Baitcasting Walleye Rods – Jigging

Hello all,

Longtime lurker, finally created an account.

I’m looking at buying a new walleye rod. I prefer baitcasting reels over spinning reels. Does anyone have any recommendations?

I have been looking at Phenix rods. It looks like the Phenix Feather has a 7 footer ML Power with a fast action. Thoughts?

I have a number of Phenix Rods . I pretty much exclusively build my rods on them. Light tackle to heavy salt, you can’t go wrong with them.

I will always take a bait caster over spinning any day until the weight of the lure gets to be under ¼ oz. Sometimes ¼ oz is not enough weight with the wind. What is the weight range of the lures you plan on using with this rod?

Thanks Lou.

Rodwork- My most used Jigs are 3/8 oz. to 1/2 oz. Bottom bouncers over 1/4 oz. I don’t pay attention to weights of crankbaits, but assuming over 1/4 oz.

AnotherFisherman wrote:

Rodwork- My most used Jigs are 3/8 oz. to 1/2 oz. Bottom bouncers over 1/4 oz. I don’t pay attention to weights of crankbaits, but assuming over 1/4 oz.

I would say go for it than. People jig for bass with bait casters all the time. I have yet to build on or use a Phenix rod but the spec is ¼-5/8 oz and should work for you. Give us a review after you get some time on the water with it.

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Your title is about jigging – so that’s what I’ll focus on.

For jigging, I think the most important thing is having a balanced setup where the handle is maybe just slightly heavier (tip up presentation). So you could certainly vertically jig or pitch jigs with a casting rod.

Since line capacity isn’t going to be a huge driver with this setup (and more line is more weight), I’d look at something with a smaller spool capacity like a Shimano Curado 70 size. If you’d prefer to save some $$$, the Tatula 100 is 6.9oz and the new Daiwa CG80 is only 6.5oz. I’ve fished other Tatulas and the Curado 70. Really like them both and they are both versatile for tossing other light/medium weight lures.

Rod is a bit trickier, might want to pick your reel and line then choose a rod based on how it balances. 7′ may be a bit long, depending on the reel weight and the materials (more guides = heavier tip, flex coat= heavier, etc).

i switched my dad over to bait casting rods for jigging when we go to the detroit river. i can put way more line on a bait caster, dealing with snags is a ton easier, and adjusting for depth changes is easier for him.

I bought him an MJC68MXF and paired it with a older quantum baitcaster. He loves it. So much so that many of the older guys have switched.

I bought a avid 6’2″ MXF that i’m going to mess with come fall.