I think I have put together the ultimate jig fishing combo. This is my combo. There are many like it, but this one is mine. It is my life. I must master it as I must master my life. Without me my combo is useless. Without my combo, I am useless. If you know where I got that from, we can be friends.
One thing I must confess is that I’m not really a good jig fisherman, as a matter of fact, I would probably say I’m in the bottom 2%. I have no confidence in this technique, none whatsoever. That being said if you asked me to bet on a jig fisherman vs a swimbait guy, I would put my money on the person fishing the jig each and every time without hesitation. I’m not knocking swimbait folks, but you can’t deny that jigs produce big bass more often and consistently. Leave your comments below, I would love to hear your opinion. 🙂
The Reel
Let’s start with the reel. The reel is the extension of your hand. You must be one with it. For this combo, I chose an Abu Garcia Revo Rocket. I got this reel for a couple of reasons. First, The Abu Garcia Revo Rocket has a blazing-fast gear ratio of 10.1:1. In my mind, I need to get that hawg back to my boat as fast as I can or I’ll lose it. This is a given. Secondly, this reel showed up at my house for $165 (eBay). I am not worried about the quality of the reel, Abu Garcia is a dinosaur in this industry and is known for high quality and great customer service. Let’s be honest, the color of the Revo just screams success.
The Rod
Researching a rod choice is where I spent most of my time. If you were to Google “Bass Fishing Jig Rod” you will get endless links of choices that will take you down a rabbit hole. There are so many choices, long or short, Medium or Medium Heavy, Fast or Extra Fast tip. Never mind grip and guide choice. You can buy anything you want these days either off the shelf or have one totally custom handcrafted to your exact specs and colors.
After many hours of research, I decided I wanted to spend $150 or less, I wanted a rod between 7′ and 7.5′ feet, It had to be a “heavy” rod, and lastly, have a fast tip. This was the general consensus I was starting to see surfing the internet.
While attending the New England Fishing Expo I stopped by the FX Customs Rod booth to check out what they had to offer. While I did expect to get the spiel of why I should buy one of their rods, I was more surprised that the owner of FX Custom Rods Bob Croxton was there. I am not sure exactly where he lives, but I can tell you he does not live anywhere near New England. After having a lengthy back and forth with the FX team, I settled on the Angler Series model WMB73HF.
The Line
This was an easy choice as I was not going to overthink this one. I reached out Bill Quatrucci who is the owner of BiCO jigs and asked what line he uses. Bill recommended BassPro XPS fluorocarbon. Who am I to question? A quick trip to BassPro and this was a done deal.
The Jig
I have a different thought on jigs and it might shed some light on the way my brain works and how I think. I only buy locally made jigs. BiCO’s, Samatis Baits, & Radfish Lures. I always try to support the local or independent guy first. The only thing these jigs have in common is that they are all lead-free.
Needless to say, I tied on a BiCO jig as my playing field on my test run was going to be the Charles River out of Waltham. If you ever have an opportunity to hit that area, you will see that there are a ton of pads and a ton of structure like downed trees.
The Trailer
I will be honest, this choice was a no-brainer for me. I chose to use a Razor Baits 4″ Cash Craw as my trailer. First and foremost, Razor Baits is a sponsor/advertiser on TinBoats.net. I always support those that support us here first. No matter what. To be clear, I paid for these with my own money. If you are a long-time member or reader of our site, you know if I get something for free I let it be known. I never take anything for free if it’s for personal use.
Conclusion
What is the ultimate jig fishing combo? It’s whatever you want to fit the technique you want to fish. There is no such thing as an ultimate jig fishing combo. Go get what you want and can afford. Now let’s go see if I can catch a fish with this combo.
What’s your pitching or flipping combo? Leave your comments below.
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