Looking to purchase my 1st custom ice rod looking for suggestions
Tuned Up Custom Rods will not let you down regardless of species or application. I bought my first custom rod from them ~3 seasons ago. I’ve also made 3 rods by referencing the taper in the TUCR Bullwhip. I’ve since bought 2 TUCR Precision Noodle’s and they are fantastic panfish rods if you are use to spring bobbers. The Bullwhip is a slightly heavier noodle that is a very versatile noodle tip rod. If you go this route, place an order in October to be absolutely sure to get it by first ice. All three of mine took at least 6 weeks to be in my hands from clicking “order”.
Building your own rods is great and a very gratifying (and sometimes tedious and somewhat frustrating) process. It’s simple and fun and I believe every fisherman should at least build one in their lifetime. The question comes down to if:
1) you even desire to build your own to begin with or just want to purchase one.
2) budget.
If building your own rod is something that interests you, to build your first one, you will probably spend about what a pre-built custom rod would cost to get all the equipment and parts and that’s with doing some easy diy projects like a rod wrapper. You could use a cardboard box or buy an expensive one with a motor. However, once you invest in the basics (you DO NOT need anything extremely fancy or expensive to build an ice rod!) you can produce a custom ice rod for around $30. I really enjoy building ice rods and I plan on building some more this fall. With that said, I also enjoy supporting small buisiness and the guys at TUCR are pretty good guys from what I’ve experienced. If they don’t have what you’re looking for on their site, contact them and tell them exactly what you’re looking for and they will build it for you. They also come with a 5 year warranty. In my opinion and experience, one can’t go wrong with a TUCR.
And for what it’s worth, I’m not being sponsored or paid in any way by TUCR. As an angler, I really appreciate a well made product that won’t let me down when it counts. For me, if I don’t want to build a rod, TUCR’s do that.