So last year I picked up a Finicky Fooler and paired it with a JM Dead Meat rod. The rod worked well, but the tip split on me before the season ended. I like the price of the dead meat, but it’s durability is a concern. What is your favorite dead stick rod for walleye and pike?
TUCR Vulcan, I use mine in my IfishPro’s and they’re great rods. I had the handle made a little longer I believe its an 8″ solid.
They have the Deadstick model as well, but for your application I would be using the Vulcan.
I like my Thorne bros dead stick. 36 inch is my go to but I also have a 32
Everyone has their favorites but I run a JT walleye snare with a okuma bait feeder on my finicky fooler. Absolutely love this set up!
Love my TUCR Deadstick. Really nice tip for detecting bites and also is a very parabolic action for nice hooksets with live bait hooks like circles or trebles.
Thorne bros 36″dead stick. This year I picked a JT walleye snare. looks promising.
The JT walleye Snare is a great dead stick and works well in the Finicky Fooler. I feel the Thorne Brothers Dead stick has too much of a parabolic rod action (also know many people who love this rod) and the TUCR dead stick is 
… Well you might want to ask yourself what you are looking for in a dead stick? Fishing style, lure, bait selection, and species will all come into play on what dead stick will work best for that situation.
I have been working on a new blank design for use with the Finicky Fooler and bait feeder reel setup. I had to make some more tweaks from the previous designs. I like what I came up with last year and have a couple more copies out for testing this year. I have been working on different designs for sturgeon, perch, pike, and walleye. The fun part of designing and making your own rods is you can dial in the blank action perfect for what you want.
I’m typically dead sticking for walleye and pike; and will mix up my bait and lure presentation depending on lake, species, etc. I do use an Okuma bait feeder as well.
Rod, do you have a website or someplace to see your rods?
Rod, do you have a website or someplace to see your rods?
I don’t have a website and am booked out for this year. 95% of the stuff I make is a one off per customer’s request. Here is a post I did on IDO. https://www.in-depthoutdoors.com/community/forums/topic/trw-custom-rods/
you’ll see more reliable flag trips on a finicky fooler when using a stiffer rod – reason being the flag trip lever will move before the rod tip absorbs the pull force. You will catch more fish, especially those who tend to drop the bait when they feel the load of the rod tip vs tripping the flag and pulling the free spool line.
The JT walleye Snare is a great dead stick and works well in the Finicky Fooler. I feel the Thorne Brothers Dead stick has too much of a problematic rod action (also know many people who love this rod).
Whats problematic about the rod action? I’m just curious?
Walleye snare for me. I did order a 45” Elliott that should be a wicked deadstick.
Elliot 44 ultra light. Unreal tip on the rod
Della Bay – Tip Dip
Whats problematic about the rod action? I’m just curious?
Sorry I meant to say Parabolic. 
Thorne bros 32″ or 36″ for me. I like picking the wraps and think those guys do a really solid job. Cant go wrong with many of the others mentioned here though.
Elliot 44 ultra light. Unreal tip on the rod
I ordered one of those too. Lol.
Following along, I run a finicky fooler and looking for some more rod options. I had wondered if elliot had a deadstick options, not sure I want a 44″ rod though..
I don’t think one rod fits all, unless you only use it for one specific application. I use everything from small shiners to giant sucker minnows for spring pike on my fooler, different rods for each though.
I like Jason Mitchell Meat Sticks for dead rods but he sells once called a Dead Meat Ice Rod that I’d like to get too. I’ve found Jason Mitchell rods to be great rods for the price.
St. Croix Premiere/Mojo Ice 36″ L also double duty as an excellent dead stick rod.
I think it completely depends on what type of “dead stick” or “dead sticking technique” you are talking about.
For me the JM meat stick/dead meat are the top of the line “moderately” priced ($30-$50) rods. When I dead stick I either have a basic jig or split shot/red hook or drop shot rig on this rod with an okuma baitfeeder reel, sitting in a holder or on a seat/cooler. I really like that flex tip of the JM’s so my minnow shows me movement and allows for a little give when the fish strikes and before the baitfeeder engages, and that the rod then transitions very quickly into a strong backbone for hookset.
Being in SD I use a much stiffer rod for my finicky fooler and jawjacker, as we are allowed the hookset versions.
last year i bought 4 jason mitchell dead meat rods. they worked good for us and decently priced. i would like to get my hands on a meat stick and see how they compare.
I believe they’re same rod coletrain but dead meat has larger eyelets
thats the only difference?
Yes, eyes are larger on dead meat, meat stick has a full cork handle vs split, and meat stick is the pre 2019 version of the offering. I don’t believe meat stick is made anymore, only dead meat.
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