SportFishing and Charters Forum - Jigging for Tuna

I fish the Northeast canyons and want to try jigging for tuna. Can I use Penn 30's and 50's or do I need to buy different rods and reels. If I need to buy jigging reels and rods can some one point me in the right direction about where to get them and what brand to use.
Thanks

I'm new to the jigging game for tuna as well. I can tell you that you'd get pretty dang tired after about 5 minutes of jigging with 30's and 50's.

I bought a custom jigging rod from Terminator Tackle with a Stella spinning reel. I haven't fished with it much but I did have a young lady whip a 83# AJ on it last month. These rods/reels can handle the weight.

you are gonna get a lot of different answers on this one and they will all be right to some degree the first question I would ask you is how much do you go? Next would be Is this the only area you plan to use these outfits and last is How much is your budget. Jigging with 30s or 50s is insane and will last about one or two drops.Give us a little more info and we can narrow down the response.

I go tuna fishing starting in mid june and do trips every other week until end of september roughly so about ten trips. This would be what I would use them for and need 3 or 4. I have a stretched budget. I don't need the best but would like something on the higher end

Men can jig 30's and 50's. More important then the reel is the rod. You want something that does not have a fast tip, like a stand-up rod. If you lift the rod tip 6 feet you want the bait to raise as close to 6 feet as possible. If your tip bends down 2-3 feet you are wasting effort.
Get a 7 foot stiff tip rod. Kevin Bogan Point Pleasant NJ makes some of the best tuna jigging rods. I do prefer Penn Torque 300's by the way.

I fish the Northeast canyons and want to try jigging for tuna. Can I use Penn 30's and 50's or do I need to buy different rods and reels. If I need to buy jigging reels and rods can some one point me in the right direction about where to get them and what brand to use.
Thanks

Speed Jigging ( Vertical jigging ) requires different gear....
1st go spinning reel, much EZ'er to Speed jig with....
Reel-Quantum Boca 80....$130
Rod- Hopper HOPS500FH 5ft 8in....$120
Line- 65-80 Braid....
You can spend $600+ on a reel and $800 on a rod.... Don't,,,,
for higher end Rod, check out "Ocean Tackle Int. Fathom Blade" super sick rods, have seen guys Boat Huge Blue Fins with them at the canyons and 60LB-200LB Yellow fins in the Gulf Stream off Florida.... They just came out with a New Rod in Mayish... buy the Newest verion, they run $300-$330.....
If you are going to buy 3-4 set-ups, i would buy 1 and try it out, then buy a 2nd, this will give you time to get a feel for what you like better....

If you are going to be vertical jigging i would suggest a light outfit but with a hefty punch!

I use the shimano travala 50-100lb class spinning rod
Shimano saragosa it has 40lbs of DRAG! with 80lb braid the 14,000-18000 saragosa is were its at

this happy customer caught his tuna off of a kayak in south Fla on a penn battle and the same rod i use with our Green Terror 5.3oz jig
http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d4/Wellcraft/Customer%20Fish%20Catches%20on%20victory%20lures/photo-1.png

As a previous poster said, lots of different answers.
My goto jigging outfit is an Avet HX 2 speed reel loaded with 80 lb spectra and a Seeker Black Steel rod 6 1/2 feet heavy action. This is good for Tuna up to 70 lbs.
Spinning reels have no feel on the drop.
trolling reels have poor free spools and are heavy and clunky.
Standup rods have about as much feel as a condom made out of a tire.

I use Accurate Twinspin 20's with Xtreme jigging rods by Accurate. Okuma also makes a good entry level rod. Jesse @ Victory Lures has exellent product and great service! Jigging is a great sport that requires alot of energy. Best of luck.

We specialize in jigging equipment. We have alot of different rods to choose from and well as reels, everything from $450 combo's to $1500 combos. We can even help you get started with all the terminal tackle and teach you how to rig it all up.

Please give us a call and we would be glad to help you

I'm new to the jigging game for tuna as well. I can tell you that you'd get pretty dang tired after about 5 minutes of jigging with 30's and 50's.

I bought a custom jigging rod from Terminator Tackle with a Stella spinning reel. I haven't fished with it much but I did have a young lady whip a 83# AJ on it last month. These rods/reels can handle the weight.

Glad you got to see that gear in action.

I fish almost exclusively in the green canyon off of the LA coast. I fished almost every day last summer but now I'm back in school. We do catch some yellowfin on jigs but pretty much all you catch is 5-25lb blackfin all night long. Just recently when is was in Florida at J&M tackle I purchased a new jig set up. Talica 2 16 by shimano. 45lbs of drag! That's as much as a Tiagra 80w! This reel is very compact and has a high and low gear along w a lever drag. As far as a rod goes, I'm still trying to find a rod that can handle this reel. I have already broken a shimano trevala xx heavy duty jigging rod. I'm not sure where exactly you are fishing but if you want to catch yellowfin I would throw poppers. Last summer We caught a 122lb tuna on a popper

I fish almost exclusively in the green canyon off of the LA coast. I fished almost every day last summer but now I'm back in school. We do catch some yellowfin on jigs but pretty much all you catch is 5-25lb blackfin all night long. Just recently when is was in Florida at J&M tackle I purchased a new jig set up. Talica 2 16 by shimano. 45lbs of drag! That's as much as a Tiagra 80w! This reel is very compact and has a high and low gear along w a lever drag. As far as a rod goes, I'm still trying to find a rod that can handle this reel. I have already broken a shimano trevala xx heavy duty jigging rod. I'm not sure where exactly you are fishing but if you want to catch yellowfin I would throw poppers. Last summer We caught a 122lb tuna on a popper

Black Hole or Jigging Master 3 kings. You will not break either of them.
http://www.terminatortackle.com/Black-Hole-Cape-Cod-Special-Conventional-Rod.php

http://www.terminatortackle.com/terminator-jigging-rods.php

Here's a good deal, rigged & ready to fish .......from another site. ... ICM

I've got a Shimano Stella 20000SW reel with rod for sale. The reel($950 retail) is used and has a few minor scratches, but works perfectly. The rod is a brand new, never been wet Star Paraflex 5'9" XXH jigging rod($200 retail) and the reel is loaded with 500 yards of Daiwa saltiga 80lb. braid. $850 takes it all.
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Capt. John Mallette
1(910) 934-2628
www.daiwa.com (http://www.daiwa.com/)
www.topsailfishingcharters.com (http://www.topsailfishingcharters.com/)

"ALCOHOL,TOBACCO,AND FIREARMS should be a convienience store, not a Gov. agency."

A budget performer is a Saragosa 18000 mounted on an Ugly Stik Tiger Lite Jigging rod 80-130# rated, spooled with straight 80# PowerPro and Fluoro leader 80-100#. Skip the hollow core line.
I know this combo is sacrilege to most, but don't knock it until you've tried it, your heavier wallet will make you smile.
If money is no object, Black Hole rod with a Stella.