And is so, what would be the best thing?
Do I need a rod longer than 7ft for mini jigs?
And is so, what would be the best thing?
if i were you i would go with an 8 foot. The best rod i ever had was a 8 foot daiwa spinnmatic and it only cost me fourty bucks at turners.
8' is the best length from shore, but very few companies make an 8' UL. Anything over 8' is unnecessary IMO. The longest length you can usually find is 7'6" and that is fine if you can't find the 8'. On a boat you can use a 7' no problem. If you want to go budget then the Daiwa Spinmatics are where it's at. The budget Kencors were nice and they had a good 7'6" model, but Kencor is out of business now so it'll be hard to find what you. Fenwick, St. Croix, and Berkley make some decent budgets too, but the Daiwas are better. There really aren't that many mid range ultra lights, but you might be able to get a deal on the Kencor Tenlew Magnaglasses that'll make it mid-range price if you can find one.
On the high end market, you either have G. Loomis or Phenix. Phenix is actually cheaper and makes an 8' rod with a good taper, so they are the best bet for a mini jig rod. You could drop the bills on the Loomis, but it's not going to do the job any better than the Phenix and it costs more.
Thanks for the input
I have 2 GLoom 7 footers ... and they only have a 7'6" which just came out ... and only gives me 6 inches more. Their description makes it sound like it would have better action than my 7 footers. BTW, why are they usind this new rod end? Is it called a Tennessee?
Originally Posted by billy b
7 ft works fine, but up to 8 ft is the best IMHO....
Spinmatic is a great Rod at any price....
The Tennessee Handle is not new at all.
It is much cheaper to make (no reel seat)..
Some prefer it, lighter, placing the reel where you want it etc???
Not my cup of tea though. I dont like taping my Reel to my rod...
.
Daiwa Spinmatic my friend. Cheap and pretty nice quality.
If you can, Sam Gann has a great deal on his Phenix 8.5" which would be absolutely perfect for minijigs.
shakespear agility 7' ultra light on sale at fish usa
Hmm.....this is the EXACT question I was thinking of posting - so really appreciate your post.
Conventional wisdom would say that a longer rod casts further than shorter rods due to the longer leverage and thus, tip speed.
However, here, I question conventional wisdom.
1. Those of you who propose a longer rod, have you actually compared casting distance between a shorter (7') and longer (7'6", 8" or 8'6") rod of the same blank design by the same maker?
2. I believe it is all a matter of tip speed. I built some truly ultra high performance UL rods and tested two identical rods actions in 7' and 8'. I did not find the 8' casting further. To the advantage of the 8', it had a $300 reel while the 7' had a $30 reel. But both reels were optimized with the same line for max casting distance so I don't think there's going to be much difference.
I can say more but I'm looking for others who have done similar tests and found the longer rod casting further.
Note - you MUST be testing with mini jigs which I think is between 1/64 and 1/16th ounce. Testing with bass lures changes the whole dynamics and my observation does NOT apply.
UL
Last edited by Ultralight; 11-11-2009 at 11:24 PM.
As to what is 'best' as you asked, it depends on your budget.
If your budget is 'unlimited' and you want a production rod with excellent warranty, I would look at some of the Loomis GLX Trout rods. Over $400. However, at that stratospheric price, you can do better with a custom built for performance.
For more sane budgets, I've heard Daiwa Spinmatic is very high bang for the buck. It would behave quite differently from the GLX of course.
UL
Last edited by Ultralight; 11-11-2009 at 11:58 PM.
Lot's of good recommendations given. For a cheapie but pretty good setup, I like the Daiwa Heartland 8'6 rod. It comes in 2-6lb. Cheap-n-good!
It's my observation, you're not so much worried about "length of rod" for casting, but more so for the action you need to impart. I fish my jigs by gently hopping them off the bottom, so, this means I like a soft actioned long rod.
Of course, everyone does things differently....so mileage may vary.
Last edited by sansou; 11-12-2009 at 12:38 AM.
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