What to look for in a good panfish rod

As ice season rolls in again so does my interest in custom well buit ice rods.

The first slot to fill is a panfish rod.

Thanks guys!

Brent,
I have spent several years fishing panfish and I have used a lot of different rod set ups…

I spent some time talking to John with Tuned Up Custom Rods and I believe i am going to be taking the next step up in quality pan fish rods..

Get in touch with John,
He will help you like no one else has before.. at least that is how I felt…

John Burback

[email protected]

651-341-1129

Precision Noodle Rod for Pan Fish !!!

I’m in the same boat, I’m going to slowly upgrade my rods each year. This year is going to be panfish. I’m not sure if I want to go full custom or just a high quality rod. I’m leaning towards custom. I like the looks of the thorne bros rods, but not the price. But I’m sure I’ll have to pony up and spend the cash to get what I want.

In my opinion, and I’m sure some,[most] will disagree, when it comes to ice fishing, the rod is the least important tool except when matching the rod to the targeted fish. To me, presentation is #1.Line,and reel/drag are what are what comes after. Most guy,s buy high dollar rods just to keep up with the Jones. My avatar walleye was caught with a Gander Mountain Guide Series Rod and Reel. Being a good fisherman will get you more fish than some $100 dollar rod. Keep it simple.

I can tell you that there is such a thing as a rod that is too soft without enough backbone for sunfish. I had a rod that I think came with a combo. It had very slow tapered action back to the handle. I was missing a lot of panfish. Switched to a rod with faster action and stopped missing fish.

To me, presentation is #1.
You nailed that Big Time.. case in point…
I was fishing with some friends on Secret Lake last year.. There were several 11″ gills being caught.. But not to many by me… Presentation caused me not to catch these fish.. The guys all has a very soft tip like the Precision Noodle Rod by TUCR. I was using the exact same bait/line and I could not put one of these behemoths on top of the ice

Presentation is EVERYTHING and sometimes you need just the right rod action to make your offering acceptable to the Monsters !!!

There are a lot of good rods on the market for the money. It is just when conditions do not allow for the rod to be the weak link, you need a rod that can detect the slightest bites.
When the fish are biting you could catch them on just about anything. When fish are either finicky or biting so light that you cannot see the slightest tick that is where a custom rod shines.

A custom rod can be a great investment in fishing. Just like good electronics, a good house, a quality rod can make any trip more enjoyable. I fished for years perfecting blank design and learning small things to make a good rod better. Biggest thing you get from a custom rod is quality and performance. Pickup a custom rod and see for yourself.

John

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WOW! Those are great gills! Any pictures? I have never seen an 11″ gill. Thanks.
Shawn

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I will shoot the guys an e-mail and see if they will post them up.. My best was 9.5″ with several in the 9″ range

Brent !!!
If your deer hunting this weekend,, Bag that deer early and head over to the cities as there are a few ice shows as posted here in the ice forum and check some out…

Good Luck !!
And have fun with it

I do a lot of perch fishing. I have some custom rods that I like but I always seem to end up with a ML panfish popper in my hands. I’m usually fishing very deep water and I can see and feel the bite from 60-80 feet away.

Echoing what others have said, go with something with a soft tip but plenty of backbone in the rod. I say this because there are often some gamefish (ie bass and walleye) intermixed with the panfish you are after. Multiple times while ice fishing I have caught 18+ inch bass while crappie fishing on my panfish rods and same with walleyes, gotta be prepared for the fish you don’t expect. I know for certain if I would use ultra light rods with no backbone I would have busted them on those gamefish. Just my two cents

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Echoing what others have said, go with something with a soft tip but plenty of backbone in the rod. I say this because there are often some gamefish (ie bass and walleye) intermixed with the panfish you are after. Multiple times while ice fishing I have caught 18+ inch bass while crappie fishing on my panfish rods and same with walleyes, gotta be prepared for the fish you don’t expect. I know for certain if I would use ultra light rods with no backbone I would have busted them on those gamefish. Just my two cents

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Actually, I’ll respectfully disagree with that. Get a stick that purposed for the fish you’re pursuing otherwise it’s just a compromise on the off chance that you might run into something else. For instance, when I walleye fish, there’s always a chance that I could tie into a sturgeon. It’s a bit of an extreme for an example but has happened, however, I’m not going to gear up for the latter or try to compromise what I feel is the best stick for my intended species.