Jigging rod and reel suggestions

Now that would be a sweet jigging combo....great, super light and sensitive carbon fiber rod and an excellent reel....under budget, too....a 2000 size might be even more appealing as its only 6.5oz (rod is only like 3 oz)   Keep in mind this M is really  more ML

Carbon fiber rods aren't out of reach expensive and can readily be had for under 160 and even near that 100 dollar range.

"Clearly, your $500 carbon rod-only solution is not an option for them,"

Not close....I would never fork out that much for a rod...one is $188 (phenix m1), the other set me back $126...although it was on sale...retail is still only 160 (Gambler), leaving you room for a 40 dollar daiwa and a combo at exactly the price the op asked for...and you can upgrade that reel during sale times......That was my point, you could get a 40 dollar daiwa or piscifun and pair it with that rod and you would have a kick butt $200 combo....just like the op asked for. 

Make no mistake, you dont have to spend a lot to get a corbon fiber blank....there are many as low as 120 and 130 readily available.

For 100, you would be getting a really sub-par 70 dollar graphite rod and a super cheap 30 dollar reel that would probably last a season if you are lucky....not what I would want to use for jigging.

Like I said, 150-200 is your current sweet spot for rods....find a sale and these rods are even more affordable....and with memorial day coming, so are the sales....during a sale either of the rods I mentioned could be paired with a decent reel for the op's pricepoint.....shop smart and you can get super nice stuff without breaking the bank.

Oh, and my boat is basically the same tracker you described (only a 1995 grumman)...I couldnt get 5k for it even if i tried...lol....which is pretty funny

I am pretty poor, so that elitist comment was so far off base it made me laugh...hard....never had that one thrown at me before...haha

denesox,

It appears you only buy the best of the best equipment, so my post didn't really apply to you. It was geared toward the OP looking for a serviceable jigging rod and reel combo for $200-ish. Clearly, your $500 carbon rod-only solution is not an option for them, so the goal of my post was to offer suggestions that were realistic solutions for THEM, not you.

With advancements in rods the past few years, you can now get a $100 rod that would have cost $250-300 a few years ago. I don't break a lot of rods, but I do have kids and fish with friends that do not fish as much as I do...and accidents happen. If you can't catch fish with a $150 combo, you won't catch any more on a $500 combo. Period. And don't even come out here saying you buy kids a $100 combo for their first rod. If you do, you hate money and love watching expensive stuff get broken and ruined. 

Real-world recreational anglers aren't filling their rod locker with $500+ combos. Your post humored me as much as the guys that buy a brand new $80,000 bass boat to fish club tournaments with $500 first place payouts...and get whooped by guys fishing in $5,000 Tracker TX-175's. Some guys will never understand that buying the best, most expensive everything does not instantly make you a better angler. To each their own, I offered suggestions to the OP based on his budget. I knew that a $500 carbon rod and $400 reel wasn't an option, so I didn't waste his time recommending them. Sorry my post struck a nerve with your elitist approach to fishing...I apologize.

"You can buy two quality setups for $200,"

No...you can't

"I will be the first to tell you that you can buy a very quality rod/reel setup for under $100".

 Your definition of quality differs from mine....lol...a 100 set up is gonna be junk and lack the sensitivity you really want.  IMO a $100 combo is what I would buy for a kid's first rod.

""My biggest recommendation is get a graphite rod with good sensitivity,"

Not at the price point you mentioned above...you will get a low-quality graphite rod and a tank of a reel.

To be honest, if sensitivity matters, I recommend a carbon fiber rod....they're ridiculously sensitive....game changing.

 Nothing will p!$$ you off more than when you break the $150 rod you just bought."

But they would be warrantied...not to mention, a higher quality rod is unlikely to break unless abused..

"I am also a big believer of not putting all your eggs in one basket...you blow $200 on one combo and break the rod, you are done."

You must break a lot of rods with that viewpoint.    Take care of your stuff and a broken rod is highly unlikely.  Breaking a rod isnt something most of us ever think about.


JMO y'all

For true vertical jigging, I would stick with a 6'-6'3" rod. Medium light. I use 1000 size reels. Again, this is if you are strictly vertical jigging all day. The longer rods always gave me a sore back after 5-6 hours of vertical jigging. I always have 1 or 2 7' rods rigged for casting cranks or lighter jigs to the bank as they sometimes will stack up in those shallow spots out of the main current. Just my 2 cents. I prefer St. Croix Avids personally, although I think the Premiers are nearly as good. I will second the notion of trying the Piscifun reels. I have a Carbon X 1000, and really do like it alot. It replaced an old Shimano Sahara 1000 that got destroyed by a 40# flathead.

Good advice so far.  I'm assuming you already have at least one jigging rod and you want a better one to up your game. If you can, I would consider pushing the budget just a little higher.   I have a 7' St Croix Eyecon medium with extra fast tip and a Diawa Regal reel. I use it just as much as my St Croix  Avids.  I'm sure some people could tell the difference while fishing  between the Avid and the Eyecon, but I can not.  

Fritz 

If your budget is $200, I would get two combos, honestly...

1) 7'0" - 7'6" Medium Fast) with a 3000 size spinning reel and 15# braid or 8-10# mono. Use this rod for heavier jigs (1/4 oz+)

2) 6'6" Medium-Light or Light (Fast) with a 2000/2500 size spinning reel and either 10# braid or 6-8# mono. Use this for jigs under 1/4 oz.

You can buy two quality setups for $200, especially if you shop around. I have bought the high-end St. Croix and custom rods as well as built my own rods and I will be the first to tell you that you can buy a very quality rod/reel setup for under $100. My biggest recommendation is get a graphite rod with good sensitivity and if you are going to spend more money, invest it in the rod and not the reel. Why? If you take care of it, the rod will generally out-last the reel and the rod is what you use to detect bites, not the reel. Nothing will p!$$ you off more than when you break the $150 rod you just bought. I am also a big believer of not putting all your eggs in one basket...you blow $200 on one combo and break the rod, you are done. You buy a couple combos and break one, you are still fishing, and doing so with solid equipment. Just my .02! YMMV

My go-to walleye rods are as follows:

1) Wright & McGill Insight Pro 7'2" Medium Fast rod w/ Piscifun Viper-X 3000 reel spooled with 15# Spiderwire Stealth braid; and 

2) Daiwa Procyon 7'0" Light Fast w/ Piscifun Viper-X 2000 reel spooled with 10# Spiderwire Stealth braid

I just checked the prices of these two combos and they are $97.00 and $99.00 (plus line). I have been using Piscifun reels for 3 years now and for the money, they are about the best reel you can get IMHO. Others may have different experience, but I have had nothing but positive experience with them. Their customer service is also top-notch. I dropped a spool on my garage floor and nicked the edge of the spool. I called Piscifun to find out what a new spool was going to cost to have shipped, told them what happened, and they just took my info and sent me the spool. At any rate, I would look into getting a couple combos instead of just one for that money. It will allow you to cover more situations as well.

Edit to Add: I would also stick with a longer rod for a couple reasons...1) The longer rod will help you cast farther. 2) Most of my walleye fishing takes place in rivers/moving water. The longer rod will help pick up current-induced slack that is in your line when a walleye hits. Walleye also tend to hit when a bait is falling back to the bottom and there is slack in the line. A longer rod combined with low-stretch line like braid or fluorocarbon will allow you to get better hooksets on these slack-line strikes as well as more leverage and forgiveness on larger fish. I will also add that my walleye jig rods pull double-duty as drop shot and shaky head rods for bass fishing in a pinch, which is why I also went with slightly longer rods. Good luck with whatever you select!

In your budget range of about $200.00 you can get a Scheels branded graphite jigging rod in 6’-0” or 6’-6” and pair it with a Shimano Nasci reel. If most of your jig fishing will be using 1/4 ounce or less weight jigs look to a medium light extra fast action rod. If you will be using 1/4 ounce and heavier jigs a medium action rod will work better. I have a Shimano Nasci reel on a 20 plus year old Gander Guide series graphite rod. Rigged with 6 lb Berkeley XL line it works jigs up to 1/4 ounce effectively. My other jig rod combo is a St. Croix Avid 6’-3” medium action extra fast rod with a Shimano Symetre reel. That rod is at about 25 years old and works well for jigs up to 1/4 ounce. If your style of fishing is deeper water, swifter water and using jigs heavier than 1/4 ounce look to a 7’-0” medium or even medium heavy rod to handle those jigs. If I would ever need to replace that Gander rod I would look at a Scheels branded rod, the St. Croix would be with another St. Croix Avid. Most all my walleye jig fishing is done on the Wolf River. Occasionally I jig fish on Winnebago or a few up north lakes.