Jig Fishing With Spinning Gear

[KYBassin']

I've never done much jig fishing, going to give it a try later this month. Planning on using a 3/8 jig with trailer. I've been a spinning gear guy all my life and don't want to invest in a Baitcasting set up. Any thoughts? Everything I have read suggests using a Baitcasting set up for jigs.

[smalljaw67]

I've never done much jig fishing, going to give it a try later this month. Planning on using a 3/8 jig with trailer. I've been a spinning gear guy all my life and don't want to invest in a Baitcasting set up. Any thoughts? Everything I have read suggests using a Baitcasting set up for jigs.

If you have a medium heavy spinning outfit you should be fine using it for jigs. I use casting gear for that size jig but lately I've been fishing finesse jigs 99% of the time as I'm slaying them and I use a spinning set up for those but it isn't in heavy cover, only sparse grass and around docks.

[Jacob34]

I use my Fenwick HMG for jigs and it does just fine. it's a 6'6" MH spinning rod.

[KYBassin']

Medium is too light huh?

[0119]

I use a Med TFO 6' spinning for jigs. I dont go over 3/8oz but the key is the hook size and type. Hvy wired flipping jig hooks probably not a good idea, but swim jigs, finesse jigs and such hasnt been a problem. I prefer spinning for jigs actually, I feel more what the jig is doing with the line under the rod than I do with casting rods. I also make sure to keep the trailers slim and small.

[KYBassin']

Thanks guys. Charlie...quick question. If 3/8 is 3/8, regardless of the type of jig, why does it matter what type of jig it is?

[J Francho]

A 7' mh/f spinning rod is great for this. I personally prefer using 20# braid, and a 12-15# P-line CXX leader tied on with a Alberto Knot.

[Delaware Valley Tackle]

The heavier gauge hooks require a little more power to get a good set

[KYBassin']

The heavier gauge hooks require a little more power to get a good set

Makes sense. Thanks.

[VolFan]

Depending on your specific rod, if you fish it with braid you should be fine on hooksets, even with the heavier gauge hooks. It might be a little dicey if you hook a good sized fish in cover, but I owuldn't worry too much about the hooksets with braid.

[jerzeeD]

I use a 6' 6" St Croix premier with a pflueger patriarch spinning reel in a 35 size for frogging and bottom fishing setups. I have no issues with power at all.

[SirSnookalot]

I jig with spinning gear all the time mainly because I don't own or like b/c. Med and Mh rods are fine up to a point, that point is the weight of the jig. Once I get near that 1 oz mark or more of a profile to that jig that creates water resistance, that's when I feel a jig specific rod is beneficial, my back gets sore especially if it's deep water jigging.

[tomustang]

I use a 6' 6" St Croix premier

I use to use the same thing, never had any problems

[jerzeeD]

Lol.... Guess I should have mentioned it is a MH/F rod!

[iceintheveins]

MH spinning is good for lighter jigs. I only use spinning for 1/8 ounce bitsy bugs though. Since I like a slow fall on my jigs, anything 1/4 of an ounce or over calls for 14 pound or heavier line for me, thus why I like casting gear.

[BrianSnat]

I use my Fenwick HMG for jigs and it does just fine. it's a 6'6" MH spinning rod.

The exact same rod I use for my jigs. Works fine.

[Khaled]

I have penn rampage 2 boat 30/50 , can i jig by this rod ?

On 5/11/2012 at 8:34 PM, iceintheveins said:

MH spinning is good for lighter jigs. I only use spinning for 1/8 ounce bitsy bugs though. Since I like a slow fall on my jigs, anything 1/4 of an ounce or over calls for 14 pound or heavier line for me, thus why I like casting gear.

 

[Deleted account]

On 5/8/2012 at 2:27 PM, KYBassin' said:

Medium is too light huh?

Spinning gear will work fine for jigs, but I too think that a Med rod will be too light for a 3/8 jig. Can it be done? sure, but it will be less than ideal, with braid and a smallish trailer it will do in a pinch. A true MH spinning rod will work well. I have an old BPS (Extreme I think) MH that works for a bunch of different things fresh and salt.

[Hawgfinder]

Well a guy could say it’s a medium rod but what weight is it rated for? Not all rods are created equal as they say! 

[MN Fisher]

2 hours ago, BassWhole! said:

Spinning gear will work fine for jigs, but I too think that a Med rod will be too light for a 3/8 jig. Can it be done? sure, but it will be less than ideal, with braid and a smallish trailer it will do in a pinch. A true MH spinning rod will work well. I have an old BPS (Extreme I think) MH that works for a bunch of different things fresh and salt.

 

2 minutes ago, Hawgfinder said:

Well a guy could say it’s a medium rod but what weight is it rated for? Not all rods are created equal as they say! 

^ This. My old Aird-X M/F spinning rod was rated to 3/4oz so it could handle a 3/8oz jig with trailer without much issues.

 

New addition to my arsenal for this year is an Okuma Reflections MH/F spinning rod. Rated to 1-1/4oz, it's going to be my skipping rod for 3/8oz-3/4oz jigs. Under that weight it'll be the Okuma Reflections ML/MF which is rated to 5/8oz.

[Spankey]

I’m probably one of the lighter tackle user on this site on a regular basis. I fish a lot of micro jigs, bitsy jigs, mini flipping jigs 1/8 oz.  up to 1/4 or 5/16 oz. on a 7’ med. 

 

3/8 or heavier are on a bait caster. 
 

I would not be fishing micro sized in Florida. Suitable here in NE. 

[Boomstick]

Personally, I only throw lighter jigs, 1/4oz and under on spinning gear, but you should be fine with a MH for a 3/8oz jig. If you want to throw 3/8oz and 1/2oz you're probably going to want a heavy since most spinning rods run lighter unless you can find a MH that runs on the heavier side.

 

 

[the reel ess]

I've been into baitcasting gear since I was a teen (1980s). But I do own a 7' MH-F spinning rod that has whooped a bunch of good bass. It's a BPS Viper combo rod I bouth about 15 years ago. The reel wore out a few years ago, but the rod keeps ticking. Use a pretty good reel. The one on my combo is a Pfleuger Trion size 40. I use 20 lb. braid on it. If I didn't own a BC combo, this is the one I'd use for jigs/T-rigs. Matter of fact, it's my go-to for dropping Trick Worms into spawning bass beds.

[Teal]

When I started bass fishing 20 some years ago, it was all spinning gear for me.  Just make sure that you match the power of the rod, the line and the hooks up.  You don't want a lighter rod, with light line and big stout wire hooks.  20 lbs braid and aMH spinning rod, will do fine with thick hooks.  Like wise, you don't want a MH, and thick 15 lb low stretch line on very light wire hooks.   Find a good medium wire hook and stick around 10-14 lb test or 20 lb braid.   

[WRB]

With spinning reel/rod you have less finger tip contact with your line then bait casting. Jig fishing is all about strike detection and I lose that with spinning.

The weight of the jig is only 1 factor, the hook is the most important followed by the type and jig head design.

Yes you can cast and retrieve the jig, catching bass is another issue.

Tom