Panfish rods?

I know there are a lot of topics already addressing the issue of top rods for panfish but I am hoping you guys can offer some insight on proven products and a new one. The three rods in question are the Thorne Bros Power Noodle, the quiverstick. The new rod that I am hoping someone knows more about is the 13 Ticklestick. I have held and seen the sensitivity of the ticklestick and the Thorne Bros have already proven themselves. The big issue is that spending $90+ on a rod is something that I just have a hard time bringing myself to do, while $50 for the ticklestick is a lot easier to swallow for me. So any input is greatly appreciated, and is the $40 more for the powernoodle REALLY worth it??

If you are willing to spend the money on the Thorne power noodle. Check out the Precision Noodle from TUCR 1st. Not that there is anything wrong with the Power noodle ( I own one ) I just think the TUCR is a better rod with a softer tip and just as much if not more backbone. I had several friends try mine last year and all 3 of them have ordered one for this season. I hope to get another one in the near future.

In my opinion, the Ticklestick has WAY to small of guides. My buddy fished one all weekend, and the guides constantly froze up. They are really small. Outside of that, they work pretty well.

The advantage of the REC guides that Tuned up Customs use, is that they are large and light. They don’t freeze up easily and they don’t add weight.

The higher end rods ARE worth the extra dough. IMO, of course.

I loved my cheap HT blue ice rod when I got it handed to me from my dad and used that for a couple years but with as much as I go now I decided to invest in good equipment and So I ordered a precision noodle TUCR. No doubt a huge difference between quality. I think the one big selling point like Andy said is that the ice doesn’t build up on the guides where as my last one I had to clear it constantly.

If I only went out a couple times a year I would have trouble spending a lot of money but in the end you get what you pay for! I had mine done in custom colors and I love it!!

Another tip: If you start looking at custom rods, make sure to get an Otter rod case. I cringe when I see guy loading up a soft case with $100+ ice rods… We all know the inevitable result of that…

Andy Fiolka wrote:

Another tip: If you start looking at custom rods, make sure to get an Otter rod case. I cringe when I see guy loading up a soft case with $100+ ice rods… We all know the inevitable result of that…

But then when you throw the rods after missing a fish they break on the case.

In all seriousness over the last 3 years I have gradually gone up in price of rods. First year it was Frabill Panfish Popper now it’s TUCR. I also ice fish way more than the wife wants me to.

With the St. Paul show around the corner come down and check out all of them.

It is the only time of the year where you can check out all the different brands.

Take a look at Dh custom rods. You can get a noodle rod for $60. Just as good as any of the customs that wont break the bank. He gives you the option of not going with the recoil guides that saves you around $30. He uses light weight fly guides that work just fine. I have both guides and don’t see the need for recoils at all.

“I just think the TUCR is a better rod with a softer tip and just as much if not more backbone”

Does everyone agree that the TUCR has a softer tip than the Thorn Bros. noodle rod?

renny1 wrote:

“I just think the TUCR is a better rod with a softer tip and just as much if not more backbone”

Does everyone agree that the TUCR has a softer tip than the Thorn Bros. noodle rod?

renny IMO no but I realize everyone has their personal preference. I have both rods and my favorite hands down is the TB Power Noodle. I think it’s the best panfish tip watching rod made. I have a Bull Whip from TUCR ordered so we’ll see how that one grades out after this season.

For it is worth…

There are alot of nice factory produce ice rods on the market and there are some junk factory ice rods made !

My biggest complaint in all the years of purchasing factory ice rods was they have WAY TO SMALL of guides on them.

When that company come out with ice rods with fly guides on them they hit it right on the head !!! Do we “need” ice fishing rods with Recoil Guides on ???

I say “NO” but that is my opinion only !! tho it is hard to sell a HIGH END ice rod while using a low dollar wire guides,so in “my opinion” to keep that rod a “high end” rod one must use a “high end” guides, I may never choose to buy one like that but they definitely have their place in the icefishing world.

Ice rods are no different than open water rods some of us have spent over $300 for a rod and $200 for a reel.

I buy/build to “my liking” and not because Larry,Curly or Moe says you cant catch fish with out it.

Really think out how you will use your new rod before you buy it, if you fish inside only you can get buy with small guides BUT if you at all fish out side you definitely want a rod fly guide style guides on it.

Purchasing a really good rod is an “investment” not just something to catch fish with.

So,to answer your question I say this… what do you look for in a ice rod and how will you be using it.If you have a price point then buy the best rod you can that fits your pocket book and needs/wants of a ice fishing rod.

Sorry so long, please report back and let us know what rod you choose..

JMHO Jeff

Tucr, (John)
Will you be attending the Milwaukee ice fishing show with your product?

Why does money always have to be an issue? oh yeah.. Im a poor college kid oh well.. I want to start to upgrade my equipment, over the last two years as gifts I have gotten an Lx6, and ice armor suit, a clam voyager, $100’s in tackle and accessories but yet I still am using my factory combos, which have never really let me down ( just add spring bobbers) but it sure would be nice to upgrade the one piece of equipment that pulls the fish in. I think I will wait, and hopefully get to the Ice fishing show to see if I can get a deal. Thanks for the input from everyone

Trust me Brett I am a poor college kid too. Been living off what my dad has passed down or what I got for christmas. And now most of the money I make during summer goes to fishing and hunting stuff instead of books and food. lol

I justified buying the rod because of how much I go and for that I wanted quality. After watching all the videos on here and with how helpful the guys at TUCR were I ended buying two rods. Second one was an impulse buy to go to Devils lake. Im definitely not regretting spending the money because I expect this rod and reel to last me quite a long time. Im just trying to find it in the budget for an LX9 or underwater camera. The new tickle stick looks pretty nice and i can talk to a friend who has fished with it a bit but I know I don’t regret buying mine at all as long as it holds up in the future like it should.

I have a Thorne Bros Power Noodle and also a TUCR Precision Noodle. Personally the first rod out of my rod case has been my TUCR Precision Noodle. I personally believe that the TUCR has a more sensitive tip than that of a Power Noodle. Does that mean that the Power Noodle will not catch you as many fish? No, I still utilize both rods on a regular basis through out the ice season as my TUCR is my finesse rod and the Power Noodle acts as my aggressive and deep water presentation rod. Both will improve your fish catching abilities greatly, it just comes down to personal preference. Good luck on your choice!

Many of the pros have fished with the cheapest noodle type rod with an old Schooley type reel and gold Stren fish line. (they watch their lines) Not nearly as much fun, but very effective if catching fish is what you are after.

DH Custom AlDente fan here love the backbone for walleye and love the tip for everything. Last weekend landed a 30″+ northern on it that just tickled the tip but man when I set that hook the fight was on. Good drag on my ABU reel and some hot sauce reel grease and I’m good to go. Also got into some crappies on a lake I never caught a crappie on in the winter now I know why. They just touched the tip and if they felt anything they were gone. The tip flexed and I fed them line till tight and set the hook. Love it so much I bought a second one.

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Brett Erickson wrote:

I know there are a lot of topics already addressing the issue of top rods for panfish but I am hoping you guys can offer some insight on proven products and a new one. The three rods in question are the Thorne Bros Power Noodle, the quiverstick. The new rod that I am hoping someone knows more about is the 13 Ticklestick. I have held and seen the sensitivity of the ticklestick and the Thorne Bros have already proven themselves. The big issue is that spending $90+ on a rod is something that I just have a hard time bringing myself to do, while $50 for the ticklestick is a lot easier to swallow for me. So any input is greatly appreciated, and is the $40 more for the powernoodle REALLY worth it??

Brett,

Are custom rods worth it? Depends what your definition of “worth” is. TUCR are worth it to me for a few reasons. First, I enjoy spending my money with family people. If you know the guys at TUCR, they are all about family. That’s the kind of people I wanna spend my money with. Second, at the end of the day they are very nice rods. I like having nice things, that’s why I have a collection of TUCR. All I have to do is message John @ TUCR and tell him what I want and it shows up! How easy is that? Actually it’s pretty dangerous situation for my wallet! Do I catch more fish because I use TUCR? Nope, don’t believe that I do. But at the end of the day when I am fishing with them, it brings me joy to look down and see the TUCR in my hand. That’s one reason why I get my fat butt out of bed every morning and go to work, because I do like the nicer things.

So I guess the first step for you would be to define “worth” in your own words because for me, they are worth it.

I’ve been riding this horse for years but I firmly believe that the Whip’r rods from Stopper Lures (you can buy them at fleet) for 35 bucks are the best factory made rod on the market. Very quick tip and great backbone to fight bass and walleye with ease. I too am a poor college kid so I have to cut corners for now, but the 48 inch (I fish outside and standing up so longer rods are a must for me they also make a 36 inch) Whip’r rod would get my vote to save the money, and they come with a split grip which increases sensitivity. I haven’t used a high end custom yet, I’m sure they are awesome (after school I’ll be buying some for sure) but for twice the money right now I’ll save it an go with a “lesser” grade.
If you are still using a spring bobber for an indicator (like myself) I think the advantage of the soft tipped rods is negated if you still intend to use an indicator. But if you are comfortable just watching a rod tip then the custom may be what you are looking for. I find it hard to believe that guys who say spring boobers are for beginners are that much better fisherman because they don’t use one, and I know this isn’t the intended topic but I’ve found the opposite is mostly true. Regardless find what qualities in a rod you desire (action, price, guide size etc.) and write them down and try to place them in order from most important to least then compare that to what each rod offers and pick the one that best fits your “needs.” I’ve done this before and I must say after buying all the rods I’ve never been disappointed in my choice. Just my .02 cents on the topic.

A buddy of mine just picked up the 13 Ticklestick and for what he plans to use it for, it should work fine. Like Andy already mentioned, those guides are tiny. The other thing I noticed is that it really lacks any backbone at all. I feel that a 12″ crappie would be able to shake a hook too easily by using the lack of backbone to its advantage and creating slack in the line with a simple turn in direction. It has good visibility for detecting bites and will work similar to a noodle rod in that aspect, but make sure you keep the line tight or you’ll be throwing that rod at your soft case all too often! The transition on the TUCR rods is worth the extra $40 for me, and there is a much wider range of use with a custom like TB’s Power Noodle or TUCR’s Precision Noodle. I always believe that $90 well spent is better than $50 wasted, my $0.02!