Jig Dancer jigging rods reviewed

by Mathew Hewetson - Fishing World magazine.

Greg Head of Sport Fishing NZ and distributor of quality Katch1 jigs, informed me during winter that he was going to bring out a new range of New Zealand-made jig rods. These rods were to complement his wide range of jigs and when he advised that Kieron Olsen of Reel Rods was to be the rod maker I knew they would be the real deal.

So I suggested to Greg that we book in a trip on Happy Hooker Charters based at Tutukaka to target kingfish on the reefs outside the Poor Knights Islands. Lew Price specialises in taking jigging anglers to these reefs on Happy Hooker and he had advised the best time of year for kingfish at the reefs was November-December. Although, this year they had experienced the best winter fishing ever for kings, with solid fish to 30kg.

The plan was for Greg to travel up from Wellington and I would drive him to Tutukaka where we would meet Kieron, who would come down from his base in Doubtless Bay where he lives and makes his rods. Lew organised accommodation at The Tutukaka Holiday Park so we could stay Thursday night and rise early.

On Friday morning as we idled out the Tutukaka Harbour, the sea was calm with little swell and a light breeze. Our skipper for the day, Kenny Anderson, gunned us across to a pinnacle near the Sugar Loaf rocks to see if the kings were home. We rigged up with the relevant weights of jigs matched to its correct rod. The Jig Dancer rods are available in 500g, 400g, 300g and 200g ratings. I tried the Jig Dancer 400 matched with an Accurate Boss 665 reel and 37kg braid.

Greg had attached a 100kg Katch1 wind-on leader to this serious outfit. On the first drop over the reef we didn’t get a strike but on the second drift I hooked up, and the powerful fish pulled hard. The rod worked effortlessly but the fish was fighting strangely and I guessed it was foul hooked. After a minute or so a rat king appeared and, sure enough, it was hooked in its side.

This spot was quiet so we pushed on to the North Reef above the Poor Knights to look for the big boys. As we slowly crossed the reef looking for the drop-offs, the sounder showed large schools of fish. Kenny positioned us over a pinnacle and we all dropped our jigs in eager anticipation. Greg hooked up first on the biggest Jig Dancer 500 with a 500g King jig, matched with a Shimano Ocea 5000P. The 37kg braid pinged off the spool under high tension and Greg was enjoying the fight on his new rod. It was his first test on the new Jig Dancer. After a brief fight a nice 13kg king came to the surface.

Well that’s a relief, as he came from Wellington to catch that fish! Over the next few hours we had good fishing, catching more than 15 kingfish to 16.5kg and we released them all except for three destined for the smoker. Even Alex our photographer managed to catch a few solid kings after being given an introduction to the technique of mechanical jigging.

HIGH TECH BLANKS

Kieron has been building rods for 15 years and uses New Zealand made CTS blanks with Alps componentry. CTS prides itself on being at the leading edge of rod design with their Carbon Helix Core providing superior hoop strength and improved response. A single carbon spiral is at the core of the blank. This type of structure is commonly regarded as the most effective way of maintaining cross section stability during bending. Their carbon helix core will minimize cross sectional deformation during loading, improving power and response.

In a flexing situation, the blank receives pressure that can cause it to change from a round shape to a slightly oval shape. So even a small two per cent reduction in section height caused by these pressures will reduce the stiffness of the rod by around 10 per cent The higher the loading, the softer the blank will become, reducing its ability to fight fish. All CTS carbon helix core blanks boast 100 per cent non woven fibre. This fibre can achieve 100 per cent of its tensile and compressive loading, unlike woven based scrims which exhibit large amounts of fibre crimping, resulting in greatly reduced fibre loading potential. CTS also use 100 per cent carbon construction and this ensures response and agility are optimized through utilizing the lightweight and high strength characteristics that only carbon can give. The rods are finished exceptionally and are all 5ft 6” in length. They will range in price from $700 to $750.

Check out www.sportfishingnz.com for more information.

To jig above the waters off the Poor Knights, contact Lew Price of Happy Hooker Charters on  0275 744 136  0275 744 136 . He can organise accommodation at the Tutukaka Holiday Park, phone/fax  09 434 3938