Trolling rods

I’m in the market for two trolling rods to add to my arsenal. I’m looking at buying a couple that are 10’6″, but I need your advice on this. I have personally never fished with this long of rod, but I’m looking to go with the longer length to get some spread while trolling four lines. I run planer boards quite often and need to know if this type of rod will work good for that application. Any advice it’s greatly appreciated! Thanks!

Bighan

I’ve spent many hours pulling boards with 10’6″ Wild River and 10’6″ Eyecon rods. They work well and will give you the versatility you’re looking for to spread lines when you’re not fishing boards.

There are a number of good options when it comes to trolling rods. I know Dean put out a good video about the new Shimano line of rods which are built for the way we (midwesterners) fish. Short handle for getting in and out of rod holders and great actions. They make a 10’6″ medium moderate and a 9’6″ MH which is great for pulling lead. It’s got a synthetic handle which is great because it doesn’t get beaten up so badly. Pretty good value for the money

Here is the link to the video – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQeC5_76f-M

The St. Croix EyeCon is another great rod. I believe they make it in a 10’6″ and a 12′ version. An excellent rod, however if I’m correct the handle is a bit more bulky

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The St. Croix EyeCon is another great rod. I believe they make it in a 10’6″ and a 12′ version. An excellent rod, however if I’m correct the handle is a bit more bulky

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Agreed. I’ve fished both the 10’6 and the 12′ Eyecon trolling rods and I didn’t really care for the 12′ version while the 10’6″ was right where it needed to be.

For what its worth I switched all my Eyecon trolling rods over to the Shimano rods with synthetic handles when trolling boards last season. The cork handles on the EyeCons were taking a royal beating in the rod holders and I just couldn’t stand the thought of ruining them with further use. I’ll still use the EyeCons for long lining applications where they absolutely excell while the Compres will be pulling the boards from here on out.

One solution, I’ve not done this myself, would be to find a cork handle wrap for the EyeCons to protect the cork if you plan to use them with boards.

Your post only mentioned planer board fishing. I have been using the Cabelas 9′ DepthMaster board rod and have been totally happy with them. Look for my posts in the Mille Lacs forum. These rods are dedicated to board fishing.

I do have a set of 10’6″ Eyecons that are dedicated to flat lines and for 3-ways in a pinch if fishing multi-people in the boat.

My point is that the DepthMaster’s are an economical choice if only fishing boards. The Eyecon’s/Shimano might be a better choice if multi-tasking.

We used the cabelas rods over the week end at sturgeon bay. We didn’t catch any fish but the rods worked great and are good value we had six lines out and no issues. We switched to a jig and a minnow and caught over 50 fish none under 20 inches. Great time!!

One thing to consider is the length off rod is the length of your boat. You do not want to be in the bow of your boat when netting your prize!

I have two Shimano Compre’s that I use specifically for trolling lead core. There’s no doubt in my mind that this rod would also work great pulling boards.

One of its best features, in my opinion, is the fact that its telescoping. Even though I own a 20′ Skeeter which can easily store this rod & full length, I just find it easier to handle & store this rod when its not at full length.

At full length, it has excellent sensitivity.

I did of course talk with Dean Marshall at Anglers Guide HQ’s when I was looking to buy a longer rod that would do a better job for me & my clients. Not the first time he’s steered me to another great rod by the way.

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I have two Shimano Compre’s that I use specifically for trolling lead core. There’s no doubt in my mind that this rod would also work great pulling boards.
One of its best features, in my opinion, is the fact that its telescoping. Even though I own a 20′ Skeeter which can easily store this rod & full length, I just find it easier to handle & store this rod when its not at full length.
At full length, it has excellent sensitivity.
I did of course talk with Dean Marshall at Anglers Guide HQ’s when I was looking to buy a longer rod that would do a better job for me & my clients. Not the first time he’s steered me to another great rod by the way.

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I’d second Joel’s response, especially if looking for a slightly shorter rod than the Eyecons or Wild Rivers. I own a pair of CPCTR83MC’s and love them. They sell a telescoping 8’3″ model which I own and a similar 9’6″ model which is also telescoping.

There’s lots of versatile rods out there, but many times you feel like you’re getting a rod that does one thing well and the others tolerably well. Not this rod. I’ve pulled bottom bouncers, long-lined cranks of all shapes/sizes, and about the only thing I haven’t done with it is leadcore.

They’ve got the EVA handles that James mentioned, so they’ve been holding up quite well in the holders.

Good luck!

Joel

I had eyecons that I used strictly for long lining and got rid of them. I run the compres for boards and found they worked just as well as the eyecons for long lining so sold the eyecons. I use the compres for boards, long lining, pulling bouncers, and three ways. They may not be the best rod for each of those presentations, but they handle them all well enough that I felt I didn’t need to try and carry 18 trolling rods just to make sure I had all my bases covered if I wasn’t sure what technique would be the best on a given day.

I use Jason Mitchell’s rods and they are a great rod for the price. I have a 8’6 telescopic rod and I am happy with it. Think it costed me 65 so not bad at all if your buddies lab walks all over it….

I like my Limit Creek trolling rods (specifically 8’6″ Telescopic), but I’ve heard that the Eyecon’s and Wild River’s are good as well.