What is the best rod and reel for ice fishing?

[dub307]

Just looking for a new setup and curious what you guys consider the highest quality rod and reel on the market today? Any expert advise is appreciated

[wallydiven]

Alot depends on your target species, but there are a ton of quality stick builders these days.

[3300]

what are you upgrading from?

[Dubya]

That is a broad question.  There a lot of variables to consider, species, lure weight, line weight, length, does it match your ice shack, the gravitational pull of the moon, depth your fishing, and your personal preference.

[Bucket Brigade]

Look at the price tag...doesn't mean its the best, but some people think that way. Me, I still have my HT ice blues as a back up. Still catches perch and on occasion a northern.

[nwifisherman]

I have a few thorne bros custom rods and tuned up custom rods and love them all. If you like to hole hop definitely get the recoil guides as they are awesome!

[Crazy Tom]

Almost all my biggest fish have been landed on ice rods that where home made from broken spinning rods. There use to be a shop that sold misc. handles and I would take the broken tops in and match it up with a handle for maybe $2. Over the years I have upgraded my ice rods from $100 custom to $10 cheapos. The best I currently have is a custom built Thorne blank paired with a President reel.

[ICEHOLE]

I made a few real nice jig rods out of old junky rods I had laying around. I use the last 36" or so and the real seat. I use different sections of hollow rod like adapters so eventually it fits snug into the butt end

[cubanice27]

At stated above its a very wide open question. Not only does specie, line, lure weight, price, etc. matter but so does how often you are going out and where you are fishing. I ice fish here in chicago, and not on lake Michigan. I only get out a few times a week because of my work schedule and Im not taking ice fishing a serious as open water fishing. Therefore Im using ugly stick GX2 with a sienna reel. I love the smoothness of the reel and i love the sensibility of the ugly stick blank. I have 1 in medium 1 in medium heavy and 1 ultralight. The fish here are big but not as big as say Minnesota or Canada.

Whatever you get just have fun out there my friend and be safe!

[CPace]

i agree with most of the other guys on here!!  it depends on what you are going after!  If your panfishing, homemade through $10.00 rods will suffice, I have about 6 homemade Ice rods, some with cheap plastic spool reels, some with two "sticks" sticking out the side to wrap the line on.  I then have a set of 3 or 4 "cheap" spinning reel rigs, spent about $14-19.00 on them, Thjey work well for most of my panfishing also, a lot more handy than hand lining them in on the other homemeade rigs.  Have another set of HT cost in the neighborhood of 29-34 bucks, they have spinning reels, and i use them for walley fishing.  Little nicer reels than the real cheapies, and work well for my purposes.  Keep them up on maintaining them, and they will last you a good long time.  All told, I have 8 rods and reels that I take on my walleye adventures, (mainly to not have to stop in the middle of fishing to change lures and such) ultra light to medium, 2 lb to 6 lb lines.  i only use 2 lb for bluegill and crappie.  When walleye fishing, strangely enough, some of my largest fish came on the 2 lb line and the cheapy 14-19 dollar rod/reel combos!!  don't horse them in, and they do fine!.

[dub307]

thanks you for all the posts.  i fish for everything so i have an assortment of different setups.  i go to the gorge and lake granby in colorado hunting for those 30-40 lb. mackinaw so i was looking for something with a backbone but with a light tip.  thanks for the input and hope to see everyone at the hawg derby this weekend

[Dave R]

Alot depends on your target species, but there are a ton of quality stick builders these days.

X2

[stinkyfingers]

thanks you for all the posts.  i fish for everything so i have an assortment of different setups.  i go to the gorge and lake granby in colorado hunting for those 30-40 lb. mackinaw so i was looking for something with a backbone but with a light tip.  thanks for the input and hope to see everyone at the hawg derby this weekend

There's a lot of quality setups available and no single one will fit every taste, budget or target species. For some years now I've been using the classic UglyStiks with mid-grade Shimano or Fin-Nor reels in the smaller sizes. But every chance I get I'll drag out my little Swish rod. Look them up online. Simplicity itself and plenty strong for those lakers at Granby and Flaming Gorge. It's one you'd pass on to your kids and if you show up on the ice with a Swish rod you can pass for a nasty old Swede from the Mid-West.

[iceholeaddict]

I like the HT or ugly stick poles and use quantum reels. You can definately get better quality but it keeps the setup at a resonable price.

[Knife2sharp]

Thorns Bros rods for me, I have four. As far as reel, that 13 Fishing Teardrop looks pretty sweet.