View Full Version : Jason Mitchel Rod ????
fishlips45
11-24-2007, 10:04 AM
I have been reading some reviews on these ice sticks and was wondering if I can get any good first hand feedback from somebody who has used one or seen them. Also, who sells these rods. I mostly walleye fish but do catch some perch and gills and of course eel pout.
brittlab
11-24-2007, 01:22 PM
I have several of them. I got the perch and walleye rods last year before our trip up to Waubay. i really like them. pretty sensitive yet have good backbone
no1son
11-24-2007, 07:20 PM
Jason Mitchell has a website:
http://www.jasonmitchellrods.com/ice.html
The website also has a full list of dealers by state, or you can buy on line. There is a full line to choose from. I got my two from Moore's Bait and Tackle in Minneapolis.
The rods come with a warranty, read that first if you can.
I'm trying the Meat Stick and the 24L Panfish rod this winter. It doesn't look to me from what I have seen that they cut any corners making these sticks. I really like the "soft loading" tip on the Meat Stick but the guides that takes are very tiny; so that will probably be best in a heated shack or house or there will probably be some problems with iced up guides.
ndwalleyevc
11-24-2007, 09:51 PM
I have a few of their walleye rods and IMHO they are the best rods available on the market unless you get a custom rod built. The graphite these rods are made out of are as sensitive as my Thornes. I think you will be happy with these rods.
NoLuckChuck
11-26-2007, 09:54 AM
I think these rods must be being made by the same company in China that makes the Genz sticks. Check these over carefully as I've seen quite a few with slightly misaligned guides and epoxy slooped all over them.
Scheels has them. Call 701-298-2918 and ask for Joe Finneman in the fishing dept. He'll ship them to you.
ChadM
Sweetheart abuser
11-27-2007, 02:29 PM
>I have a few of their walleye rods and IMHO they are the best
>rods available on the market unless you get a custom rod
>built. The graphite these rods are made out of are as
>sensitive as my Thornes. I think you will be happy with these
>rods.
I don't think they are anywhere close to being on par with the Thorne Bros. rods. IMO, the panfish and the meatstick are the best of the J. Mitchell, but nothing like the sweethearts. The action of the perch and walleye Mitchell's is much slower and less sensitive than I like. For the money they are good, but there are many good rods in that price range.
LB
NoLuckChuck
11-29-2007, 01:10 PM
These rods are nowhere close to a Thorne bros rod! They are about the same in quality as all those other 20-30 dollar rods out there. The Meatstick looks interesting though I have'nt seen one. The others I've seen and handled in stores in their line up seemed a bit middle of the road and many must have slipped thru the Chinese Quality control booth. Seemed about 1 in 3 or 4 was flawed in one way or another from what I saw. A very vocal promotional staff says they're the greatest rods ever all over the web though. I wonder why!
blueroof
11-29-2007, 01:26 PM
I concur with you 100% NLChuck, lots of hot air being blown about these rods. I admit that I picked an assortment of J. Mitchell's to play with because of it.
The meatstick is neat, can't wait to try that. It has a finesse tip with nice backbone. The panfish has a nice action and feel to it too - certainly nowhere as nice as a sweetthang, or panfish sweetheart. Good enough for a drunk buddy to use though. Both the perch and walleye are dull, terribly slow action compared to many other rods out there labeled fast. Haven't hooked into any fish with them, so tough to rip into them too much further.
I got outside models for the panfish, walleye and sweetheart, all the guides look nice and seem fine. Who knows, maybe they will surprise me on the ice.
LB
WinnebagoViking
11-29-2007, 01:49 PM
> A very vocal promotional staff says they're the greatest rods
>ever all over the web though. I wonder why!
Are you suggestion the folks over at FM would overhype a sponsor's product? Say it isn't so...
:censored: :stirthepot:
NoLuckChuck
11-29-2007, 01:53 PM
Negative. I'm talking this companies own promotional staff shows up on every fishing website out there any time the word icerod gets mentioned.
WinnebagoViking
11-29-2007, 01:59 PM
I haven't seen that sort of behavior, maybe I'm just not hanging out in the right places...:duh:
no1son
12-13-2007, 06:50 PM
The meat stick worked fine yesterday. Temps in the teens but the little guides didn't ice up in the open either. (I was using 2# Gamma copolymer ice line which maybe doesn't carry water like some other lines; I don't know if that was a factor.) The soft tip shows when something breaths on the bait. If you are a line watcher, which I am for panfish, the tip is just about perfect. Fish seem to hold the bait a little longer on that kind of soft tip, too. My reflexes aren't what they used to be; so I need all the help I can get...
The more I handle the 24" panfish rod, the less I like it. I probably won't fish it at all this winter.
no1son
12-13-2007, 06:50 PM
The meat stick worked fine yesterday. Temps in the teens but the little guides didn't ice up in the open either. (I was using 2# Gamma copolymer ice line which maybe doesn't carry water like some other lines; I don't know if that was a factor.) The soft tip shows when something breaths on the bait. If you are a line watcher, which I am for panfish, the tip is just about perfect. Fish seem to hold the bait a little longer on that kind of soft tip, too. My reflexes aren't what they used to be; so I need all the help I can get...
The more I handle the 24" panfish rod, the less I like it. I probably won't fish it at all this winter.
no1son
12-30-2007, 07:50 PM
I've been using the meat stick some, and I like how the tip telegraphs the slightest bite. Just two things:
1. The little guides ice up a little too quick when fishing outside below freezing. That seems to happen a bit quicker than on rods with bigger eyes - I guess that makes sense enough, but they are very hard to clear and keep clear after that starts.
2. Do not use the "rod slick" on rods with that fragile of a tip; you will break it off. Reinstalling tips on that tiny end is a *****! That is experience the hard way. I intend to transport my light tipped rods in a hard sided case with "eggcrate" finger foam for padding, but I aint spending no $80 for one from Otter, either.
I have heard that a bit of light colored spray paint on the end makes it more visible in low light. I intend to try that, after masking off the eyes, of course. I have some velcro that should work without leaving residue. The rod has already been broken so it will probably not be much of a risk.