Best jigging rod for Stella 20000 SW

[FatTuna]

I just bought a Shimano Stella the other day that I plan to use to jig for bluefin tuna. I live a little ways north of Boston so most of the tuna that we get tend to be a decent size. I need something that is going to have some serious backbone, yet is light enough to jig with all day. I know a lot more about reels then I do about rods.

I've heard good things about blackhole rods. Does anyone know what rod Shimano recommends for jigging. I picked up a Trevela XH 5'8" jigging rod the other day; they didn't have the XXH. I might set this rod up as a diamond jigging setup for when we go down to the Cape, not sure yet.

[Bryan Young]

There are a lot of great jigging rods out there.  Most of them are really in Asia.  Asia does a lot of deep water jigging and also use a lot of large poppers for some very large fish, including tuna breaking the surface.

[Jon Vadney]

Best is a very subjective term.  It really depends on what YOU like in a rod.  For me, if money was no object, I would get a Synit Kaha 400gr or Kaha Xtreme.  My 2nd choice would be a Xzoga Taka-SA 500-55

[kmstorm64]

Best rod for the real is very subjective to what are you after, and where?  A lot of west coast kayak fisherman love the Shimano Trevela, but again it gets down to what you are targetting, and how you plan on doing it, and where. 

[FatTuna]

Agreed; the word best is relative. I guess what I'm asking is: what is your favorite jigging rod for large game fish, specially, bluefin tuna. It doesn't have to be the fanciest or the most expensive, cost is definitely a factor. Obviously I'm looking for something to compliment the reel though. The only reason I bought the stella is because it was a deal that I couldn't pass up. In a sense I see it as an investment.

Most of the tuna fishing that I've done has been chunking, trolling, and live-baiting with large conventional reels. Honestly, I haven't tried enough jigging rods for this type of fishing to know exactly what I'm looking for in this setup. Like I said, I know a lot more about reels.

[Three se7ens]

My experience is limited to cheaper rods than you are likely considering, but I have run into the issue of finding a spinning rod heavy enough to take the drag some offshore reels can produce.  In my experience, many(most?) jigging rods are rated such that the max drag is 1/5 of the highest line rating, but they load up well at considerably less drag.

I like my ugly stick tiger lite jigging rods, but they aren't available in heavy actions for spinning.  My okuma cedros jigging rod has seen 25 lbs of drag regularly, and landed half a dozen sharks in excess of 8'.  I just got an okuma andros jigging rod for my fin nor lethal 100, but I haven't had a chance to use it though. 

[Jon Vadney]

Fatstriper, if money is a concern, take a very hard look at the OTI fathom blade rods.  Another option, slightly more expensive is going to be the black hole series of rods. 
The owner of OTI's name is Brice.  He posts on bloody decks ( http://www.bdoutdoors.com ) and his name there is red34.  He is extremely helpful and could assist you with picking one of his blanks/rods.

[FatTuna]

Fatstriper, if money is a concern, take a very hard look at the OTI fathom blade rods.  Another option, slightly more expensive is going to be the black hole series of rods. 
The owner of OTI's name is Brice.  He posts on bloody decks ( http://www.bdoutdoors.com ) and his name there is red34.  He is extremely helpful and could assist you with picking one of his blanks/rods.

Jon, thanks. I will definitely check out the OTI rods.

I've heard really good things about black hole rods. A local shop carries them. I held one the other day, it was pretty light and seemed very capable. The price wasn't outrageous.

[PE Pete]

Synit 400-500g can't beat em IMO

[fIsHsTiiCkS]

I looked up the synit rods... why are they so expensive....

[PE Pete]

I looked up the synit rods... why are they so expensive....

Unique mandrels, brilliant blanks, top components, hand finished here in NZ
I visit Graeme at his HQ's & he is an unstoppable force when it comes blanks & rod design. His daughter CJ does most of the art work/finishing bling & binding.
No doubt there are other great rods out there but I doubt if there are many better! IMO
Pete

[johndtuttle]

There are budget jiggers that are very capable (Star Paraflex, Okuma, Hopper) the middle (OTI, Phenix, Black Hole) the middle high end (Saltywater Tackle) all the way up to rods like the Fisherman Pascal Short 5121 ($1200).

The thing about a jigging spinner is that you want an action that is a little faster than one you might fish with a conventional reel. You need a little more lift due to the lack of cranking power. This is a highly specialized rod you will find.

Talk to Sami and Paul at Saltywatertackle.com they are our national experts and Sami has landed BFT to 442lbs on jigging and popping set ups.

If you are going after BFT you owe it to yourself to understand what you need and what to expect to pay.

I had Brice at OTI build me a Synit Tuna Pro for around $500 or so. That would be a highly recommended blank for tuna jigging.

[coastal_dan]

I can't chime in about the rods, but for jigging / throwing poppers in the Upper NE check out www.CoastalCharterssportfishing.com , Dom has some serious Shimano set ups.  He has a website as well as updates FB frequently.  Hoping to do a charter with him next June.

[MarkT]

I'd take a hard look at the Black Holes. I've met Kil Song at the Long Beach Fred Hall Show and have seen a lot of his videos.

[Brad_hook]

Maybe suss out what rods these guys are using....