Which Jason Mitchell?

[scmelik]

My sisters and I are planning on getting my dad a new ice fishing rod for Christmas and I want to get him a Jason Mitchell rod.  Unfortunately I have never had the opportunity to hold one of these rods so I am not sure which one to get him.  All he fishes for through the ice is perch and mainly uses a Hali style jig with a moon glow jig tied about it, so the rod needs to have enough backbone to handle that setup but fast enough to show the shy bite of a perch. 

Naturally I am thinking about Jason's perch rod but I am also looking at his panfish rod.  For those that have used or seen these rods what would you recommend? 

[gillcommander]

I have used the Perch rod on Devils Lake, ND and it was sensitive enough to detect super light perch bites in over 50ft of water. It is a very nice rod and will do a good job I am imagining where ever he would be fishing. The "Meatstick" has a super light tip and looks to have plenty of backbone where needed. If it were me I would probably get the meatstick in the 28 inch size but I do mostly gill fishing in less than 20 ft of water and feel it would do ok out deeper as well!!! Although I use mostly St Croix rods I wouldn't hesitate to pick up any of Jason Mitchells stuff!!! Good products that get used and abused by pro fisherman and pro guides before the general public ever get to see it or use it!!!

[dkfry]

I'd say the Jason Mitchell Meatstick or Frabill Quicktip rods in whatever length rod he prefers. Both have light tips with a very solid backbone. A 27" or 28" is a good all around size. If he fishes mostly in shack or portable he may prefer a shorter 24" version.

[bassrat]

i've got the perch, panfish, several meatsticks, the frabill QT, and the croix legends....for the most part they all serve different purposes....for a dropper rig like you described, the meatstick is tough to beat without ordering a custom rod...length is the main issue between the panfish and the perch (also the perch has a little slower action) panfish is 24", perch is 26", and meatstick is 20", 24", or 28"...if you are looking to get a combo though...i'd hesitate, buy the rod of your choice and get a small shimano, tica, or fly reel...NO chance of disappointment that way....he'd be GUARANTEED to use your gift!!!

[scmelik]

thanks for the opinions guys.  We are going to get just the rod only, he has a half a dozen ice fishing reels that dont' have rods so we are covered there.  I think we will go with the perch rod, and if he would rather have one of the others we can exchange it.

[stumpjumper]

There is nothing bad about the reels on the combos. I have the panfish, a meatstick and a  26 & 28" walleye.  Love them all. I use the panfish for perch and it serves it's purpose.

You  cant go wrong with the panfish combo. The reels are nice, very smooth drag at low settings for light line applications. I suppose you can get better but I've done well with worse.

[icejunky]

I think the meatstick is the best all around rod. the tip is awsome, taked the lightest bites, but tuff enought to pull some jumbos from the depths

[topher7694]

I've taken a liking to the 24" Springbobber rod.....has a good feel and the spring bobber detects even the lightest of bites.

[Timber]

If I was your Dad I would want one of each . A 24" Meatstick in a medium . And a bit longer Percher in a light .

Go on get him one of each . 

[iceman260]

I have to agree with topher the spring bobber makes all the differance, great perch rod, I also like the 24 inch.

[jrtbaits]

I have the perch rod it's awesome!! ... that being said I'd recommend seeing if you can find one made last year if possible before they were mass produced by clam they're not nearly as nice now three of six that i picked up at a local store the other day had guides that were out of alignment.

[evobassfish]

I have the perch rod it's awesome!! ... that being said I'd recommend seeing if you can find one made last year if possible before they were mass produced by clam they're not nearly as nice now three of six that i picked up at a local store the other day had guides that were out of alignment.

I thought i was the only one who noticed the misaligned guides on the jason mitchell rods!  I bought one last yr. and the guides were all out of whack, literally. I sent them an email and he replied back that thats the way they were suppose to be, im thinking really . Anyways, im not trying to bash them but i personally think you can do a lot better than a jason mitchell rod especially if it is intended for someone special. Go custom, you wont regret it!

[cbtrtbum]

i have the perch and used it a lot for trout last season. I landed fish up to about 16 or 17" with no problem, and i am sure it couldve hadndled bigger. Its a great rod and will be sweet using it for perch.

[stumpjumper]

I've taken a liking to the 24" Springbobber rod.....has a good feel and the spring bobber detects even the lightest of bites.

 I thought the bobber was too stiff so I cut one side of the wire off, then it was better but kept bending and finally broke. I still prefer the old fashioned spring bobber, I think they are better.