I really don't know what to tell ya

I've used weedless jigheads for over 20yrs ... with 4lb test mono ... on everything from 5ft UL rods to 7ft carbon rods (Mitchell Zero Gravity) ... none of which are what I'd call 'stiff' rods ... and never seemed to have a problem getting a good solid hookset. Now ... OK, I am using these outfits for casting & swimming a jig, and not vertical jigging. But, still ... I don't see any reason why any normal jigging rod of that length (8-10') wouldn't slam the hook home.

The "weed guard" is the only difference between a weedless jig & a plain jig ... and they shouldn't be so stiff that they interfere with hook penetration. In fact, I have to watch what I'm doing when I'm using one of my rods over 7' long ... because when I set the hook, I'm concerned that I might break the 4lb line. (I don't "play" when I'm setting the hook )

My 9ft ESP, or my 10ft Sam Heaton would do the job ... I just don't do a lot of vertical jigging, so I'm normally using the longer rods to drag a minner around. If I were to consider using either one of these rods, I'd likely go up to 6-8lb test.

You kinda have to watch/notice how the rod is set up. By that I mean how much of a 10ft rod is handle & how much is blank. Since they measure rods from butt to tip, the rod may be 10ft long (overall) but only have 8ft of rod out in front of your hand. Case in point : my 8ft BnM Duckworth FnF rod has 85" of blank from the front of the handle to the tip ... while my 9ft ESP PowerJig rod has 88" of blank from front of handle to tip. So my 9' long rod is really only 3 INCHES longer (in blank length from handle to tip) than my 8' long rod. NINE more INCHES of handle on the ESP vs the BnM FnF rod !! Both are IM6 graphite blanks ... but the 8' FnF rod has a parabolic bend, while the ESP is a extra fast tapered bend. Or, in the simplest of terms ... the FnF rod bends like a C ... and the ESP bends like a J.

I think what you're looking for is a 10ft rod with the fast taper ... if the parabolic bend rods seem too soft in action for you. And, if you're going to be vertical jigging with it, you probably won't want a short handle ... but, neither do I think you'd want a handle as long as your forearm. Just keep these things in mind when you check out the suggestions that are sure to follow.

... cp