IceShanty.com's Ice Fishing Community
Ice Fishing Tips -Check your local regulations! => Bluegill => Topic started by: TA on Sep 29, 2016, 09:03 PM
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The last 3 or 4 years I've been using HT ice blue rods 24". I liked the idea of not having to mess with a spring bobber. I feel I did very well with these rods. Now I want to try a St Croix style bobber. My question is which rod to use an ultra light or a light rod action rod? Would a longer rod have any advantage?
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Target species? I am guessing gills but would help knowing..
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Longer rods have their advantages like being able to jig standing up and shorter have the advantage in side ice shanties.. as for rods I would go for a lite action and use a spring bobber the stiffer action give a better hook up on fast spitting gills once the bobber twiche's..
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Target species? I am guessing gills but would help knowing..
bluegills, bluegills and more bluegills
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Longer rods have their advantages like being able to jig standing up and shorter have the advantage in side ice shanties.. as for rods I would go for a lite action and use a spring bobber the stiffer action give a better hook up on fast spitting gills once the bobber twiche's..
I've all ways have used ultra light rods. When I used a clip on spring bobber on the u/l rod it seemed that the tip was almost to soft and I felt like I was missing some bites. I'm hoping that using a light action rod I will be able to read the spring bobber better. So with a light action rod I should get a better hook up %. Thank you.
I want to go back and start using sewing thread again or try using #2 fluorocarbon line. This where I'd like to know if a longer rod maybe more forgiving with lighter line?
I do most of my fishing on a bucket so I can go from hole to hole.
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Yes better hook up % cause stiffer.. the longer rod maybe more forgiving just cause it longer but not sure truthfully on st Croix . If you want to use sewing thread get a reel with a great drag like a shimano sienna or similar.. if you use the combo reels that come with stuff like ht brand your not getting the best bang for your buck and loosing a lot of gear.. light settings on a good drag will help you with hook up %. I usually use 4 pound test on light rods and sewing thread and 2 pound on ultra light rods I fish mainly crappie that will spit thw jig real fast same with gills but thier not as finicky and will hit the 4 pound.. if having the problem of them not hitting 4 pound go with the ul rod.. and sewing thread and two pound test.. cause that works best but rember your going to not beable to lift the hogs out of the hole with light line.. just a heads up..
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The st. Croix spring bobber is my favorite spring bobber. Using the lightest bobber with the lightest jigs and you should be able to see fish breathe on the jig it's that sensitive. With it on a light rod should put more fish on the ice for sure. It definitely made for more hook ups for me.
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I prefer a little stiffer rod with a spring bobber. I use a med light rod.
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I prefer a little stiffer rod with a spring bobber. I use a med light rod.
can you tell me why?
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Gill tend to spit jigs as fast as they took it in.. the stiffer rod helps catch them sleeping on the spitting it out.. that way your not setting hook with a limp noodle.. I do got a old schoolly from the 80's I don't take out any more I can set a 5mm tungsten on bottom and the releasing pressure from the jig touching bottom is a good indicator were the bottom is one 1/4 turn of the reel handle put you about 8 to 10 inches off bottom .. it becomes feel at that point but when a pig gill slams the jig on a warm day the rod doubles overy like no tomorrow.. it a 30 inch schoolly artic blue rod .. perfect for fishing gills.. but they don't make them like that one any more so I stopped using it... emagine how many missed fish happen with that soft of rod .. cause their able to spit it even under pressure of the reeling.. the tips that soft..
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I have been using st.criox for 3 years now and I prefer the stiffer med-lite with the spring bobber for panfish. like others have said stiffer rod for good solid hookups. The spring bobber lets me see the bite and rod gives the feel I like while jigging as well as the feel of the fight that I like. That's me though, all I buy for ice or open water is st.croix rods. Hope this helps, good luck and tight lines :icefish:
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X2 bigfish 54
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Thanks for the information guys.
I'm happy with my noodle type rod. I have good hook ups(when I see a bite, I drop the rod tip, if there is slack in the line I set the hook) and normally land most of my fish. I all ways have a sharp hook, barb pinched down with the gap opened a little wider. I prefer 3mm tungsten jig. 2nd choice is a 2.5mm.
My question is with using a St Croix indicator. Will I see the lighter bites better with a med light rod over an ultra light rod?
Also I'm going back to using sewing thread and trying 2lb fluorocarbon. Question. Will a 28" or 30" rod be more forgiving(like line stretch or breakage)to the lighter line compared to a 24" or shorter rod?
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As far as the indicator goes I don't see any advantage as to what rod you use. Same with the length of the rod. If they're all the same action rod. Length shouldn't affect much. Think it comes down to personal preference then.
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that type of spring bobber puts alot of weight on the tip of your rod. i suggest light action if you are putting that setup on another rod. If you are using the St croix rods, go UL as i have a 24" L st croix and its as stiff as a board. i caught 15-16" walleyes on it and it still hardly has any give.
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I've been using the legend style spring and rods since 06 now and I love them. I own every action and have had or own every length including spring bobbers. To me they are the cats meow but to many they hate them. The st Croix legends do tend to run a bit on the heavy side. I use UL, L and ML the most and for most of my panfish applications I just use the UL or L. I like sticling to the 24" models the most because that's what fits my hole hopping with a bucket style. The spring assembly itself is just amazing considering you can switch out your spring with stiffer or weaker spring depending on conditions and presentation. You can also easily adjust the spring by sliding in or out. When you start getting into the longer length rods no matter the action the tip will get more and more flimsy requiring less and less hand movement to get the proper jigging cadence.
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The St. Croix spring bobbers are the only type I use for the short rods, they are worth their price. The rods..??? I use different rods but I like Med/light rods in a 28".