Jim,
If you were to observe fellows who are successful bouncing jigs and eelskin
rigs on the Canal bottom, you would notice a similarity in the equipment that
they use. If you wish to be successful, it would probably behoove you to
emulate their choice of equipment, since they are probably using it for a
reason.
First of all, every jig fishing sharpie that I've observed in 40 years of
fishing the Canal used conventional not spinning gear. Its a matter of feel.
A typical outfit would be a 9 - 10' heavy action rod with a Squidder, Newell,
or Ambassadeur 7000 reel. The real sharpies use 30 or 36# dacron line to
enhance their sense of feel. Using dacron line with a glass rod will give
you significantly more feel than using mono on a graphite rod.
Most of the rods you see will be of the home rolled glass variety. If you
don't know what you need talk to Bunny at Red Top or the fellow at the tackle
shop near the Christmas Tree Shop.
The rod doesn't have to be fancy. A gentleman I used to fish with many
years ago would simply use electrical tape to secure the guides on his rod.