Custom Made Pulsator Rods for Ice Fishing

As I was fishing with Brian Clauer on Sunday, I noticed him fishing with this 4 foot or so long rod. He calls them Pulsator Rods.

He offered to let me use one, and since we were hole jumping today it came in very handy. Right away I new I had to have one of these rods.

They measure 48″ and also 54″ long, and made from a St. Croix Rod Blank.

At the tip there is a 1 1/2″ coil spring that will detect the lightest bite.

They have a red oak handle that fits the hand very nicely and with a lindy hook loop added the jig can be hooked up for storage with ease.

And at the end of this stick there is an in-line reel, which will allow you to take in line or add out line with ease.

This pole is a must, especially if you will be hole jumping. If the wind is blowing you only need the amount of line out that is necessary unlike the shorter poles where you would have all the line exposed between the ice and the tip of the pole. It also prevents you from squatting down or dragging a pail or bucket around to each hole.

Give birdman (Brian Clauer) a shout and for $30 you too could be hole jumping with the Pulsate Rod

you really like that long of a rod for ice fishing? I can’t stand a rod that even goes over 2 feet little alone that big sucker. What are the advantages to a rod like that. I have been using my 18 inch rod and reel combo, with a spring bobber at the end and wouldn’t trade it in for the world. Also aren’t you kind of out a little to far from the whole? I know when i get those big crappies on i need to be closer to the hole so i can grab them right away before the jig pops out and they get turned around in the hole.

When I fish I like to stand. Consequently, a longer rod is more comfortable for me to use. When I sit on a bucket or whatever, my back aches so I stand and move around alot. These longer rods are more flexible to my needs. I find myself catching just as many fish with them and not losing any more than the norm.

i was just curious because i myself just can’t stand long rods like that and you really don’t see a lot round anywhere so i just had to ask a few questions on it. So i take it that you don’t fish from a shack that much then?

I do fish from a shack now and then. Especially now due to the weather being so cold. I like to fish from a shack when I can see the fish and when I am set up over a nice school of fish. I do have some short rods 18″ for shack fishing though.

I use both rods. Short for the shack and this long of a rod for hole jumping.

The days of being able to sit over a hole and pull fish out, day in and day out are not here. Sure you can do it when first ice time is here and last ice flury time. But now when the ice is 2′ thick and Feburary is here I find on my water that when you catch a fish, the others scatter for a period of time.Jumping from hole to hole increases my catch considerably.. And if I have to sit on a bucket , get up to move to each hole I end up with Bucket Back.

No one rod is the perfect rod for everyone but for hole jumping I really like the Pulsator Rod

jeff, If your sitting in a shanty a long rod like that is the last rod I would want but… if you like fishing outside….. if you like hole jumping…. and if the water is less than 8 feet deep the longer rods really shine. Fighting a fish at the end of a 4 or 41/2 foot rod is a completely different feeling than the fight from a much shorter rod. I used to use ultra-light spinning rods for a long rod but the wind affected the line too much. With a line thru rod set-up the wind only affects the line from the rod to the water. Another advantage of a long rod is working the water column while jigging. It’s easier on the arms when you can elevate your rod while leaving your arm by your side instead of having to elevate your arm to jig. It can be a disadvantage if the fish want an almost moitionless presentation. A jig at the end of a long rod is tough to keep completely still.
Most backwaters very few people use long rods because their not readily available. HT did come out with a 39″ version of their Polar Lite series this year. The Bertam Lake area is full of people using long rods, a local fisherman has been making similiar rods for a long time and they are a favorite in that area. Their not for everyone, but their the best I’ve found when fishing while standing and jumping from hole to hole.

i guess lately i haven’t been doing a whole lot of hole jumping lately with the cold weather, but even if i do i like to have my rod and reel cause i can move my jig/bait up and down with my vexilar

That is certainly an interesting concept….think I’ll have to make a couple and try ’em out. Guess length is customizable
so maybe a short and long will be in the plan. Guess I’ll get some cherry wood from the shed and start turning…

Birdman let me use one last weekend, and I thought it was definitely an improvement for hole-jumping in shallow water. I think when the kids get a little older and I can get up to the river more often, I’m definitely going to invest in one of them.