Menu
Menu
So, you’re looking to try your luck with jigging? It’s among the most fun you’ll have when fishing, that’s for sure. However, this is only if you have the right rod.
Without a jigging rod, you’ll struggle to catch anything using this method. In fact, you’re more likely to end up with a broken blank.
So far, the GooFish 6’6’’Jigging Rod makes for the most efficient choice. But, you may want to consider other options like the Fiblink Graphite Rod or the Okuma Cedros, both of which are affordable and easy to use.
Need more details?
Check below to learn what these deliver and how to decide on just one.
Best Jigging Rods Reviews
- GOOFISH Jigging Rod 6’6″(195cm)
- Fiblink Saltwater Graphite Jig Pole
- Okuma Cedros E-Glass
- Tsunami TSSPJC-661MH Trophy Slow Pitch Rods
- Penn Rampage Boat Spinning Fishing Rod
- GooFish Matte Black Fuji Setting Size 6’6(195cm)
- Rosewood 1.95m Slow Jigging Rod
- SHIMANO TREVALA Spinning, Graphite Saltwater
- PENN Carnage II & Carnage III Fishing Rod
- St.Croix Avid Ice Fishing Rod
1. GOOFISH Jigging Rod 6'6"(195cm)
This jigging rod is among the best options you can get for this type of fishing. It comes in many sizes, and you can also choose between a 1-piece and 1.5-piece blank.
The Solid Nano Tech blank is lightweight yet strong and durable. In addition, it has a sensitive tip that’s typically common for jigging rods.
This one is specifically made for slow jigging, so it’s softer and longer than traditional rods that were used before. Nonetheless, it’s capable of handling heavy fish without breaking.
It’s equipped with Fuji K-Frame, A-Ring guides, a Fuji reel seat, and EVA handles. These accessories make quite a difference, especially when it comes to their overall durability.
At first glance, you’ll notice it’s thin and light, but don’t worry about this affecting its performance. It bends as it should and is comfortable to use for hours at a time.
2. Fiblink Saltwater Graphite Jig Pole
This Fiblink is another pole made specifically for vertical jigging. However, it works well for other fishing techniques as well.
You can choose between a 1- and 2-piece blank, depending on your needs and preferences. The composite blank is easier to carry around and store when it’s a 2-piece.
It has 6+1 stainless steel guides with ceramic inserts to reduce the friction from braided lines. These are spread out across the blank to allow the line to run smoothly.
On top of that, it has an aluminum alloy reel seat and an aluminum gimbal butt. Its high-density EVA handle and foregrips make it easy to control, especially when fighting heavy fish.
Its moderate to fast action is perfect for jigging, but you might have to get used to its weight. It’s on the heavier side and often not flexible enough for other fishing techniques.
3. Okuma Cedros E-Glass Jigging Rods
Okuma Cedros is meant for all-day jigging, thanks to its unique fiberglass construction. Although it’s slightly on the heavy side, it’s still easy to use even during long fishing trips.
Plus, fiberglass is virtually indestructible. It has excellent shock-absorbing properties that allow comfortable use with braided lines.
However, fiberglass isn’t as sensitive and lightweight as graphite. And, this one doesn’t come with a gimbal butt.
It has ALPS stainless steel guides with zirconium inserts to provide smooth action without traction. On top of that, the ALPS pyramid-shaped reel seats are made from anodized aluminum. They’re meant to hold your reel in place even as you fight heavy fish.
It’s important to note that the Cedros comes in many lengths and action varieties. In addition, it’s available as a casting and spinning rod, so think about what fits your fishing style the best.
4. Tsunami TSSPJC-661MH Trophy Slow Pitch Rods
The Tsunami Trophy is a modern jigging rod with an ultra-thin carbon fiber blank. It has a durable handle that can take quite a beating without showing any signs of wear and tear.
Its multi-layer construction brings high levels of bending capabilities, sensitivity, and power. It might not look like a suitable option at first glance, but this one will surprise you.
It’s made to handle braided lines with its Fuji hardware known for its longevity and durability. In addition, the Fuji Deep-Pressed Concept “O” guides have an epoxy coating for maximum resilience and smoothness.
Tsunami Trophy has Fuji graphite reel seats for slim, lightweight reels. However, these are designed to handle high pressure, which makes the rod ideal for jigging.
Its ergonomically designed high-density EVA grips are comfortable and wear-resistant. Finally, it’s available in moderate-fast and fast action, with medium-heavy to XX-heavy power.
5. Penn Rampage Boat Spinning Fishing Rod
Penn Rampage is meant for vertical jigging in deep water. It’s a quality piece with high-quality components and features that bring versatility and comfort.
It’s made from graphite and fiberglass composite to bring maximum durability and sensitivity. This means it can handle heavy fish without breaking, but it’ll also show you the slightest bite under the water.
Its Fuji aluminum guides with aluminum oxide inserts allow smooth performance, even with braided lines. It also has a graphite reel seat with a lock to provide a secure fit.
Its EVA foregrip has a triangle shape for maximum control and a secure grip. And, it comes with a Penn rubber gimbal that helps increase comfort and avoid damage if the butt hits the ground.
This one is a common choice of professionals, which says about its overall quality and efficiency.
6. GooFish Matte Black Fuji Setting Size 6’6(195cm)
This GooFish jigging rod is available in a variety of lengths, pieces, and actions. Like most GooFish rods, this one has a Solid Nano Tech blank for maximum power and sensitivity.
It’s a lightweight one, so you won’t have any issues holding it in your hands for extended periods. Plus, this allows easy transportation.
You’ll notice its quality right when you get it out of the packing. It feels nice and performs equally as well in different jigging conditions.
It has Fuji hardware known for its durability and efficiency. However, what stands out the most is the tangle-free K-guide with a ring that allows smooth performance regardless of the line you use.
On top of that, it has a Fuji reel seat for increased comfort, handling, and stability. In addition, the handles feature EVA foam that can handle quite some beating.
7. Rosewood 1.95m Slow Jigging Rod
Rosewood slow jigging rod is a modern model with a long and flexible blank. It’s lightweight but strong, so you can expect it to perform well for years to come.
Plus, this one is relatively affordable, which is especially important if you’re new to jigging. What makes it stand out is the Japanese carbon fiber cross-wrapped construction. It gives extraordinary strength without making it bulky or heavy.
Its sensitivity allows you to feel whatever is happening under the surface and near your hook. This is even more enhanced by its EVA foam split-grip handles.
Overall, this one has enough backbone to handle heavy lines and jigs. It’s perfect for landing big fish and fighting it without as much hassle.
This is especially the case thanks to the O-Department guides that allow smooth line flow and equal heat dissipation.
8. SHIMANO TREVALA Spinning, Graphite Saltwater
Shimano Trevala is an innovative spinning rod for jigging at high speed. It has a high-carbon butt section fused with a tc4 tip.
It’s the new Shimano design meant to provide optimal levels of sensitivity, responsiveness, and durability.
This one is reinforced with Fuji aluminum oxide guides. These are diamond-polished for a smooth finish and decreased line wear. Plus, they’re also corrosion-resistant and offer excellent heat dissipation.
Trevala is equipped with EVA foam grips for maximum comfort. These are easy to hold even when wet, which is always important for extended fishing trips.
The rod is 5’8’’ long, featuring extra heavy power and moderate fast action. In addition, it’s a lightweight rod that can easily handle up to 100lbs and deep-water conditions.
Although it’s considered pricey, it’s right there among the most top-notch jigging rods used by professionals.
9. PENN Carnage II & Carnage III Fishing Rod
Penn Carnage II and III are specifically made for jigging. These are high-quality rods suitable for both beginners and professional anglers.
Penn offers three lengths in either spinning or casting models. You can choose between 5’8’’, 6’2’’, and 6’6’’ lengths and line rates between 30 and 200 pounds.
The SLS3 construction offers a solid balance of sensitivity, weight, and strength. Both Carnage II and III have Fuji guides with alconite inserts excellent for braided lines.
The casting models have Fuji reel seats, whereas the spinning ones have Pac Bac aluminum reel seats. On top of that, spinning rods have a rubber grip handle, while the casting ones have a finger grip handle.
Either way, it’s a 1-piece jigging rod with an aluminum gimbal butt. It’s a good choice because you can pick the best version that works for your needs.
10. St.Croix Avid Ice Fishing Rod
This St.Croix is meant for jigging for perch, panfish, walleye, trout, and more freshwater species. Most interestingly, it pairs well with inline ice and spinning reels if you’re looking for more versatility.
The precision-taper solid carbon blank is among the strongest out there. It’s a perfect combination of sensitivity, action, and strength, but without too much unnecessary weight.
It comes with a Kigan stripper and running guides that sit low on the rod. These are designed and spread out to reduce friction while offering good heat dissipation.
Plus, it has sensitive carbon handles for control and comfort. They’re designed to reduce fatigue when you hold the rod in hand for an extended period.
And, you can choose between a few sizes and medium, medium-light, and medium-heavy tension levels.
Tips on How to Use it
The first thing you should think about is your position when casting. In most cases, you should avoid crosswind casting, or you won’t feel the lure.
Also, make sure to position the lure at the bottom. You may also want to bounce it a bit to feel the bottom and attract the fish.
If you’re a fan of vertical jigging from a boat, you should place the rod tip above the lure. However, control the boat well so that the sideway movements don’t influence the jig.
These best jigging rods are made to deliver the same things, so there’s no significant difference between each model. However, some are still easier to use than others, especially if you’re a beginner.
Buying Guide for Jigging Rods
Buying a jigging rod is relatively simple once you think about a few factors. However, it would help if you considered several important things before buying to ensure you’re getting the best one.
This sounds more challenging than it is, as you’ll learn from the guide included.
Jigging Fishing Pole Brand
There are popular jigging fishing pole brands such as Shimano, Ugly Stik, and Toadfish.
The best way to figure out if a brand is reliable is to check customer reviews. This is where people often talk about the quality of the product and their customer service.
Weight of the Jigging Rod
There are two weight considerations when buying a jigging rod. The first is the weight of the rod and is closely related to how comfortable it is to use.
You’ll probably hold it in your hands for several hours, so it’s important that it’s not too heavy. A good rod is lightweight, comfortable, and balanced enough to use throughout the day.
You should also think about the rod’s weight rating. The rods are designed to handle specific line and jig weights when they’re angled at 45 degrees. This is when the rod tip is pointed vertically towards the water surface.
Length
As you may have noticed, jigging rods are short. They’re typically 5’, 5’6’’, or 6’ long. As such, these rods are easy to handle with a wide variety of jigs.
Although they’re short, they typically have a lot of power and are incredibly strong. Modern models might be longer and more flexible, but this requires a bit of getting used to.
Longer rods are versatile, and you can use them for more than just jigging. However, they’re not quite as efficient as traditional jigging rods.
Power from a Heavy Jigging Rod
Jigging is a unique fishing technique when people target big fish like snook, amberjack, halibut, and other similar species. They’re meant for heavy jigs and jerky, vertical motions.
In most cases, you’ll need a heavy or extra-heavy power jigging rod for this type of fishing. These poles often have sufficient backbone to handle heavy fish without breaking.
Think about the area where you’ll cast and how heavy the cover is. You want a rod that can pull the fish from this heavy cover and deep water.
Action
The action is among the most critical things to think about before buying. It tells you how well the rod can transfer the action into the jig to attract the fish.
A tip that’s too stiff will make it hard to maintain a good rhythm. One that’s too soft is likely to result in an ineffective jig and non-responsive rod.
This might be tricky to decide on because jigging requires paying good attention to detail. For this reason, moderate-fast to fast action is typically the best for jig fishing.
A fast-action tip will enable the hook to set in the fish’s mouth properly.
Durability
The durability of your rod depends on the materials it’s made from. However, you should first ensure that your rod is actually meant for jigging. Going for one that isn’t meant for this type of fishing in the first place is a recipe for disaster.
So, once you know the rod you’re interested in will work for jigging, you should also think about a few more things. First and foremost, check the materials.
Most brands use graphite and fiberglass as the two most durable options. These can handle rough use and variable conditions, so you won’t go wrong with either.
Warranty
All jigging rods come with a warranty that’s at least a year long. However, this always depends on the brand itself since many offer longer-lasting deals.
It’s an important factor to think about because it gives you peace of mind. Knowing that the manufacturer stands behind its product is always a good thing.
But, take some time to read the details of what the warranty includes. In most cases, it’s only the damage caused by faulty materials and manufacturing.
FAQ for Jigging Rods
Can I Jig From Shore?
Shore jigging is quite popular and often practiced by professionals. It involves the use of heavy and large lures and jigs, enabling you to catch big fish.
Most often, shore jigging is popular on the Mediterranean coast, although you can find people doing it worldwide.
Why Should I Use a Special Rod in Jigging?
Jigging is a unique fishing technique you won’t be able to do with any rod. However, a jigging rod has the right length and comfort to work the jigs for prolonged periods.
Plus, these have the right sensitivity and ability to bend just enough without breaking. Vertical jigging is quite demanding and is where most rods break unless they’re meant specifically for this fishing method.
How to Fish a Jig for Bass?
You’ll want to have the right equipment starting out with a good all-around purpose rod for jig fishing. Then you’ll want to focus on just two different colors for jigs which are your browns and green pumpkins.
Once you have the proper equipment to fish a jig for bass, then you’ll want to follow this step by step walkthrough guide on how to fish a jig for bass. walkthrough guide on how to fish a jig for bass.
Final Thoughts on the Best Jigging Rods
At this point, you probably found yourself a jigging rod that fits your needs. We tried to keep the list versatile, so we tested several different rods suitable for this fishing method.
Use the guide included as it can help you make the best decision. The rods we tested are all meant for jigging, so it’s just a matter of picking one that suits you the best.
David Chavez
I love blogging anything and everything related to fishing!. Much of my background comes from Freshwater fishing, but I'm also pretty decent when out in the ocean. My goal is to help other anglers better their skill-sets with proper guides, and just have fun doing so.
Related Articles on Jigging Rods
