I started jigging about 5 years ago. At that time I used an 8ft Calstar blank and caught a lot of fish. But the workout was not to my liking
We switched to the shorter 5ft rods along with high speed reels and that made it better. Still a workout because if there is an AJ within 50 miles... it will find your jig!
We started out with the $25 dollar jigs and quickly learned how fast you can spend your money. The jigs we found to be a good value are the Williamson jigs. Sure you can get better hooks and have a jig with better paint but you will catch just as many fish as you do with the $25 versions.
Rods... they are not all the same so getting a true jigging rod will make your day much more enjoyable. That's not to say that you can't jig with a 50w...
Reels... conventional gear works well but go with a narrow spool. As you retreive your line fast, you don't need to worry about levelwinding. Or... don't forget to consider a spinner. They are strong and fast and will catch big fish.
-Tek