I’m using some St Croix rods that I originally bought for throwing light muskie lures……small bucktails and twitch baits. They are 8’ers out of the Tidemaster series. They have a nice soft tip section and a strong butt, just right for lead from 2-4 ounces. The soft tip section really helps reduce break-offs and keeps fish hooked because I’m using 14# Fireline down to my swivel.
Beav
I have to agree with the Beaver…I build my own rods, and found that the St. Croix blanks are great for this. I used the SCII casting blanks in the 7′ 6″ length, 2C76MHF. I am not sure if they still make this blank any more, because I was going to make a couple for a friend, and all I could find were the blanks in a 7 foot length. These blanks are rated for medium/heavy, but the are much like Beaver says, plenty of backbone, yet somewhat of a soft tip, actually they are rated as a fast tip. These rods (I have 2 of them) are perfect for 3 ways and bottom bouncing with a super braid. You can go a little stiffer if you are going to use mono on your reels, because the line stretches. I have had great luck with these rods in these types of situations.
Good Fishin’
TBO/MN Joe Smith
Ugly stick downrigger rods 9 footers or the 8’3” You want the rod to give action to the wts……………. my half cent worth …
Nord
To pull 3-ways with the weights you’re speaking of, you’re really going to need some heavier rods. I would much rather fight a walleye on light spinning gear as well but those 4 & 5 ounce sinkers will completely over-work regular spinning and baitcasting gear. The next time you’re on the water, rig up a 3 ounce bell on your spinning rod and see what I mean. Poor rod will be so over-matched that you’ll feel sorry for it! The good news is that appropriate rods tend to be relatively inexpensive and can be used as lead-core rods, board rods, or even flat line trolling rods if you choose.
Trolling rods from 8-11 feet work the best for me. If you have a rod that is too fast at the tip, you set the hook at the “Sinker”, if you use a longer trolling rod, the hookset goes all the way through the weight and rig, and sets into the fish. Does that make sense? I can try explaining it another way….
Tuck
Yo – Nord, I don’t know where your go’n where you need 5ozs of lead ! If your that big you need a down rigger !
For river fishing and 97% of the lakes you live around 3ozs is plenty !!
Back to your question !! Let me suggest several rods for ya! Berkley has a great rod that will do the trick – Gary Roach
Lightning Rod LPC710M1 , another – Fenwick HMG GTC 845, here’s another Fenwick HMX T610XH. Your probably looking at tackle for the upcoming season. Heres several excellent choices you might find on close-out, and if you do buy 2 becuase they’re great but discontinued (I don’t know why they do that but companies do!)
Berk. Lightning Rod LSC6101M, LRCC661M and finally
Abu Garcia Conlon M 6’6″
These are all Baitcasters which is ideal, really the only thing
that you should be using to troll with.
Gofish
Kensyl Reading——-EFN ProStaff
Ol’ Miss Guide Service
Tell ya’ what Kensyl, there’s been a whole ton of tournament money won up this way by guys pulling 5 – 9 ounce bells. When that curent gets ripping and the fish want a real slow presentation on those stickbaits, you just have to go heavy to stay down!
Sorry H2O— That may be a tourney guy. But Norb and 98% of the posters here are not tourney. guys and never will be! I’ve learned over the years never to advise anybody to purchase specialty equipment. Our sponsors would rather respond to Norbs situation than a handfull of Babe Wincklmans any day!
Gofish
Any way that get fish in the boat!! Tourney or not. I will routienly pull 5 ounces to keep everything right under the boat. This is the ticket when working areas with a lot of boats. (Like Red Wing the next 3 months.) Personally, I think it is the courtious thing to do when trolling anywhere near other boats. I wish more people would give it a try. No need to have your crankbait in Wisconsin when your boat is in Minnesota I say!
As for the rods. Nothing fancy when going heavy. A good Heavy action bass rod will do. I picked up a Galyans store brand on sale for $9.99 each. Those kinds of deals pop up often.
J.
Kensyl,
Allow me to respectfully clarify my thoughts on this,
A large number of non-tourney guys run these heavier weights up here. Frankly, when the flows get going, less than 5 ounces just doesn’t do the job. So I wasn’t really talking about a niche technique, or suggesting special equipment catering to tournament fisherman. I was suggesting equipment to a guy that just wants to catch fish in a number of different conditions. I was assuming he had already thought some about using 3 ways in real high flows as the majority of anglers aren’t aware that bells can even be purchased that heavy and Nord expressed interest in a rod that could handle 5 ounce weights…LOL Its just a real common sight for me and I’ve been won over to its effectiveness through experimentation and personal success.
A rod that will pull 6 ounce weights will perform wonderfully draggin 2.5 ounce weights while a lighter rod purchased with the intent of staying 3 ounces or lighter can’t possibly handle the heaiver weights. Not to make too much of this, but suggesting the lighter equipment, when a river guy asks about a 3-way rod, is limiting him to more of a niche than suggesting the heavier gear. And I didn’t even mention a specific product so sponsor issues didn’t come into the picture with my suggestion. Pure opinion…. but I feel it based soundly.
H2O and everyone else, thanks for all the info. I guess I just need to get my hands on some heavier rods and check them out. As far as the heavier weights go, I ran into some 5,6, and 8 oz weights at the Bobber Shop in Mankato in case anyone is interested. Thanks again!!!!
NORD
You guys are nuts !! If the current flow is that hard that you need special equipment to run 5-8ozs of weight. the river is unsafe. It’s ridicules risk’n life/limb under those conditions.
Personally I do not take any charters out with flow that hard !!
You guys live in a State with a “Thousand” lakes give the Walleye a rest and do something different !!!!!!!!!!.
Nord are you a fisherman or just a walleye fisherman !! Put your money in a good Pike rod or some specialized Crappie
stuff.
Gofish
Kensyl Reading——–EFN ProStaff
Do I smell smoke? ;o) I dunno but my eyes are burnin’!
LOL… no, no smoke!
Kensyl…. that pike rod, if its got the length, might work perfectly for this application. I use 9′ board rods. They’re not the pool ques you might be envisioning but they’re not bass gear set-up for casting rattle traps either.
I typically opt for the heaver bells whenever the current gets even a little head of steam. Going through my records, I spotted most of the time spent pulling these heavy bells from 24,000 – 30,000 cfs on pool 4. That’s not really that high or heavy of flows. Certainly I would never endanger anyone for a couple of stupid fish. I’ll endanger myself… but nobody else. You can be assured of that !
Kensyl and I obviously have a different set of “river experiences.” Both are valid in the their own right and that’s what’s cool about a site like this. If everyone had the same opinion, a person’s chance to learn and grow would be greatly reduced.
Me and my heavy bucket of bell sinkers will see ya’ on the river…LOL
looks the same as in other techniques… everyone has their opinion… like for jigs… some fish heavier heads and swear by them because they get good contact.. and some fish lighter because they feel they catch more fish…. its pretty hard to pin down the actual effectiveness of different techniques… I suspect that they all have their applications…. and that flexibility is the key…..
geeee it almost sounds like I know what Im talking about… and thats surely not true… there is so much to know… so many techniques along with an endless variety of tackle…. it does not pay to totally limit yourself.. and it also does not pay to spread yourself too thin!…..
Im prepared to fish “heavy” with 3-ways….. and most often use 3 oz….
Hey Kreading: CHILL OUT
I used 4 and 5 oz. weights on the river just this week pre fishing for the freeze your butt. I use 8 0z when the water is high. That in no way makes me nuts. It is just a method we use to keep our presentaion as precise as possiable…..and it works well! You don’t seem to understand what we are talking about.
I would go with the slightly stiffer rod for 3 waying cranks….so it can handel any weight I want or need to use that given day under the conditions at that time. The 10ft peragen is an exellent choice. It has stiff backbone with a moderatly soft tip. Great rod to fight fish on and run heavey weights. This rod also makes a good flat or lead line rod. This rod is under forty bucks too.
Personaly I think if you don’t have 4-8 oz lead, and fish the river you are missing out! I would not go out with out weight atleast up to 5 oz. Just my two pennys
Later
Predator2
What the heck do you know about heavy bells anyway?! Oh yeah, that’s right, you won that USFA up here a couple years ago with an 8Lb stringer……. AVERAGE! Pulling 3-ways, cranks, and big bells. When the rest of us were fighting it out in high water conditions looking for 2 – 3 Lb fish. I still hate you for that by the way…LOL
The MWC Championship was won the following spring on handlining gear… basically really heavy bells w/o the rods. 5 – 6 Lb average for the tournament winning weight I believe.
Not nuts. Just darn effective.
If pulling cranks and using 5-8 oz bell sinkers what does it feel like when a walleye grabs the crank? Does it just feel like a heaver steady weight kind of like a snag. Steve
Another angler who has perfected this technique and fishes in my area (La Crosse) Troy Patterson, goes by the handle “Bear” here at FTR is someone I consider to be very good with this techniqe and has mentioned it before. And I think the time of year, water temp, dictates him doing this technique as much as the flow. Its a good cold water technique and usually early in the year about this time, the flow is up enough to warrant the heavy weights. But I believe that the biggest reason Troy uses the heavy sinkers is to keep the crankbait down and to maintain a 45 degree angle. Its difficult to do that with bells less than 5 ounes at any flow rate. Definately not nuts but smart to use this technique and the reference to dangerous flows really is a different subject all together.
The Day H20 is reffering too,we never used a weight under 5 oz. And 8oz. was the highest.
And lienieman…trust me there will be no dout when a fish strikes this rig!!! It is more than just dead weight.
Ok that bucket of weights I plan on buying just got heavier and larger. Sounds like a very interesting way to fish. It will also help keep the line shorter when a lot of people are on the river. Thanks Steve
Kreading, I do fish for bass, crappie, and walleye. Of course walleye is still number one. I do have bass/northern rods, and all the crappie rods I need. I did see a nine foot Cabela’s rod but it only went up to 2 oz. I guess I’ll just keep looking.
I’m just a Minnesotan NUTS about fishing!!!!!!!!!!
Crimeny – I’m nuts ok ok, you guys jumped me good !! I keep forget’n pool4 is 3mi wide, instead of the channels we have south of ya. I’ll do some spring bass, crappie , catfish, and musky fish’n and leave the eye to the experts. !!
Later Guys Gofish
Kensyl Reading
Ol” Miss Guide Service
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