM pe-4-8
but have found even on the samsons still felt a little bit light and found it hard some times to get some power in the rod stopping them from structure sometimes.

i dont really have a budget
im 22 years old weigh 70kg, and would like something that is going to have alot of balls power and hopefully help me get some big doggies to my name which i no is going to be a very hard challenge.

i have been told that the Smith Nirai's would be a good option, but
i am open to find out from your help and past knowledge and experiences what would be best for my
dogtooth situation in jigging.

living in south australia is hard as our market here does not cater to hardly any jigging.

your help is much appreciated

[Jon Li]

Check MC Works SB556MS or SB516SS , these are the two most popular rod for amberjack n dogtooth tuna . If these two aren't powerfull enough , SD538XX surely can handle the biggest dogtooth  tuna you are likely to encounter .

Jon .

[Brandon Khoo]

your biggest problem is the choice as much as anything else! There are so many options in jig rods from many respected brands.
One thing you will need to watch out for though is that having mentioned that your current rod is a bit light on, you're going to get some recommendation for some brutal sticks. The Southern Deep which Jon has mentioned is a monster rod. It it enormously powerful and short of a couple of custom Sevenseas rods and the ridiculous Zenaq Monster Buster, it is probably the strongest jigging rod I have seen. You just need to be sure you can hold on to it.

[Doug Mac]

You could also try a Ripple Fisher 5215 its not ridiculously heavy but still got plenty in it when you need it IMHO. The 5220 is rated the same PE8 but is a reel stump puller!! I also agree with Jon some of the MC works rods are magnificent , but not that easy to find sometimes.

[Mark Harris]

Jason, there are several considerations here.

I don't believe anyone can muscle a really big Dogtooth. Some might think that they can.  What you need most is a whole bunch of luck, followed by a rod that you are physically capable of hanging on to during a very long and powerful first run.

The jig weights used are also an enormous consideration. Some of the heavier rods mentioned above are not going to be great for working 200-300 gram jigs - you just wont get enough action on the jig.

You also mention using PE8 line. In my mind that is very heavy for jigging.  Most of the really good jiggers I know who target big Doggies and Amberjacks, use PE6 or even push it to PE5. This means you get less drag in the water and a whole lot more line on your spool (on a 6500 for example, you would 500 metres PE6).  This could make all the difference with a big Dogtooth.

[Brandon Khoo]

I normally make it a point not to comments on posts in the jigging section of the forum because I am so bad at it. Some bastard on this forum who will remain unnamed reckons when I am jiigging, it looks like an octopus falling out of a tree. I cursed him to be forever plagued by wind-knots, coning on his spool and that he would be followed by leatherjackets whenever he went jigging.

That said, I really don't think going to PE5 for dogtooth is a good option. I have enough reservations on PE6. It is true that a big doggie will pretty much do what it wants but every little bit helps. Also, a lot of the water you are jigging in Fiji won't be at the same depths you are jigging for amberjacks.

[Ben Lovelace]

Ahhhhahhhhh....Brandon sounds like someone touched a nerve..... hehehehe......."I cursed him to be forever plagued by wind-knots, coning on his spool and that he would be followed by leatherjackets whenever he went jigging."

[Mark Harris]

LOL Brandon. That is funny .

[Dmitrii Novgorodtcev]

As for PE choice for dogtooth, I usually use 2 set ups. One with PE5 and another one with PE6.
PE5 goes for deeper spots, more than 90-100m, when you have to use heavier jig, but PE5 lets you use a bit lighter jigs without fatigue.
PE6 goes for depth less than 90 meters. You can still use lighter jigs but have more power in line.
I used to use PE8 in past, but I stopped because its big drift (i am not sure i said it right in English).

But after my last trip, I came to a thought that if your trip is dogtooth jigging dedicated trip and if you use PE5, you have to change line every 3 days, because three days of fast jigging spoils the line and it starts to break on fish. I had a lot of big hook ups and line breaks just in the middle. After inspecting the line I saw a lot of very little defects arised on first 100m lengh, as i thought, from a contact with the rings in a process of speed jigging. The line was new Varivas Max Power. So, from this point of view, PE8 may be more durable, though it is much harder for working jigs.

And I am very agree with Mark. Landing big dogtooth has a big part of luck and not only tackles.

[Mark Harris]

Good observations Dmitrii.  The drift and drag on the line, together with capacity issues, are the main reasons I do not use thicker than  PE6 for jigging.  I suspect a bit of that depends on the strength of current where you are fishing. In gentle current areas PE8 would not so much of a problem I guess.

[Dmitrii Novgorodtcev]

Yes, Mark, fishing with PE8 in deep place with big current you may find yourself almost spooled even before the bite  And with thinner PE you can make more retrieves during one drift, which is a very big advantage of PE5 and PE6.

On the other side is power of PE8. But using PE8 is much dependant on the spot conditions. And if I used it, it would be the optional set up on board to use in certain spots (depth up to 60-70m) provided I had one more option set up of PE5 or PE6.

So, Jason, if you are going to have only one set up onboard for dogtooth jigging, may be, the best choice would be PE6. It has power in comparison with PE5, but much more versatile in terms of fishing conditions in comparison with PE8.

I do not know about dogtooth jigging conditions in Fiji though and speaking only in general for dogtooth jigging.

[Dmitrii Novgorodtcev]

Speaking about rod for dogtooth, my opinion is for longer rod. Best lengh is 59, thought it can be compromised down to 57 minimum. I think this range is best combination of factors important specially for dogtooth jigging - working speed, amplitude, hook up, pressure to the fish and load to the angler.

I think that Patriot Design has one of the best lineups of dogtooth jigging rods. The point is that this maker provides proven powerful rods longer than 56 which is very rear. Check Grand Imperial series. I think Grand Imperial Diamond or Platinum 58 is exactly what you need. If you need cheaper options, check Patriot Design Black Imperial VX400/57 or 500/57. This series is more friendly for your back, but a bit softer, so fast working a jig is easier with Platinum or Diamond.

I think that Seven Seas Northern Mariana 595 Dogtooth 100 is VERY good option for dogtooth, but it is very expensive.

I know that there are a lot of votes for Smith Nirai, but I think this rod is not for dogtooth. Its lifting power is very poor in comparison with what you need for dogtooth. If you still want it, I can give you mine by halfprice 

[Dmitrii Novgorodtcev]

refer here for the rod action
VX500/57 -

&sns=em
Gran Imperial Platinum -

&sns=em

[Jason D'Angelo]

so for winning over these doggies, would a rod suited for one line class such as PE8 be better much better off jigging doggies
compare to a rod which is rate from pe 4-8. and only need to work jigs from 150-300 grams
its hard to know how the fight, i do own the jigging master three kings 53S-M PE 4-8
but it has not been used for doggies, only a few samsons.
and on my trip dont want to take a knife to a gun fight if you know what i mean?

but i do know that alot of luck comes in to the situation, but wanting to know what would help me as much possible

[Dmitrii Novgorodtcev]

We are all so addicted to digits!  So am I , especially when it concerns choosing the tackles...

I think for doggies you need POWERFULL rod (good hooking and lifting power), not so much depending on the jig weight you are going to use, but up to the limit you can handle in terms of working the jig for long time and fighting the fish. You can work the 250g jig with a rod with MAX 500g lure specification, but you will lack power fighting 50kg doggy with a yellowtail specialized rod (which are usually MAX 300g lure weight).

And take into consideration that different makers put specifications for a certain model basing on their own consideration and some of them allow themself huge compromises. So in reality a PE8 rod of one maker can be different in comparison to PE8 rod of the other maker. The same is for jig weight. And the even more difference is with drag specification. I saw rods with enourmous drag declared, though far more powerfull rods have much less drag spec.