I got on a 12 hour offshore day trip yesterday fishing for Yellowtails to shake the cabin fever. It was also a chance to finally test my Major Craft KG Evolution shore jigging rod, and my Shimano Stella 8000PG that has been sitting in my drawer feeling neglected. I hopped on the Seasons Sportfishing out of San Diego with max of 4 anglers. Plan is to fish offshore in Mexican waters searching for kelp paddies holding Yellowtails fly-lining live sardines. In between kelp paddies, we were also trolling a five spread hoping to run across some Albacore tuna or Dodos. Well, fishing was pretty tough. Most kelp paddies we ran into were empty, the rest were only holding one or two Yellowtails. We even fished between tuna pens we ran across during our search for kelp paddies and fly-lined some live sardines; still no takers. Our five spread troll didn't result in any hookups either. We only managed to boat 3 Yellowtails, and lost 4 that ran back into the kelp paddy and snagged our lines. Despite the not so good fishing conditions, I was still stoked happy that my MC KG Evolution rod and Stella finally got the chance to haul in a nice Yellowtail.
The Shimano Stella line of reels needs no further introduction. It is one of the top reels in the market today. The 8000PG (Power Gear) has a low gear ratio designed more for vertical jigging. Despite the small size of the 8000PG model, it's more than capable of tangling big fish, and is used by jiggers worldwide.
The Major CRaft KG Evolution Shore Jigging Rod
Closeup video of the MC KG Evolution Shore Jigging rod
The MC KG Evolution was designed for shore based jigging. With a length of 10 feet, it was designed primarily for casting light jigs at great distances. It is a 2 piece rod joined at the middle.with spigot type connection. The blank is made from Toray high grade carbon fibers. The first time I inspected this rod, I knew that it's capable of being a boat rod.slinging lures, jigs, and live bait. Unlike most popping and casting rods that are too stiff and require heavier lures and poppers to cast at a distance, the KG Evolution rod's upper portion is not too stiff (as you'll see in the video later on). Since the chance of hooking a big fish from the surf here in Southern California is very slim, I decided to test this rod offshore. Fact is, I've discovered during this trip that it's perfect for fly-lining live bait. This rod is rated for 1-3 PE. When I compared this rod with my PE5 rated Ocean Revolution casting rod, I noticed that the lower half of the KG's blank is more beefier. I came to the conclusion that this rod's rating is a bit on the conservative side. I was very satisfied with its performance on this trip. To sum it up, I'm quite impressed with this rod. The action is awesome, and easier on the body. I'd surely take this rod out again slinging for Yellowtails, Albacore Tuna, and Dorados. Would I recommend this rod? Absolutely! It's an awesome rod!
Lastly, mad props to Seasons Sportfishing Owner/Captain Jamie Thinnes. He tried real hard to put us on some fish despite the slow pickings. If you like to avoid the usual crowded offshore charters here in Southern California, then his 4 pax ops is the way to go. His website: http://www.seasonssportfishing.com.
Video of my Yellowtail tug-o-war using the Shimano Stella/MC KG Evolution combo. Pay particular attention to the upper part of the rod. Thanks for looking and fish on!
Hey great blog you've got here!! I also wanted to buy the KG evolution shore jigging rod (3 piece model) which came out not too long ago!
ReplyDeleteHow is the weight on the rod? cause all major craft's rod don't post their weight!
And as you mentioned that it is actually much beefier than it is rated yea? How's its casting ability for light and heavier stuff?
sorry to bombard you with so many questions! I'm quite new to fishing!
Anyway awesome fishing you've been doing!! Lucky to have the whole family fishing!! :D
Thanks Jeffrey! The KG Evolution Shore Jigging rod is really light and the action is awesome; not too hard on the angler's body. The specific design I like about this rod is that the upper portion of the blank is much flexible than the rest of the blank, which makes you capable of casting lighter lures and jigs father. I've casted up to 3oz jigs with it and I'm amazed at the distance I was able to achieve. As you'll notice in the video, the upper portion is bent while the rest of the blank is still straight. As the fish exerts more pressure, the weight transfers to the beefier section of the blank which makes it easier on the angler. In effect you're fishing with a much shorter rod which gives you more leverage in fighting the fish. Unlike regular casting and popping rods, the entire blank is stiff which sometimes is unforgiving especially when battling bigger fish. I'm going on a 2.5 day offshore trip targeting yellowfin, bluefin, and albacore tunas, yellowtails and dorados. I'm bringing the KG Evolution with me and will try to test it further. I think you'll be very happy with the KG Evolution. Hope this helps and good luck!
ReplyDeleteNice to hear back from you! Yes I'm pretty sure I'll be quite happy with major crafts rod having owned one of the crostage series seabass model myself! Right now I'm torn between KG evolution and Xzoga Mastery. Have you had any experience with Xzoga rods? I played with one at the shop before its it's very light and thin and with tremendous amount of grunt too! It's a parabolic rod so I'm not too sure how that will compare with the KG!
ReplyDeleteBeing completely new to shore jigging I don't know which one to choose. . . . Pretty sure I'll be happy with both~ but am leaning more towards the KG evolution right now being a bit cheaper and in 3 piece model! But will want a second opinion if you have the experience with parabolic rods!
Thanks
and good luck with sore arms for the 2.5 days! :D
I have no experience with Xzoga rods. But I've friends in asia who use it. What I understand with parabolic rods is that they are made from low modulus graphite. Or in the case of composite rods (combination of graphite and fiberglass), the more the fiberglass content, the more parabolic it will be. The higher the modulus, the stiffer the rod will be, and the higher the resistance to flex. High modulus rods are strong despite the small diameter of the blank. But, high modulus rods are much brittle and cannot withstand abuse. It is prone to breakage when mishandled, or fished at an awkward angle. I stay away from 100% graphite rods. I like composite rods with max 80% graphite or carbon and 20% fiberglass content. If you've used Ugly Stik rods, those are parabolic rods.
ReplyDeletehi there,
ReplyDeletethere is a gap between the joint and at least 1.5cm
is this normal or is there any special method to fully join them together?
cheers
That's normal.
DeleteHey mate i was looking at getting the 962mh for spinning australian beaches for big salmon do you think it could handle a 75gram lure its a little more than the rod is rated for.
ReplyDeleteGreat vid btw.