Hello friends, I am looking to get a rod setup for walleye this ice season and am looking for a little help on what rod, lures, and line I should purchase. I know that when it comes to rods and line personal preference comes into play but if I could at least narrow it down a little it would really help. I plan on getting a shad rap, snap rap, clackin rap but some guidance and experience would be appreciated.
Will you be fishing outside or in a shelter/house? Maybe a couple jigging raps and ripping raps, shouldn’t need shad raps through the ice. Good assortment of jigging spoons, buckshot and forage minnows.
I’ll probably mostly be in an ice shack. I forgot to add spoons but I do plan on getting some of those as well.
In a shack. Probably a 28-32″ medium rod to your preference of feel and price, put a 500 shimano on it spooled with either 10# 832 or 6# mono.
I’d pick up a couple 1/8 oz spoons, I recommend buck shot rattln spoon(northland), Rattln flyer (Lindy).
1/8 oz is a pretty versatile size, usually not too big and not too small.
Many good tips. Anyone use braided line connected to 24″ of fluorocarbon with a swivel??
Many good tips. Anyone use braided line connected to 24″ of fluorocarbon with a swivel??
Yes, even 12″-18″ is plenty.
All good advice. I like a 32″ fast action rod. I will not go out without my Ripp N Raps (4&5). They may not always bite but they will look if there there, it is my search bait and favorite go to bait. Braided defiantly. I like a good hook set but don’t like to look like I’m on the bass masters trail.
I’m not sure if it’s ok to post this YouTube link or not but I’ll post anyways, some great tips here from a legendary walleye guy. I’ve watched this a bunch of times.
I use regular mono line but with a swivel and 12″-18″ of the same mono for a leader,this helps reduce the line twist caused by spoons and jigging raps.I also run a very small snap so I can change jigging spoons/raps often without having to re tie each time
I’m thinking I’ll get a St. Croix Premier medium 32″ rod and reel combo since I’m not a pro ice fisherman and don’t need a $90 rod.
3/16 Tingler spoon (perch)
Size 6 Snap Rap (chart. tiger)
Size 4 UL Rippin Rap (glow yellow perch)
Size 3 or 5 Jigging Rap (glow clown or glow perch)
Various sized Swedish pimples and slender spoons
They might have upgraded the reel since I bought a Croix rod and reel combo about 5 years ago, but at that point, I was extremely disappointed in the reel. The rod was exactly what I was looking for.
They might have upgraded the reel since I bought a Croix rod and reel combo about 5 years ago, but at that point, I was extremely disappointed in the reel. The rod was exactly what I was looking for.
I think they have, I bought one last year and was impressed with reel and rod. The reel had a pretty cool feature where the handle was collapsible without the need to loosen the knob.
That definitely seems different than the one that came with my combo.. The drag on that one absolutely sucked. If you set it to around 2 lbs or so, you might need to overcome 5 lbs to get it started and then it would ease back down to 2 lbs to continue to rip off line. It was also one of those reels that has a gargantuan amount of play in the handle.
If your going swivel, which I would recommend I would use invisaawivels. Neutral buoyancy is a very good for feeling bites.
Various sized Swedish pimples and slender spoons
Personal preference here but I would make a switch on that. When I got serious about ice fishing five years ago I bought a bunch of Swedish pimples. Now, they sit idle in my tackle box when jigging.
For me, I’m a big fan of the Lightning Spoons from Custom Jigs and Spins. Others talk about Buckshots or maybe Lindy Flyers. I haven’t had as much success on the latter two. That said my order of lure styles is a coin flip between Slender/Lightning, then if either of those aren’t working then the coin flip to Buckshots/Flyers. Then I’m out of time and headed home:)
What size lightning and slender spoons do you recommend?? Any preference in colors??
If your going swivel, which I would recommend I would use invisaawivels. Neutral buoyancy is a very good for feeling bites.
Whats size do you like to use?
patk I do not know where you got that quote from but not mine on this post.
AaronMoore it’s been a long time since I bought them ( never broke or lost one yet) but I believe they where there smallest ones. Fought a 50+ inch musky and did not have a failure.
You must be logged in to reply to this topic.
