Panfish rod chatter

In years past I always made my own panfish rods using St.Croix blanks I purchased locally. Maybe four years ago that source fell on its nose and rod blanks were either ordered from Mudhole or other internet sites but honestly I liked having the blank in my mitts before I bought it. I was in Joe’s Sporting Goods on a fluke about three years ago and was toying with a St.Croix Triumph light action, 6’6″, one piece rod that was on sale and it followed me home. This rod has become a favorite of mine and carries a 750 series Smytre reel spooled with 4 pound mono. While its minimum weight rating is 1/16 ounce it flips a 1/32 like a dream.

I recently decided I needed to find another one of these Triumph rods and took a tour thru the local Scheels vast rod inventory and found another identical triumph rod for a c-note. Right next to it was a St.Croix panfish series rod, ul, 6’9″, fast action rated at 1/32 to 5/16 and is a one piece. $120.00 was the price on this rod and after handling it for a few minutes and doing the back and forth between the rods a few times more I decided on the Panfish Series rod. At the purchase I was handed a $25 dollar gift card so the rod was a great value.

I have a newer 1000 series Sahara spooled with 4 pound XL hung on the rod and plan to fish it tomorrow. I’m really loving the balance of the rig. I’m thinking I’m going to like this rod a lot.

As mentioned, I have made several other rods that over time have done me well and I just can’t get rid of them and use them from time to time yet. Probably the two most used of these older rods are built on ScIII Avid blanks that were a special build for a private contractor and were over-runs. These are rated a 1/64 minimum and have a buggy-whip action but are the most sensitive rods I’ve ever owned or used for that matter. They are 6′ in length and just a tad short for my personal preferences for casting but spooled with 4 pound Nanofil they make the best dock hopping rods imaginable. I also have a St.Croix ScIV, light action, 6’9″, one piece that’s got a 1/16 rating but its pretty stiff in my opinion for that rating, but I use it a lot for light casting plugs and spoons where it loads really nice and casts a mile.

As many may have gathered, I like light line/lure fishing for crappies and panfish in general. My mainstay is a 1/32 jighead, no eyes. I’m a fan of purple but will fish other colors as needed and I’m right at home fishing a plain lead head. I rely on my plastics to dictate the bite. I prefer rods from 6′ to about a max of 6’9″, shorter and they just don’t fit my needs and longer they get cumbersome. What are other readers person preferences on their panfish rods? Why longer? Why shorter? Its taken me 50 years to settle in on rods that serve me well and am curious why people prefer what they do for crappie and panfish angling.

I am a long rod fanatic. I really like a 7’2″ UL with a strong backbone. I think I end up liking that for the majority of tossing plastics. But…

In the spring I may be the odd duck but I do like a 9′ UL. I fish with a interesting technique I coined as a wind drift. I use a bright colored line and a 9′ UL and cast sideways into the reeds. Then let the line do the drift. Want to go deeper use a 1/16 oz jig or even a 1/8oz. The wind needs to be strong enough to drift the line over the school. When you see the line move at all then set the hook. The longer rod gives me the advantage to control the line. I have done very well over the years.

I bought a few 6′ Loomis rods that are mag-light and absolutely love the sensitivity. I cast 1/16 jigs all the time (1/32 work too I just rarely use them) and they work them great. I use them all summer vertical jigging for perch and gills and they are crazy sensitive. I prefer to use 4 lb nanofil on them…I am starting to use 4 lb fireline ultra 8 this year. I am hoping it is stronger and can cast almost as well. I like 6′ because if I am fishing in the wind that we generally have in NE SD I feel the rod is less affected and I can feel the bite better. I feel like they are a bit spendy to be only for panfish so they are my early season rods I throw jigs and minnows up shallow with. They handle big walleyes and the occasional snagged carp well.

I was impressed by the Scheels brand ultra lights in 7 foot it compares nicely to my StCroix Avid UL and less then half the cost.

tucrs wrote:

In the spring I may be the odd duck but I do like a 9′ UL. I fish with a interesting technique I coined as a wind drift. I use a bright colored line and a 9′ UL and cast sideways into the reeds. Then let the line do the drift. Want to go deeper use a 1/16 oz jig or even a 1/8oz. The wind needs to be strong enough to drift the line over the school. When you see the line move at all then set the hook. The longer rod gives me the advantage to control the line. I have done very well over the years.

That’s an interesting approach and I can see where a long rod would benefit playing the wind.

Jeff….I have line purchases in mind with the gift card and have been tossing around that Fireline Ultra 8 as part of the purchase. Maybe I’ll wait to see how this line works for people. I have plenty of the 4 pound Nano on hand but always open to trying something new.

Tom, I looked at the Scheels rod selection on hand and they didn’t have anything close to the St. Croix I bought. I’m in that store three times a week just to look at things and snoop thru the products and will check again. Our Rochester store seems to be on top of things and when stock is low its brought back up pretty fast so it may be that they’ve had a run on rods. I do have a back-up rod for breakwater in Two Harbors casting from Scheels and its a keeper for sure.

I have a JT Customs Panhandler that is a great panfish rod that doubles as a light bite walleye rod.

The best way to explain how it performs is like using a noodle ice rod only with more feel to it. You can feel the bite thru the blank, but the rod also loads up like a noodle ice rod if that makes any sense

My other panfish rod is 7ft GLoomis Walleye Series Mag-light XF. It also has great feel but its a quicker transition to the backbone