Blackfish setup question

[Bigdaddyhockey]

My kids and I are going to do some party boat blackfish trips for the first time this year. They want to try something different. We have done several fluke, seabass,porgy and occasional striper trips. We also did. Sheepshead outing down in OBX over the summer with jigs and sand fleas which was a blast. Since I have to buy 4 setups, I have to be somewhat economical. I’ve read a lot on this board and watched a ton of videos and going to get Daiwa BG reels (3500) and leaning towards Jigging World nexus or possibly Tsunami Slow Pitch jigging rod (little cheaper).

Here is the real question. The rods are rated for jig/lure weight which I understand, but if a jig isn’t working on a particular day, would it be okay to drop a rig with sinker even if need a little more weight (e.g., rod rated to 4 1/2 ounce but need 6 ounce sinker)? Since you are not technically jigging and the weight sits on the bottom. I could go heavier on rod (2-6 ounce) if that would be better approach.

Appreciate any words of wisdom. Thanks.

Michael

[JMo1986]

You are fine to use a rig on the same setup since you are not casting the weight. The rod ratings are typically rated as loading the rod up during the backswing on a cast. Since you are heading with the kids I am assuming that you will likely skip the very sporty days where you would need 10+oz lead to hold with a rig. That is about the weight you would want to consider a different setup. 6oz rigs should be fine to use on a spinner as long as you drop straight down and don't try to cast. Those tackle choices seem economical and sturdy. Should be similar to your sheepshead trips. Have fun! It's pretty addicting!!

[Bigdaddyhockey]

Thank you. Yeah, no real sporty days. More for me than the kids lol. They are in late teens now but still on my payroll. Do you think 3500 is right size with 7ft rod?

[JMo1986]

I have a shimano 4k with a 7’ rod. Daiwa sizes are bigger, so that sounds right. Go handle some different sizes and take the kids to see what they are comfortable with. Smaller reels have smaller gears and they could wear out quicker but that’s not a short term problem. No sense spending too much until you know it’s something you want to keep pursuing.

[hammer4reel]

My kids and I are going to do some party boat blackfish trips for the first time this year. They want to try something different. We have done several fluke, seabass,porgy and occasional striper trips. We also did. Sheepshead outing down in OBX over the summer with jigs and sand fleas which was a blast. Since I have to buy 4 setups, I have to be somewhat economical. I’ve read a lot on this board and watched a ton of videos and going to get Daiwa BG reels (3500) and leaning towards Jigging World nexus or possibly Tsunami Slow Pitch jigging rod (little cheaper).

Here is the real question. The rods are rated for jig/lure weight which I understand, but if a jig isn’t working on a particular day, would it be okay to drop a rig with sinker even if need a little more weight (e.g., rod rated to 4 1/2 ounce but need 6 ounce sinker)? Since you are not technically jigging and the weight sits on the bottom. I could go heavier on rod (2-6 ounce) if that would be better approach.

Appreciate any words of wisdom. Thanks.

Michael


Most fluke set ups used for bucktailing fluke work great for using jigs to blackfish .
That allows you to get a set up for fishing conventional rigs .
IMO they should be 2 totally different rods .

Most times using jigs we are fishing a sensitive rod , and fishing 1-2 oz jigs .

Conventional in heavy current we are fishing 10-12 oz .

Trying to do both methods with the same rod , your not getting as good a performance as you should for either method .

..

[Gerry Zagorski]

Most fluke set ups used for bucktailing fluke work great for using jigs to blackfish .
That allows you to get a set up for fishing conventional rigs .
IMO they should be 2 totally different rods .

Most times using jigs we are fishing a sensitive rod , and fishing 1-2 oz jigs .

Conventional in heavy current we are fishing 10-12 oz .

Trying to do both methods with the same rod , your not getting as good a performance as you should for either method .

..

Exactly - You need something very lightweight and sensitive so you can feel the lightweight jig make contact with the bottom and the tap tap bites. Totally different then fishing with 8 ounces and a rig where you wait for the big thump.

One of my set ups is a Jigging World Nexus and it makes a nice jigging rod. Paired with Daiwa BG and you should be set. You won't however be able to hang 8 or 10 ounce weights with it.. Too much weight for the rod and way too whippy for a good hookset with that much weight.

I will say my Blackhole 731M does pretty darn good for both jigs and rigs but it is pricey. You can hang 8 ounces no problem and it's still is sensitive enough to feel the jig. It's not perfect for either but if I were forced to take only 1 rod togging, that would be it.

[Bigdaddyhockey]

Thanks guys. Very helpful. Totally understand the issue with 8-10 oz. We do have heavier conventional setups we could bring as well. I was just thinking of multitasking one setup at similar weights and similar conditions. If conditions dictate heavier weights as mentioned, we should use the heavier set ups. Thanks again.

Michael

[hammer4reel]

Exactly - You need something very lightweight and sensitive so you can feel the lightweight jig make contact with the bottom and the tap tap bites. Totally different then fishing with 8 ounces and a rig where you wait for the big thump.

One of my set ups is a Jigging World Nexus and it makes a nice jigging rod. Paired with Daiwa BG and you should be set. You won't however be able to hang 8 or 10 ounce weights with it.. Too much weight for the rod and way too whippy for a good hookset with that much weight.

I will say my Blackhole 731M does pretty darn good for both jigs and rigs but it is pricey. You can hang 8 ounces no problem and it's still is sensitive enough to feel the jig. It's not perfect for either but if I were forced to take only 1 rod togging, that would be it.

The 731 or a nexus xxh is about as close as you could get if HAD to use for both styles .
But both are soft after 10 oz , and just a little heavier than should be used with a jig .

Another moderately priced rod with simaler specs is the Abu Garcia Veritas Toro 8’


.

[Gerry Zagorski]

Thanks guys. Very helpful. Totally understand the issue with 8-10 oz. We do have heavier conventional setups we could bring as well. I was just thinking of multitasking one setup at similar weights and similar conditions. If conditions dictate heavier weights as mentioned, we should use the heavier set ups. Thanks again.

Michael

One thing you might be interested to know, regardless of conditions most sharpies fishing rigs will fish 8 ounces even if it’s flat calm. This helps keep your sinker stay put and avoid rolling and snagging in the sticky stuff. You also want to use 50# leader on your top shot and hook leaders since these fish are not line shy. Some people who fish exclusively for double digits will fish 80# or more.

As far as jigging, a 30 pound floro top shot is what you want.

You and your boys are going to love Blackfishing. The drug is in the tug and if your boys had fun fun fishing for Sheepshead with a jig, wait until they land a nice roaster tog! I'll warn you now, there's no going back :cool:

[Gerry Zagorski]

The 731 or a nexus xxh is about as close as you could get if HAD to use for both styles .
But both are soft after 10 oz , and just a little heavier than should be used with a jig .

Another moderately priced rod with simaler specs is the Abu Garcia Veritas Toro 8’


.

Yep!

[Bigdaddyhockey]

Thanks everyone. I truly appreciate the input. Last question (for now anyway), how long of a leader do you typically use?

[Gerry Zagorski]

If I'm jig fishing usually 6 feet or so. If you bust off a jig you still have plenty of line to tie another jig back on...

If rig fishing 15, not because you need more line when fishing a rig, it's because that extra line is used to tie your next rig when you break off without having to tie a new leader on. The rig I use is the Belmar Rig and it takes a fair amount of line to tie since the last foot of line is doubled.

https://www.njfishing.com/forums/showthread.php?t=78024