IceShanty.com's Ice Fishing Community
Ice Fishing Tips -Check your local regulations! => Jigging => Topic started by: TType86 on Nov 30, 2011, 08:12 PM
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Ive been using ultralights for last couple years for gill. Any thoughts on stepping up to a light with a really sensitive tip? Wouldnt mind the added backbone for using spoons for perch/crappie fishing. I was considering a rod similar to the st croix legend with the built in spring bobber and figured the spring bobber would allow me to get away with the light for even small gill. But I wouldnt mind a cleaner setup and to get away from the spring bobbers all together. Is there a good light rod out there that has such a sensitive tip that a spring bobber is not neccesary for light biting bluegill, but still has a decent backbone for small spoons and perch/crappie? I am trying to pick the perfect rod for all 3 species. As best I can anyways. I mainly fish for bluegill, but want the option of tieing "small" spoons on and nailing some crappie and perch. I like 24" length rods for the space Im working with in my soon to be 1 man shanty.
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Look at the Thorne Bro rods, they are worth what you'll pay for them.
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Check out the power noodle at www.thornebros.com
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Jason Mitchell meatstick is a sensitive rod with decent backbone. I've heard the tip break easy but never personally had or know anybody who had one break.
I mostly use a 30" riversider ultra light for a lot of my shallow water panfishing. They can hold a heavier lure,sensitive enough to detect light bites and certainly strong enough to haul a bigger fish. I've got LM bass, perch and even pike on mine while hauling up gills,seeds and Crappie. not to mention they are very affordable and don't break. I would recommend the riversider - good luck!
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Guide series tournament series
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Jason Mitchell meatstick is a sensitive rod with decent backbone. I've heard the tip break easy but never personally had or know anybody who had one break.
I looked at them online but have never held one. I noticed they only come in the medium action in the 20 and 24" models. How would you compare the tip to a spring bobber setup? I really like the idea of a super sensitive tip without needing a spring bobber but am worried it wont compare as well as an actual spring bobber. Also worried the medium is a little much for gill, but like I said, Ive never held one.
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Guide series tournament series
Whats that? What brand?
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Check gregg austin rods. He will custom make you what you want! Goggle "austin custom rods" great rod for the money!
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You can custom order a thornebros rod. Size of eyelets, type of handle, length, they'll even engrave your name into it.
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I use a Thorne Bros power noodle and a Jason Mitchel Meat stick, I have broken two meatsticks.. power noodle is still going strong
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Fenwick's Elite Tech Ice 25" UL has a very thin blank with soft tip. Good choice for the $
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I checked out the 24" power noodle. Looks like exactly what I want. BUT, is it just a "noodle" tip??? Im assuming it just has a short "noodle" fiberglass section on the tip and a good backbone? Is the rod completely fiberglass? Or is it graphite with the glass tip?
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I believe it is all fiberglass...
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The power noodle has a very soft tip with lots of back bone...better suited for light jigs but the kicker is it can handle a large fish with ease due to the back bone it has. However...if u tie on a small spoon or something like a pimple it will be pretty willowy, don't think u will like that. Now on the other hand their quiver stick will handle small spoons with ease. It doest have the super soft tip but is super sensitive. I own both and each has its place but I would suggest the quiver stick for a more versatile jigging rod. It will detect the lightest tap from a gill and has the power to land a huge bass.
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The Meatstick is an all fiberglass rod with a VERY sensative tip. I haven't had the breakage problem some have reported, my only knock on the rod is the size of the guides on the end of the rod. They are tiny and ice up quickly when fishing outside. The Thorne Bros. Power Noodle can be gotten with larger guides that won't ice up so fast.
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Personally I don't like the dull feel of jigging with those soft tips, but everybody is different. I have no problems with a St. Croix Premiere ML rod for this application. My preference is a Thorn Bros Panfish Sweatheart rod.
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I looked at them online but have never held one. I noticed they only come in the medium action in the 20 and 24" models. How would you compare the tip to a spring bobber setup? I really like the idea of a super sensitive tip without needing a spring bobber but am worried it wont compare as well as an actual spring bobber. Also worried the medium is a little much for gill, but like I said, Ive never held one.
I like the spring bobber better for the real light bites but I've got use to seeing and feeling the light bite the other way too. If I'm outside moving a lot I'll go without the spring bobber bc it freezes up under some conditions. I think you would be happy with a 30" ultra light riversider!!
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I like the spring bobber better for the real light bites but I've got use to seeing and feeling the light bite the other way too. If I'm outside moving a lot I'll go without the spring bobber bc it freezes up under some conditions. I think you would be happy with a 30" ultra light riversider!!
OR just grab a few new rods and add them to the collection. Nothing is easier that switching rods depending on your application..
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Been using this one for years. Unbelievable rod for the price. Even landed a 5lb steelhead with it.
http://www.fishusa.com/HT-Enterprises-Ice-Blue-Super-Flex-Ice-Fishing-Rods_p.html
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I really like the action on the bro frabill quick tip ice rods.
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^agreed. Quick tips rock. Keep in mind that sensitivity and being able to see the tip can be two different things for example if I have a ultra light ugly stick and a medium Loomis Im still gonna be able to feel a bluegill much better on the loomis, Id be able to see the hit better on the ugly stick so you gotta choose how you detect the hit and make your decision thata way. Id go with a St croix medium light, great rods, and very sensitive.
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I got to thinking about this today some more and decided that I probably will just add 2 rods. I am going to either get a custom 24" ultralight rod with the st croix style spring bobber setup or try and find an ultralight st croix legend with straight guides on it (quality of this years legends talked about in another post) for my bluegill fishing. Then Ill get a light 24" rod with a little more backbone for the little spoons. I dont wana go much longer because I will be doin alot of fishing in a 1 man shanty. But whats your guys thoughts of a 24" light like the st croix legend for mainly bluegill as opposed to the same rod in an ultralight? I mainly fish the 3 or 4mm fiskas for gill.
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I got to thinking about this today some more and decided that I probably will just add 2 rods. I am going to either get a custom 24" ultralight rod with the st croix style spring bobber setup or try and find an ultralight st croix legend with straight guides on it (quality of this years legends talked about in another post) for my bluegill fishing. Then Ill get a light 24" rod with a little more backbone for the little spoons. I dont wana go much longer because I will be doin alot of fishing in a 1 man shanty. But whats your guys thoughts of a 24" light like the st croix legend for mainly bluegill as opposed to the same rod in an ultralight? I mainly fish the 3 or 4mm fiskas for gill.
I have a 24" croix premier UL and think its a great rod for gills with 3 or 4mm fiskas. I'm not spring bobber guy but if I was to get croix legend I would go for a ML...that way u could bypass the spring bobber if u wanted to jig small spoons but could also use the spring bobber if needed while jigging tiny jigs. I just think the UL alone is soft enough without the spring bobber. This would give ya more versatile setup. IMHO
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I like the spring bobbers for bluegill even with an ultra light myself. Problem I was thinking for me with using a light st croix legend for both fiskas and spoons is, I like using 3-4lb for spoons for crappie/perch, and 2lb line for the fiskas and the gill. Im probably gona get a light action rod rigged with 3-4lb for the spoons and either a 24" UL or L with spring bobber setup (like the legend) rigged with 2lb for primarily bluegill. Now Im just trying to decide on UL vs L for my gill rod. My gill rod will definitely have a spring bobber either way.
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I got to thinking about this today some more and decided that I probably will just add 2 rods. I am going to either get a custom 24" ultralight rod with the st croix style spring bobber setup or try and find an ultralight st croix legend with straight guides on it (quality of this years legends talked about in another post) for my bluegill fishing. Then Ill get a light 24" rod with a little more backbone for the little spoons. I dont wana go much longer because I will be doin alot of fishing in a 1 man shanty. But whats your guys thoughts of a 24" light like the st croix legend for mainly bluegill as opposed to the same rod in an ultralight? I mainly fish the 3 or 4mm fiskas for gill.
I am a big fan of the st croix legends and use and UL with a medium spring. Medium spring still picks up the lightest bites and i can use a heavier jig if i want to. Give this a try. The UL spring with st croix is just too limber and even small jigs can be too heavy. The medium spring last year had the pink tip.
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It is easier to feel a light bite with a stiff rod then with a rod with a soft tip. The noodle rod is bite detection by sight. That said why not use a spring bobber for small jigs and light biters and just the a stiffer rod with backbone for jigging spoons?
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When it comes to lite biting panfish....If you put a St.Croix spring on a broomstick and another guys fishes any rod with no indicator/spring the guy with the broom stick will out fish him everyday of the week.
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When it comes to lite biting panfish....If you put a St.Croix spring on a broomstick and another guys fishes any rod with no indicator/spring the guy with the broom stick will out fish him everyday of the week.
I completely agree. To each their own, but it's simply physics.
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I'd vote for the TB Panfish Sweetheart w/out spring bobber vs. broomstick w/one ;D
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last year I bought the Jason Mitchell meatstick , I wanted the same thing that your looking for in a rod, and also fish out of a flipover, and I think mine is the 20". sensitive bright tip, with backbone,, I like it alot..jus my .02
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;D Ha ha ha. I've got a spring bobber rod and a broomstick rod. I hardly use either of them. I bring them along until the right situation calls for one or the other. Too many methods to get way too set on one vs the other.
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i have both the UL and l legends and i think the rods are the same stiffness as a ml and m in most other poles.i think the UL is plenty stiff enough to jig small spoons if not using spring.but the spring is what its all about with the legends.if you do go with the legend i would get a few different sizes of springs too.the lightest one is almost to light for 3mm fiskers.i think the 2 middle ones are good.
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if you can find one, a Silver Eagle 24" ultra light is my really sensitive rod, and for $10 it's great. not as light in the tip as thorne bros or jason mitchell, but it's still outperformed every spring bobber setup i've used, and you can FEEL the fish bite when you can barely see them. for such a skinny little rod it also has enough backbone to haul a 3+ lb trout up the hole.
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When it comes to lite biting panfish....If you put a St.Croix spring on a broomstick and another guys fishes any rod with no indicator/spring the guy with the broom stick will out fish him everyday of the week.
I'll take that bet against about 98.5 % of people 99% of the time on the ice as long as I have a TB Quiverstick! Once in tune with that rod and the jig, It is deadly... And yes, I have fished every spring out there. ;D And sometimes I do fish springs. @)
As per the original question... The powernoodle is tough to beat...
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HT Little Jigger, PSG-28UL, cut the wood handle down tape on a spinning reel, perfer the Little Jigger over the Ice Blue. Like the contruction and feel of the TB Quiverstick, until I can justify the expense of owning one I'll continue to fish the HT.
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When it comes to lite biting panfish....If you put a St.Croix spring on a broomstick and another guys fishes any rod with no indicator/spring the guy with the broom stick will out fish him everyday of the week.
I'll take that Challenge ! Get your Broomstick !
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Another for the affordability of the HT Ice series. I mean for 10 bucks? pricewise it is hard to beat. I liken HT to Harbor Freight. Sure, some of the stuff is junky or cheap. But once in a while you hit the mark and end up not wasting your money. The HT Ice blue hits the mark IMO. Sure, may not be as sensitive as a noodle rod (although I see HT now has one, saw it at wally world) but I love the darn thing. I did however NOT go with the HT reel, Pfleuger.
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i totally agree with the harbor freight/ht comparison,well said.
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power noodle then a quiverstick
maybe a el dente rod?
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Jason Michell meat stick HANDS DOWN best panfish rod I have used
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I second the vote for the Al Dente Noodle Rod. What a quality product. My friend has a Powernoodle, and seeing they had a backlog of 3+ weeks, I put an order in with DH. I submitted the order Tuesday Morning, and by Friday evening I had my rod, exactly as i'd asked for it. Tried it out this past weekend on some light biting pannies and it worked flawlessly, and acted in much of the same manner as my buddies 24" Powernoodle. I'm sold!
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i use jason mitchell meatsticks. GREAT ROD! small guides on tip which freeze up fast. ive pulled 4lb fish out of the hole with this rod. however, did have one break a few years ago while taking shanty out of suv. everything slid.. and snap. i personall think any rod would have broke at that point. mitchell meatsticks-you take care of it and it'll take care of you-period.