Ice Rod for Northerns?

[blackdog1101]

Santa brought me a gift card to the 'Big C' sporting good store. I have been wanting to get a rod to jig for northerns. Does anyone have recomendations? Thanks!

[quickfish6]

St.Croix makes a nice heavy action rod. VERY NICE AND WORK WELL

[harvey lee]

Mitchell Mackinaw might fit the bill. Depending on what weight lure you will be jigginf with. I like a bit of a bend in the jigging rod.

Thorne Bros also has some nice rods for northerns. I have one TB spinning rod for larger fish and it works great.

I have both a spinning and a baitcaster but favor the baitcaster with braided line.

[slipperybob]

I'm thinking a St. Croix Premiere H baitcasting rod for those Giant Chubby Darters. If it doesn't work out, I might look into the Jason Mitchell Makinaw rod. Then go on from there.

[Northlander]

Any med/heavy or heavy in a 32-46" will work.

[hydro]

Since you posted Lake Minnetonka as your location, I would suggest something more in line with the size fish you are likely to encounter in the cenral Minnesota region. Like it or not, the average size pike in these parts is about 24" and under 4 pounds, so that would be a selection parameter.

I myself like to fish for pike in the same area, and I normally use a jig minnow combo. The rod that I use is one I made and it is about 30" in length, fairly heavy action but not "stiff", and happens to be made from a fiberglass blank (what I had available at the time I made it). To replace this with a commercial rod I would look for something with a graphite or composite blank about the same length to be easy to carry around. Find something with a fair amount of backbone, but not too stiff at the tip, to avoid ripping the lure from the fish. There should be many rods like this at any major sporting goods store, just fine one to match your budget.

[Ed Carlson]

My vote for Gators would be the Jason Mitchell Mackinaw, rigged with a 200 class Baitcasting reel of your choice. I use a Cardiff 201 (Lefty) on mine, it's a very sweet rig.

I worked with Jason on this rod development project to fill the bill on a rod that can deal with larger fish and allow the reel to work properly. Hence the collaboration and introduction of the Roberts Rod Guide placement system into the Mitchell Mackinaw rod.

Be it for heavy lures or jigging baits like hearing on a Quick Strike Rig, it does the job well. I also use it for the heavy "Hawg Calling Salmo Zippers" for big eyes and pike.

If you wish something longer and with more flex, then the Gussy Frabill Heavy Trout Rod is a very good spinning reel/rod option.

[BigRock]

You can't go wrong with Thorne Bros. Professional series rods. I have one of the baitcasting models for pike, and a spinning model that does dual duty for both pike and lake trout. Good quality rods that are worth the money.

[Northlander]

I also have 2 of the TB Pros and I really like them. Very durable rods with plenty of power.

[blackdog1101]

Thanks guys. I'm going to head up to Big C in Rogers tomorrow and see what they have. Sadly, they don't carry Thorne Bros rods, so they're out of the picture.