12-20-2018, 05:13 AM
I haven't fished Flaming George except once with Captain Jim, which was great. I do fish Bear Lake a fair bit jigging for the Lake Trout. Everybody's got a little different setup they like for jigging. For the last couple of years I've been using 4'9" heavy action Ugly Stick rods with a baitcasting reel. Those Ugly Sticks aren't the prettiest things out there, but they were only $40 each and I've actually really liked them. The tip is plenty sensitive to feel bites in deep water, and they have plenty of backbone for setting the hook on and landing larger fish. I got mine at Sportsman's Warehouse. I've seen nicer rods, but usually they are custom built and $100+. If you've got the cash, Captain Jim custom makes the rods he uses while guiding on the Gorge. They are 47", and you can get baitcast or spinning grip. His website says he's selling them for $170. Pricey, but they are really great rods, and that's what his clients use for even the biggest fish.
The rod is important, but the reel is also pretty critical. I find a level-wind reel to be easier to control and deal with when it's cold. But, not all of the baitcasters I've tried have a good drag on them. The cheap ones like the Abu Garcia Black Max perform OK, but when they are cold the drag isn't as good. When I've got some cash I'm going to upgrade to some Shimano Calcuttas. Good reels.
For line, I've been using Berkley Fire Line. It's a braid, but it's fused, so it doesn't soak up water and freeze like some of the other braids I've used. No stretch and small diameter. Spider wire is junk, don't waste your time/money. I've been using 14 lb test Fireline, and I probably wouldn't go any heavier than that even for really big fish. When you are done fishing, you can use that stuff to pull your truck out of snow bank. With a good setup (rod and reel with good drag), you don't need really heavy line. When you load it on your reel, put some backing or monofilament on first because sometimes braid will slip on your reel when it's really cold if you don't have some backing. You can get Fireline online in spools of up to 1500 yd, so if you can't find a 150 yd spool somewhere, you might have to order some. I think I bought mine at Wal-Mart. I also use a 15 lb test fluorocarbon leader. I think my hooking and landing success went way up when I switched. I used to break a lot of fish off at the hole, but I haven't really had problems with that since I went to fluorocarbon leader.
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The rod is important, but the reel is also pretty critical. I find a level-wind reel to be easier to control and deal with when it's cold. But, not all of the baitcasters I've tried have a good drag on them. The cheap ones like the Abu Garcia Black Max perform OK, but when they are cold the drag isn't as good. When I've got some cash I'm going to upgrade to some Shimano Calcuttas. Good reels.
For line, I've been using Berkley Fire Line. It's a braid, but it's fused, so it doesn't soak up water and freeze like some of the other braids I've used. No stretch and small diameter. Spider wire is junk, don't waste your time/money. I've been using 14 lb test Fireline, and I probably wouldn't go any heavier than that even for really big fish. When you are done fishing, you can use that stuff to pull your truck out of snow bank. With a good setup (rod and reel with good drag), you don't need really heavy line. When you load it on your reel, put some backing or monofilament on first because sometimes braid will slip on your reel when it's really cold if you don't have some backing. You can get Fireline online in spools of up to 1500 yd, so if you can't find a 150 yd spool somewhere, you might have to order some. I think I bought mine at Wal-Mart. I also use a 15 lb test fluorocarbon leader. I think my hooking and landing success went way up when I switched. I used to break a lot of fish off at the hole, but I haven't really had problems with that since I went to fluorocarbon leader.
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