28 replies to this topic

[salmotrutta]

Well I don't need sensitivity for small fish. I've been ice fishing with a 7' rod this season for panfish just fine. I'm not sure how much sensitivity helps with detecting bites from deeper water, but I'm going to guess not much. I'd rather be overgunned for the smaller fish than undergunned for the bigger ones.

[efka]

you should go to fishing store (not walmart or ct) and hold some $50 ice rods, you will see what i am talking about. sensitivity is one of the most important things to be successful on ice

[Swing4Steel]

you should go to fishing store (not walmart or ct) and hold some $50 ice rods, you will see what i am talking about. sensitivity is one of the most important things to be successful

100% agreed. espicially for pan fish and walleye sensitivity is key. youd be surprised how many bites you miss
the best way ive found to make an ice rod from a broken rod is to cut the handle off about 8 inches long, from the butt. then cut out the section of rod that u want as the rod, with 6 inches extra length. now from the leftover rod blank, you have to cut a piece that will fit in the handle, and also have the rod part you have selected fit in that piece. a bit of a loose fit is ok, just use lots of epoxy. i wouldnt make it more than 36 inches including handle. i used to do this when good graphite rods were too expensive, or just not available in the action i wanted. now that there is 7 or 8 models of st croixs available for 30 bucks i dont bother making them. i have a rapala R type thats nice too. these rods give you a nice parabolic bend, similar to a regular rod, just smaller. you will never get that from a cut blank.

[NADO]

yep, spring bobbers are on my shopping list for tomorrow. Even with an ultra-lite rod the bites were hard to detect. What I ended up doing was holding the line in my index finder so that I would be able to feel the bites, it worked well but im showing up prepared with spring bobbers next time.

[frozenfire]

efka is bang on with all that advice.

The reels in that combo are not very good. The drags are not smooth at all.
It's a great deal if you're on a tight budget though.

[georgianbaydrifter]

i have made a few rods as i could never find a heavy enough rod, other than a broomstick one. Have since moved on to st croix rods. great value with graphite blanks for 30 bucks (15 at radioworld i believe) . graphite makes a huge difference compared to 'glass for detecting panfish and walleye bites. lakers not so much cuz you know it when they crunch it

i use 2 ST CROIX 28 " ML with gutted flyreels on them and use them for all my jigging applications, more than enough power to handle even a 30+ lb laker from up at parry island

[salmotrutta]

CT seems to only carry one rod with oversized guides, the rod alone is $9.99 or you can buy it with a reel, line and some tackle for $32.99. The reel actually seemed decent, and the rod is medium heavy I think. Probably lacks sensitivity in the tip, but the huge guides look great for preventing ice formation. That's the most I'd imagine myself spending on an ice set up for now, seeing as that's about what I spend for my softwater gear.

[Knuguy]

ST----did you end up buying the CT rods? Have you tried them out?

[DitchWizard]

This sale is one again this week.

I would highly recommend the Abu Garcia reels, I picked one up for about 20 bucks and I love it.

I got two of the CT combos, one reel fell apart after one use, the others bail messed up the line and lost me a 10lb+ pike.

The rods don't seem terrible but I use them as back up now.

I went to my local tackle shop, and saw the St Croix for 10 bucks cheaper than CT.