Guide Size for Ice Deadstick

[EricCO]

What size guides are best to use on a deadstick for ice fishing? I know the bigger the better, but not sure how big.

Any one got ideas?

[EricCO]

Just bringing it back to top.

[aurora]

i have a thorne bros deadstick and the guides are pretty small. i think it goes 12-10-8-8. i've never had a problem with them icing up either.

[Backwater Eddy]

I had Rod Engel build me a couple deadsticks this season and they are great. One is 32" to the grip and the other is 28" to the grip. Each has it's own action the longer is light for deep sticking perch and crappie. The other is a bit tighter and is great for sticking walleye or perch on a heavy jig or hanger rig.

He use's the best materials and oversized guides so ice is not a issue even in the 2-4 lb. line range in below freezing temps.

If you are interested in checking out his rods here is his email to contact him so you can build a rod to your specs.

rodsbyengle@netscape.net

Great workmanship and feel!

BE...

[REW]

Eric,
I used to put oversized guides on all of my ice rods.
But in the last few years, I have come to realize that I simply don't like to be cold when I fish. So, all of my fishing these days is either in a shelter - or it is done when the temp is near freezing. As a result of this change in my fishing style - I have gone to very small guides on all of my ice fishing sticks.

I typically use 2-3 guides, and I make the first one an extended #12 then go down to an 8 and then a 6 - with a #6 tip.

This makes for very very light guides, and a better balance on the rod. For a dead stick in particular -- it is very important to have a very light tip. You don't want heavy guides -- that will affect the tip action for those light biters.

Obviously these small guides will ice up - if you are fishing in the cold -- but for those few times that it does happen, I simply put the guide in my mouth and melt the ice, and I am good to go.

I am simply much happier with the way the rod fishes with the smaller guides.

I have taken all of my older rods, and have replaced all of the larger guides with much much smaller ones, and couldn't be happier.

Take care

REW

[Kevin/CO]

I don't know what size the guide on the tip of my dead stick is but it was explained to me by a lot of ice fishermen a couple years ago that fly tips are the best last guide on a dead stick. This probably doesn't help that much but its been a very effective tip for me thats not easily iced and is pretty darn sensitive.