Alright. I bet TUCR are amazing and awesome and just all around perfect. But my boss lady would ring my neck if I bought a $150 ice rod. What does everyone else use for ice rods/combos? Looking for a good jigging rod, spoons and raps mostly.
Budget? What dollar amount should we keep our suggestions under?
FWIW, TUCR are not $150 rods. I believe I paid $120 for the couple I have….. 
DT
I can usually swing $50 for the rod alone and another $50 for the real. I’m just not sure I can justify spending that much on just the rod. I mean I would imagine they are awesome rods. But are they really that good? I mean if it’s something that is truly out of this world and I need to try it to believe it, alright. But if I can find something of comparable quality for a smaller price that would be great. I like my Fenwick rods that I have, with my pflueger reels. Just looking for some thing else.
Love my TUCR collection….But….truthfully when fishing for panfish/perch I keep reaching for my St. Croix Avid glass rod….Amazing sensitivity and strength with soft tip….$50.00 and most likely on sale all over right now….
I didn’t want to spend that much on a TUCR either. So I thought I would make my own. It is a lot of fun and now my options are endless.
I just paid $80 for my 36” TUCR Precision from Cabelas. They are now completely sold out however.
There are endless options in the $50 range. And they will all be able to catch fish. When comparing a custom rod to a large production line, the biggest differences will be in guides, cork, and blank material.
If your budget doesn’t allow the extra price, but you really want to try a custom rod, the used market on here and Facebook is usually strong, or skip a new reel and move one from one of your other rods.
If you want hands on time with one, swing in to the shop if your in the area, or Scheels. Or info your local, pm me and I could let you know if I’m going to be on the water in your area to give one a test drive.
Dan
When comparing a custom rod to a large production line
At what unit number is a rod thought of as large production?
<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Dan Baker wrote:</div>
When comparing a custom rod to a large production lineAt what unit number is a rod thought of as large production?
It’s a fair question. At which point do you feel TUCR reached that level? I would think that most people on here can tell the reference I was making to the $30-$50 Frabil, Clam, HT, Cabelas, etc. rod an reel combo.
You mentioned that you are making your own rods now. At what number of Friend/customer rods of your making, would you achieve the production status?
I just paid $80 for my 36” TUCR Precision from Cabelas. They are now completely sold out however.
Cabelas has been playing this game the last month or so. Put a bunch of Noodles, Bullwhips and Precisions on sale, “sell out” and a week later there are more back on sale. You may see another round of these back on sale yet.
Unless Cabelas has held onto some rods, they will not have anymore for the season.
I’m my opinion, there is no alternative. However, lots of good rods out there for $50. Depending on the reel you decide to pair with it, you could up your rod budget to $70. For $70 you can buy everything you need (except maybe recoil guides) to build your own rod.
I believe the 13 fishing widowmakers are a great rod and a good price point with about every action and length you would need, definately a good production rod, i like mine
I believe the 13 fishing widowmakers are a great rod and a good price point with about every action and length you would need, definately a good production rod, i like mine
Keep in mind that a TUCR, JT, DH…etc can be grabbed for $10-30 more than the widowmaker though too.
At which point do you feel TUCR reached that level?
Please don’t get me wrong Dan. TUCR are great rods and I know they will make anything you ask for. I have a couple of them they made for me from what I wanted and I like them a lot. It’s just I see so many of them on the shelves and all over that their “standard rods” seems more to be just a great high end rod. It also seems that the word fishing rod also comes standard with the word custom these days.
At what number of Friend/customer rods of your making, would you achieve the production status?
To me a production rod would be the same rod pumped out over and over again. I have yet to make the same rod twice because I have yet to get the exact same requests twice.
That makes sense Tuma. I just want to make sure people know that we are a shop that makes custom rods as well as identical rods in stock colors that are sold at large retailers. Rather than just a company that makes high end rods that at fully stock and not customizable.
Dan
I just want to make sure people know that we are a shop that makes custom rods as well as identical rods in stock colors that are sold at large retailers. Rather than just a company that makes high end rods that at fully stock and not customizable.
Hi folks! I enjoy reading all these threads about rods. I have no stake in this at all, but I wanted to give you a little (okay, long) insight into the world of rod building.
I have handled some TUC rods but never fished them. $100 seems like a lot for an ice rod to most of us, so with that in mind…
I paid $4 for a small bottle of water at the theater in Rogers. For water! Last weekend I was craving a mocha so I got one. Almost $6! For coffee! And $3.95 for a little plastic container of maggots! =)
But seriously, here’s what you may not know. The wholesale markup on fishing rod components is terrible. No one is getting rich there. And the builders are paying for shipping, and MN state tax on those parts.
One little known fact is that our Federal Government has decreed that if you buy a bag of guides, some cork, and some blanks, and assemble that into a rod that you will sell – you are now a manufacturer. You are required to have a Federal Employer Identification Number (FEIN, or the Federal Tax Identification Number). And you have to collect the FET (Federal Excise Tax) on Sport Fishing Equipment for every rod sold. Then you need to file a quarterly Internal Revenue Form #720 to report and pay the tax. And they are watching you! I made an error on some submissions after THEY changed the process and didn’t tell me. I received a very threatening letter stating that they were going to make my life miserable if I didn’t get my act together. I had to take a day of vacation so I could stay home, call the Feds, and be ON HOLD for hours to get it straightened out. They would not let my wife (book keeper) talk, it had to be me because the business was in my name.
When you get done building and selling a rod you have enough profit to go get a mocha and a tub of maggots, which is why I shut my rod building business down after 8 years. =)
you have to buy start up supplies, but i’ve been building my own rods and have been averaging around 40 bucks each for the components I like. carbon or glass, and not using REC guides. But really it isn’t that expensive. I started with this kit below. $150 and its enough to get you going.
http://www.mudhole.com/Basic-Rod-Building-Start-Up-Supply-Kit-FSB-2
Been very happy with everything that I have made for myself and its fun to build them just the way you want. Maybe they aren’t TUCR quality, i don’t know, never used one. But, i have been getting requests to make them for friends, so they must be alright.
Or even less expensive. Cheap enough to give it a try and see if you like it.
http://www.mudhole.com/eZ-Rod-Builder-Hand-Wrapper-Supply-Kit
Seriously guys. Cannot appreciate the advice enough. This is why I joined IDO. Everyone is so willing to help. And you don’t have to worry about some smart*** replies that you see on other pages. Maybe I will get into building my own rods.
Great points on materials. Skipping recoil guides would save a bundle.
There has been some really good videos recently from the Angling Buzz YouTube channel and one was when they asked various pros about of custom ice rods are worth the money.
Lots of variation, but hearing our own Joel Nelson talk about a custom rod for a specific bite at a specific lake made me really think about this. If Dave Genz and Jason Mitchell can get by without a custom rod, I’m feeling pretty good about my $40 Meat Stick that I splurged on.
There has been some really good videos recently from the Angling Buzz YouTube channel and one was when they asked various pros about of custom ice rods are worth the money.
Lots of variation, but hearing our own Joel Nelson talk about a custom rod for a specific bite at a specific lake made me really think about this. If Dave Genz and Jason Mitchell can get by without a custom rod, I’m feeling pretty good about my $40 Meat Stick that I splurged on.
I also watched that video. I thought it was funny that almost all of the guys that said custom rods weren’t worth it were the guys that had their name on mass production rods. IMHO jason mitchell’s meat stick rods have way too small of guides to use outside. I agree that you don’t need a $120 rod to catch fish, but I also believe that my tuned up custom rods are my favorite piece of equipment that I have bought for ice fishing.
Jason Mitchell can get by without a custom rod, I’m feeling pretty good about my $40 Meat Stick
I thought Jason Mitchell designed the Meat Stick. So in other words he custom made that rod for himself and mass produced it for everyone else.
When it comes down to it, rods are just some of the tools you use to catch fish. It’s all about matching your tool to what you are doing. A TUCR Bullwhip is junk with a 3/8 oz spoon for lake trout. Put the proper size bait and species for that rod and it’s a different story. Having the right setup that matches what you are doing can make a night and day difference and it doesn’t have to cost a $$$.
(Something about building your own rods) I still receive a smile on my face when I think about the first time I used a rod that I made with a lure I made. I caught more fish that day than everyone else in the shack combined. When you start playing around with making your own rods you can dial everything in to what you want and that will just enhance the experience.
You should be able to find a 13 fishing widow maker in the $50-$60 range. They are a high end production rod, but still have that high quality custom feel.
Im a gill fisherman. JR’s Tackle and Gander UL ice rods with 2 lb mono are my primary tools. Both rods were/are under $30. I had a 13 rod for several years but broke it. I use quality reels and spring bobbers. Nobody is out fishing me because of what they spent on rods. I use Fenwick and Croix’s for perch and walleye. There are plenty of low cost off the shelf ice rods at most any sporting goods store. Buy the rod separately and pair with a good reel instead of the cheapo ones that normally come with a combo and you are all set.
My secret weapon is the SSB-1 from HT Enterprises. I’ve have them on all my pan fish rods for the past 20 years or so. They have a new SLS version i just noticed and purchased online from Joe’s to try.
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