Jason Mitchell Elite Series 8' 6 Great Lakes Trolling Rods

I picked up 2 of these brand rods today and have to say I think they are going to be a great all purpose trolling rod. Seems that they would work for anything from lead thru mono and almost any lure from spinners thru cranks. This is a brand new model and has a few new features. The Great Lakes model rods have a larger reel seat that fits the larger tekotas without issue and have guides with metal inserts, so no cracked ceramic inserts or worries about accidentally reeling in a swivel. To me a good value at the price not much over depth masters, but yet under eyecons, shimanos, etc… And a warranty to boot.

http://clamoutdoors.com/jason_mitchell/jason-latest-products/elite-series-trolling-rods/jm861glmh.html

Again I haven’t used the rods yet but seem like they will perform great. Will hit the water soon for a trial…

When it comes to Great Lakes trolling rods, it’s pretty hard to beat Eagle Claw for price or durability. Basically less than half the price of most and a proven track record by many salmon fishermen.
Eagle Claw Trolling Rods

Mine have taken a beating over the years and not a single issue with any of them yet. I run braid backing on all my salmon trolling rods. No issues with any of the lines regardless if mono, braid, or lead core.
They’ve been thrown in the bottom of the boat and abused numerous times when the fishing has been hectic, yet they stand up and come back for more.
Why pay more for something when there are no real benefits from the higher quality rods. A reel I could understand paying more for but sensitivity really isn’t and issue with great lakes trolling rods. Handling the gear we put on the end of it is though.
I’ve ran other rods and many of them work fine as well. Considering the price though, nothings really worked any better than Eagle Claws.
In the pictures below, the Eagle Claw rods are the yellow ones.

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and let’s not forget Ugly Stick!!!

Mark

mbenson wrote:

and let’s not forget Ugly Stick!!!

Mark

They will definitely stand up to rough handling!

I am sure you are both right on. I was referring more to use for walleye and didn’t put that in the first post.

I also have 4 Tony Roach Wright McGill rods, aka eagle claws, that I think are great for walleye use but was impressed with the Jason Mitchell rods, for a decent amount less cost, as I start pondering Great Lakes trolling for walleye. And always nice to find something that should work well for eyes at a reasonable price.

I used to have a pair of 8’6″ Jason Mitchell telescopic trolling rods which were used for lead core trolling for walleyes. Used them for about 6 years. They worked well for that purpose but I not sure if they would have been heavy enough to handle salmon fishing.
Love the telescoping handle though and would like to see more trolling rods have that as an option.

These new rods are telescopic also, go from 8’6″ down to about 7’6″ or slightly less. Another nice feature is a slightly shorter but section of the handle than some trolling rods. I like this rod buts can eat up boat space with multiple rods out.

Again I haven’t used these yet and have/do not trout fish , but I would guess they might be a bit light but may be ok for occasional use. As I plant to give trout and salmon superior a try sometime but all just my best guess.