Hey guys! I mainly fish panfish. Want a custom noodle rod. Don’t have a noodle rod yet. Don’t have any customs yet either. My question is what kind of noodle do I want? Want it to be 22″-24″. Any input would be great!
My vote for all around panny rod is Bullwhip from TUCR.
I got a TUCR Precision Noodle and found that it worked great with smaller jigs and Tungsten flies. Anything over 4mm it loaded a little more than I like. Overall I really like the rod.
I was in the same boat weeks ago..tucr and dh was a 3 weeks wait. Had my brother build me a hand wrapper using cnc machine. I order all my stuff from mud hole and picked up a few al dente blanks from DH. Finished my rod build in a week and half. Yes i spent more money but for about $200 I built 2 noodle rods and a gill seeker using rec recoil guides. As far as length goes I like the 28″ more than the shorter or longer rod. At first I thought it might be too short but found it to be just right. IMO it was a fun project.
It’s gonna be used w small jigs. I’m leaning towards the tucr power noodle
I would go with a 32″ power noodle. As far as the length, it depends on whether you are fishing all the time inside a portable or not. 32 is probably your best option to go with. I have fished with the 32″ in an Otter Lodge and like it very well.
Check out dh customs first. The al dente and the 7 deuce are really nice rods. Also they are wallet friendly at $59.99
TUCR seems very popular on IDO but $$$! Anybody else try el-cheapo like me? Fleet Farm has a great selection of noodle rods in the $20 range. Buy 3 for the price of one TUCR and have them ready with different jigs and you’re set. I’d especially recommend taking one for a test spin before spending big bucks only to find out you don’t like noodles. I use glass noodles made by Eagle Claw.
TUCR seems very popular on IDO but $$$! Anybody else try el-cheapo like me? Fleet Farm has a great selection of noodle rods in the $20 range. Buy 3 for the price of one TUCR and have them ready with different jigs and you’re set. I’d especially recommend taking one for a test spin before spending big bucks only to find out you don’t like noodles. I use glass noodles made by Eagle Claw.
I get where you’re coming from. But I have a selection of carbon rods now. Just feel it is time to add something else and start upgrading at the same time
Drilling lots of holes helps me catch more fish. A flasher helps me catch more fish. A GPS helps me catch more fish and get me back to areas I previously found fish. Using the right line, jig and bait has helped me catch more fish. Using a more expensive rod has not helped me catch more fish through the ice anyway. My first Frabill Panfish Popper still pops as many fish as any rod I have or any rod anyone else is using when I get it out though this year I’m mostly using my $20 noodles.
Drilling lots of holes helps me catch more fish. A flasher helps me catch more fish. A GPS helps me catch more fish and get me back to areas I previously found fish. Using the right line, jig and bait has helped me catch more fish. Using a more expensive rod has not helped me catch more fish through the ice anyway. My first Frabill Panfish Popper still pops as many fish as any rod I have or any rod anyone else is using when I get it out though this year I’m mostly using my $20 noodles.
+1 I will take my money I save and put it towards fishing every weekend.
at a minimum check out the st Croix AVID GLASS rods. I got mine for $50. I have a TUCR Quick-Tip and love it so far this year but would get the avid glass for a panfish rod at half the price if I could only have one.
They are even on sale at mills right now, $40 only! They are great rods too!
I have the 30 inch Power Noodle from TUCR and I absolutely love it. It easily detects the smallest of bites from literally 2 inch perch.
For 15 dollars you can have Thorne Bros put a “trip wire” or titanium spring bobber with a built in recoil guide on the end. The titanium spring bobber will never bend or kink funny, and the guide on the end of it helps reduce ice build up with has been a complaint from spring bobber guys. It’s not a noodle but essentially it fishes the same and is a visual bite, watch the bead drop, and set, just like a noodle. The advantage is when you don’t want to fish with a small jig and you’re using a bigger spoon or bigger tungsten, you don’t have to use the spring bobber and you can fish the rod as you bought it. I have both my Thorne Bro rods with the trip wire and have come to appreciate that option a lot. Hope this is helpful.
Sorry, should have proof read right away, but to clarify you can have them do this to any of the rods you already own.
Everyone here has good advice and most of the time are very honest. Depending where you live, how fast you need your rod and what your plans are as far as custom rods. My brother is tucr guy I’m not. I prefer TB and DH. It’s hard to know if you’ll like a rod that you’ve never held. So as I mentioned I build my own. It cost less and can be done in 3-4 days. Rod building isn’t hard and you’ll be surprised of how nice it looks in the end.
So far the only noodles I have used are the ones I made myself by sanding down fiberglass blanks, and the DH Al Dente I bought this year. The Al Dente rod is nice, but I feel the tip is juusssttt on the heavy side for the jigs I usually use (4 mm Tungsten most often). The tip does load very very slightly with a 4 mm jig, and does flex up and down some while jigging, but not a lot. I was actually surprised how much I was able to “pound” the jig with this rod, and how many bites I actually felt, due to having a bit of tip on the rod, and the pretty fast transition into the backbone.
Some might really like this, and I think it would work well for 5mm jigs or small spoons. For my tastes, I like a little softer tip, and I moved the transition a little further back and slowed it down slightly. I haven’t used one, but my rods seem more similar to the Tuc Precision Noodles based on what they look like on TV. The first 4 inches or so has very little taper, giving the smooth “spring bobber” type action, and either a tick or an upbite is easy to see. Some actual feel is lost, but I have stiffer carbon rods for when I want more control over the jig and want to feel the bite.
I think the first thing to think about is what size/weight jigs you normally use. If normally smaller jigs, I think the Tuc Precision Noodle is popular, and possibly the Thorne Power Noodle but not sure on that. I think the DH rods are just slightly heavier in the tip and would work best for slightly heavier jigs.
Or custom make one yourself or have somebody build you a custom rod to do exactly what you want.
One other note, I think the noodle rod trend is to go a little bit longer. They can be made shorter, but a little extra length allows a little bit softer tip, while still having the space to work in a nice backbone, and allow a little more rod movement to set better hooks in deep water.
I haven’t had any issues hooking fish on noodles, but keep in mind they aren’t as quick as a solid carbon rod, and the rod has to move a little further to get into the hook setting backbone. If you can swing it, something 28″ or so might be preferred. On the other hand, a DH noodle gets into the backbone pretty quick.
Lots of choices to make based on your needs, and type of rod you pick… and I tend to over analyze things.
You are technical curley but agree and do like at least 28″ for quick noodle hooksets. Too short and you practically have to jump to move the rod tip far enough. I like my 5′ rod in shallow water, barely have to move my wrist to set a hook so it makes it nearly effortless.
I have several noodle rods but my two favorites are the TUCR precision noodle 28″ and the Thorne Bros power noodle 28″. IMO the thorne bros power noodle has more backbone and a softer tip. Idk if it’s because I have caught 100s of fish on it so it’s broke in and the TUCR is a little bit stiffer because it is brand new. If you’re not looking to spend big $$$ on custom rods I would look at the Wright and Mcgills Tony roach series noodle rod. For the price, the rod is great overall with a soft tip and strong backbone. 
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