TUBERTINI - SEA JIGGING 1.8m 80/300gm 30lb

Tubertini was established in 1978 by Gabriele Tubertini. Very quickly the company staked a claim in the prestige Coarse Match Fishing market with top quality products being demanded by Matchmen around the world.

Over the last 10 years Tubertini has expanded into many other specialist fishing markets that include Surf Casting, Shore and Boat Fishing. In a very short time the new range was being demanded by International Anglers from the Top UK and Italian Squads.

Reviewed: 1.8m 80/300gm
Reviewed by Lloyd Rush
Selling Price £99.00 rrp
more info: www.tubertini.co.uk

When asked to review two of the Tubertini Sea-Jigging rods I was looking forward to a few days off shore Wrecking for Summer Cod and Ling with modern Perks [Jigs] that have become so popular on the Continent but yet to totally take off over here in th UK.

Short Jigging or Long Jerking [Depending on the lenght of the Rod] has always been an effective method of inducing a bite from the inhabitants of Deep Sea Wrecks, be it Weymouth or Norway - it's a case of drop down something with a bit of bling and a large treble hook, place a muppet or Sandeel Tube Lure on a 7/0 about 4ft above the Perk and drop it down to the bottom, wind up a few turns and then left and drop until a monster Cod, Ling or Pollock decides enough is enough.

In days gone by when there were still plenty of fish about, the local scrap yard provided the anglers with door handles from old Fords to be filled with Lead to make up 1lb - 2lb lures. Once the scrappy was out of Door handles, any Chrome Tube would do too, fill it with lead, cut it to 8 inch lengths and bash flat two ends - drill holes in each end for split rings, a swivel for one and a treble for the other - the result was 5 hours of mussle aching jerking and pullying 10lb fish out of the depths and it was fish suppers all round for you and your neighbours!

Despite laying 9 million eggs the Cod hasn't done as well as it could have over the years, kind of a victim of it's own growing success and a certain Capt Findus turning them into fingers for us to eat a teenagers. However, despite the demise Cod remain a top prize with the modern Sea Angler, and the modern Sea Anglers have started to refine the Car Door Handle Perks for purpose built Jigs with Self Assist Circle Hooks mounted on Braided loops that attach to the top of the Lure... yes things and thinking have moved on. For those not perking, it as popular to lower artifical lures such as Red Gills, Shads and Jelly Worms in hunt of the UK's favourite partner the to the Chip. It is not supprise then to find out that the rods used for this methods have become refined too... The Tubertini Sea Jigging is no exception.

These rods carry the hallmark on an Italian thoughobread and as such you'll not be supprised at the quality rod furnature such as the sleek black/blue/silver whippings that lock the impressive ALPS eyes into place. The rod itself comes in two parts, the Handle boasts a polished metal gimbal and sturdy reel seat that is surrounded by an EVA moulding that is well balanced and constructed to reveal a short section of the underlying blank - more in keeping with modern Uptiding rods.

The Chrome finishes to this section of the rod are typically Italian in style and look to offer longevity and reliablility. The main blank itselfconnects directly into the handle with a lenthy spigot that has a secure fit.The blank boasts 7 Alps Eyes and has a progressive action that will ensure the modern lure is manipulated as the angler intended, the rods reaction/recovery time is ulta impressive, and the rod feels and looks perfect when under load - it's hard to put into words, clearly it would be unfair to call it stiff, it's just stiff when it needs to be! sure it doesn't have a soft tip, it's a Jigging Rod! A lot of clever engineering of carbons ensure this is so. Having briefly used the rod as intended, I was in no doubt of it quality and the advantages it would give me the angler.

So then let's talk about Jigging for Cod ... but wait. Turberini didn't want me to use it as a Jigging rod, they wanted me to see how it responded to being used for more 'Universal' approaches - I was a little apprehensive at first but as soon as I had taken 5 Tope on the 15lb Class rod I realised these did indeed have a wider range of uses in UK water... In fact had Tubertini not sent the 30lb rod aswell I'd have been just as happy fishing with the lighter rod on the day I tested the heavier rod. Given that there were a few Tope in the area, we anchored up on top of a ledge about 4 miles of Portland South Western side and put down large fresh mackerel flapper baits, the idea was to get a scent trail down and pull the Tope up the ledge whilst the tide was running.

The 1 1/2lb lead felt really comfortable on the Rod, the blank eased the fresh bait into about 110m of water with a good tide running. Within a few minuets of the baits hitting bottom the odd 'Smack' indicated a few fish in the area, but instead of the Tope taken yesterday it seemed a few Conger wanted to come out and play. I was trying to combine fishing with photographic duties and as luck would have it I noticed my rod tapping just as I walked out to photograph Kelvin being played by a 60+ Conger in a good Tide! This is a light rod with plenty of backbone when it's needed.

I let the bite develop and when ready I lifted into a fish but this wasn't a weighty Conger pludging back it's lair. The knocking indicated what I had suspected as the bite developed, a Huss? I hoped I was right [as part of the 3 men in a Boat feature the species hunt continued into todays Boat trip] Even in the good tide and 18oz's of lead I could feel the fishes attempts to do anthing other than come quietly. I was right an average sized Huss was on the Boat and I had enjoyed the sport given. A quick photo [my tubertini cap in reverse as I had myself been taking photos moments earlier] and the fish was returned.

We all fished on and took a few Conger up to about 30lb [Kelvin had the only 60lb+ fish on the day] I took a couple of Conger on the Jigging Rod and was truly impressed with it's action.

Putting aside the rods origins and design, this is a true alround rod that I'd be more than happy to accompany me when visiting the UK Wrecks or rough ground with Conger. Do not get me wrong, this isn't a very good rod, it's a very very good rod. A brilliant Jigging Rod that is just as at home fishing down tide with propper weights and big baits as it is making 180gms of Chrome dance the Conger for Cod! Well Tubertini, this rod is a winner.

Tubertini UK
105 Killadeas Road,
Ballycassidy,
Enniskillen,
Co. Fermanagh.
BT94 2LY
Telephone - (02866) 347891
Fax - (02866) 347891