Hi guys,
I am going to get a couple new jigging rods this winter. What do you all suggest. I will be mostly pan fishing but I am going to try Walleye a few times also so I plan on buying a couple different ones. Help me out o this one. THanks
Lance M.

OrangeBarrel- Last couple of seasons, I`ve been using Berkleys-Dave Gentz Lightning IceRods for Eyes`. I`m real partial to the bait caster style with a low profile Abu Reel with the flipping feature, teamed with 8lb. grn. Fireline. For panfish, been using a variaty of HT rods w/micro spinning reels. My .02 worth. Bob WC#253

Wow, Lance.
Your going to get as many answers to this one as Carters has liver pills. I'm thinking many will tell you to go StCroix Med/Heavy for walleyes and pike. And something in the ultrlight area for panfish. I'd have to go to the book to rattle off all the code rod numbers for different types, styles, lengths and all the other features.

Would you believe I use the same 2 rods for ice fishing perch, bluegills and walleyes. Yup, these baby's do it all. They have a very sensitive tip and mid-section, but have enough backbone to hoist the biggest gator up into the hole. The bad part, I don't think they make them anymore. Their Berkley Roughnecks RNS30M Rods. And I got them teamed with Pflueger Supreme I-3BB Level wind reels. Spooled with 12 pound Big Game Supreme Line. I attach a barrel swivel and a lighter line leader for panfish. Give Berkley a call or e-mail, maybe they still make them. I wouldn't mind getting a couple more as well.

In years past, I have built and used lots of different ice rods. I have built lots of hollow and solid graphite as well as fiberglass rods.

For now, nearly all of my ice rods are fiberglass and will continue to be fiberglass.

A couple of notes:
With graphite - small short rods tend to be quite stiff. If the rod gets thin enough to be soft enough in the tip, it becomes very fragile, and very easy to break. Many of my hollow graphite rods, have broken over the years; due to their fragile nature, as well as the cold temps that they are subjected to.

Solid graphite can be ground to get a good action, stiff in the butt; and soft in the tip -- and yet retain a reasonable durability, and life. One issue with solid graphite, that has been properly ground - is cost. Many of the excellent solid graphite blanks run up to $50 - for a 24 inch blank. Pretty pricy for a tiny rod.

In recent years, there have been some imported solid graphite rods, that are filling this niche quite well. i.e. reasonable action, at a reasonable cost.

Finally you come to fiberglass rods. Nearly all of my ice fishing these days are done with fiberglass rods. It is very easy to get a nice fiberglass rods, with a long light tip, that is super sensitive, and the entire rod can cost less than $10.
In these very short lengths - weight is really a non issue. If you are using any kind of reel - the weight of the reel completely masks any small rod weight differences.

I have also found that if you have a longer lighter tip - that has at least a few inches be quite soft - the tip, can really replace the bobber - that is a continual problem in ice fishing.

If you are going to be doing active jigging - then - I will recommend the use of a medium, or medium light solid graphite rod. For jigging, you like to impart a nice "snap" into the lure - that you can't get with a soft tipped rod. Because of the short lengths, and the other conditions of ice fishing - you can generally lighten up on your rod actions. Also, much of ice fishing tends to be with somewhat lighter jig weights, than you might normally use in open water fishing.

For a typical 2 rod set up, I will be using a 36 inch medium light solid graphite rod, for jigging, and then I will be using a 39 inch fiberglass ultra light rod for a dead stick rod. This dead stick rod has about 6 inches of extreme softness. Basically the rod tip replaces a spring bobber and you need no other indications of a bite. With the very extreme length (6 inches) of soft tip - the tip can deflect several inches, before the fish feels any resistance. This time allows you to set down your jigging pole, and pick up your dead stick rod; without losing the fish; that is mouthing the bait on the dead stick rod.

Brands are in the eye of the beholder. Just get a rod that feels right for you, and has the right action. I prefer a cork or foam handle for ice fishing. It doesn't conduct the heat, and I tape my reels onto the handle.

On all of my reels - I will put two wraps of tape around the handle, in the area that I am going to install the reel. I leave these wraps permenantely on the handle. Then I tape my reel over these two tape wraps. When I remove the reel, I take off the tape over wraps, but leave the two initial tape wrap on the reel handle. This way, the overwrap tape never tears up the handle material itself.

Take care and be safe on the ice.

REW

The only tiny bit of REW's advice I have to take exception to is the statement that breakages occur at cold temperatures. It is a myth. Not only have I NOT had that happen to me, and I have fished with IMX and GLX tip sections, one of the leading authorities in the rod building industry also says it is nothing more than the fisherman's vivid imagination. The exact same graphite fibers and resin are used in the aircraft industry for sturctural parts that have to operate at an altitude of 40,000 feet at much higher stress levels than you could ever put on a fishing rod. Where cold temperatures WILL affect graphite is in a bath of acetone and dry ice. -350 degrees fahrenheit. Which is a long way from where any of us would be ice fishing. You need to protect your rods from damage, not the weather.

Call Custom Tackle or Anglers Workshop. They'll be very helpful in getting you an actual ice rod blank or a fly rod tip section that can be used for an ice rod. I do believe that St. Croix is now making ice rod blanks too. Could try calling them too.


Better to have and not need than to need and not have!

Matt Davis

Good info Matt.
I to was going to step on Rew's toes a little myself, with the Graphite breaking statement, but thought I'd wait. Those Roughneck Rods I mentioned are graphite, and I've had them bent in some pretty vicious arch's on some heavy Eyes on the Saginaw (see picture upper left hand corner). I guess if I tried to break them I could, but with them being out of stock, I won't.

I have had my st. croix for 10 years caught some real hogs with them too. Excellent hookset and I can feel a bluegill fart from 10 ft away.

Hi Capt Dan.
Been reading a lot of your posts on this board. Me and my husband have just been transfered from the Saturn Plant in Tenessee to the Bay City plant, near Saginaw Bay. We both want to start ice fishing. He read your ice fishing article on the Pro Page and was wondering how you hooked up your GPS to your Computer? I would have e-mailed you personally with this, but dont know my way around this site yet. Thanks.

Wantasew.
I do not hook the GPS up directly to my PC. There are newer GPS's that do indeed do this now, but I just keep the coordinates and use them when I get home from a trip. The program/CD I have automatically gives you the right GPS coordinates as you move the mouse/curser around on the screen of the certain map of whatever lake of bay you have pulled up. Each of these CD's are of certain lakes and bays. Most will have at least 4 to 6 lakes/locations of the surrounding area. My Saginaw Bay CD has Burt, Houghton, Black and some other lake as well as the Bay. The guy who sell them also monitors this board and the address is http://www.fishingmaps.com Hope I didn't break any web site listing rules here.

Lance,
BTW, how did everything turn out with the motor?
Take care,

Orange,

I just picked up the St. Croix 24" UL and the 28" M last night. In the living room, they are awesome. I'll be using them this weekend, hopefully I'll have more reel world info after that. Go check them out at your local sporting goods stores.