Ok I'm making my 4th annual trip to MV the first week in June and last year I saw alot of people rig jigging with wire rigs. I already bought a Penn 113H reel. I'm a little confued on the lenght and style of rod. I am looking at the Penn Senator 4/0 30 -50lb rod that has the wheels on the tip and the stripping eye. It is a 6'6" rod. Looking around I see rods that are 5'6", 6', 6'6", and 7' and are heavier rods. What do you guys recommend? Any advice is greatly appreciated!

I heard Penn stopped making the classic wire line rod your looking for. And has moved to a slightly different model now, I think they call it the Senator. It is nice but it has completely different action then the old design. It has Fuji nitrite II guides that can handle wire. (don't know about the tip. )My local shop does not like them stopped carrying them, they prefer the old style with the roller tip. And now makes custom ones similar to the old style. I have a couple of the older models (about 4 years old) that are rated 30-50 and about 6.5' long and alum butt, I had a better roller tip installed. I use monel wire and it works fine but is pretty heavy. For jigging bucktails that should be fine but if you plan on trolling bunker spoons you need a much softer rod with more action maybe 7'. But for anything from umbrella rigs to tubes to bucktails the standard 30-50 6.6' rod whould be fine I would think.

I have to say the 113H and penn rod and reel is a classic for wire but is fading fast. It is heavy and most younger charter guys that I see now use a much lighter reels with wires now. My next wire rod and reel will probably be this lighter set up. I find the 113H's heavy and awkward and you really need a belt to stabilize it on a penn rod with a alum gimbel butt digging into your gut. (most people really don't like to fish with them) and in my opinion feels like an overkill set up for a sb. That said, I have a several of these set ups, they work for years, get the job done and can take real abuse.

From a boat? Trolling jigs? What are you after , etc?

ragfly,
The 113H(graphite spool) is not a wire line reel. The Penn 113HSP has a brass/stainless spool designed for wire. I have attached thumbnails of each, the black spool is the 113H and the silver spool is the 113HSP(wire reel).

As for rods, the Okuma Tail walker(6'6") with carboly guides is a pretty good rod around 75.00. Most wireline fishermen like the 6'6" or 7' rods easier to control the fish next to the boat. A lot of people prefer custom wire rods. Drop me a pm and I can go over the rods with you.

Hope this helps.

My favorite rig is a 5 1/2' - 6' (any brand) rod with carbide (metal) NOT CERAMIC eyes and a roller at the tip. The reel I use is a shimano TLD (I think its the TLD20) the front post is low and the wire does not rub on it.
Hope that helps.

throw it over the side <><<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<:eyes:

My plan is to be trolling parachute jigs, aka rip jigging. Usually when i bottom jigging I just use my braid rig. Speaking of parachute jigs, where can I buy some nice ones for fishing MV. I know SPRO makes some.... maybe I just need to wait for the MSBA show this spring.

Oh , that's hard work! I think for parachutesI would go with Carboloy or heavy SiC guides and a roller tip. Length is your personal choice. I think shorter is easier for the actual jigging but once on , the added length helps. I typically build that kind of rod on a 6"6" blank . Most people want it full length but some want it cut to 6 feet.

as mentioned, wire line rods for one are different for another. some like a softer rod, some like a stiffer rod, some short, some long. the typical length rod for w/l is 6'-7'. guides - carboloy rings eventually corrode and break from the welds. fuji makes a ring designed for wire. you'll want a slick butt or unibutt to get the rod out of the gimbal if you ever troll w/ it in one. roller tip is preference of the angler. i normally do not, but i fish w/ one person that prefers them. spiralling the rod also is suggested.

reel - as donm mentioned, the penn 113hsp or 114hsp are the standard, but some are going lighter. just remember you'll be having a barrel typically going thru the guides and thru a levelwind if you select that type of reel. no need for a levelwind either.

also, skip the spros and look for the custom or andrus 'chute jigs. you want something w/ a serious hook. they are always at the winter shows.

being a long time wire man, jigging,plug's,tube and worm etc...and have made many wire set-up's ....my set-up is a lami. bt857s cut to 6'.....112[3/0] penn non-metal spool..BRACED carbide guide's,,hardened roller tip...and NO gimbal..it's not needed if your rod holder's are rubber lined....300' 40lb sst wire.........never had green guide's or had the graphite spool turn to garbage or fail because I use a thing called wax and fresh water after every use.

i have very limited experiecnce wire-lining, but i will say one thing. a stiff rod and wire makes a very herky-jerky fight when you have a big fish on, while a softer rod can absorb most if not all the headshakes that a big bass will throw at you.

just my 10 cents.. :huh:

a gimbal is for keeping the rod from spinning in the rod holder or to put the rod in a harness while fighting the fish.

One caution; a soft rod and parachute jig = tired shoulders real fast....

Thanks again! I will wait for the shows to get my jigs. I think the 6'6" rod is what I will go with. This isn't what I will be doing all the time, but I like having a variety of options when I go out. Plus you can't have enough tackle :hihi: Sandman I hope to see you on the Edgartown docks catching squid :buds:

Penn Sabre makes a nice wire rod.. check the classifieds, however shipping is a pita!

Ragfly,
Wait until the MSBA show for the rod and jigs. Last year I bought a custom wire rod from one of the vendors at the show. Lots of customs to choose from and good prices. Same with jigs.