13 Fishing Ice Rods

[blackdog1101]

Does anyone have any experience with either the 13 Fishing Wicked or White Out rods? I've got my eye on the 28" UL Wicked rod, but am wondering what people who have used the rod think of it? Or other UL rods I should consider? I appreciate the quality of the Thorne Bros rods, but sadly they're out of my price range. Thanks for your input!

[DLD24]

The wicked rods are awesome...That's all I use for panfish...you will not be disappointed

[Esox_Magnum]

Wickeds are a sweet rod....

[Kodiak]

which one is "better" the white out or the wicked...as far as which is the higher model of the two.

[ParaPro]

The Wicked is the higher end rod.

[Chad Holst]

I know, I know..im plugging a sponsor, but it for a very good reason.

The 13 fishing rods are simply amazing. For 2 reasons. 1st, the company is top notch...period. If it was not for their generosity, our non-profit for kids would have went nowhere fast. They didn’t think about it, they didn’t grumble, they didn’t hesitate. They simply said "tell us what you need and we will make it happen!". Your money couldn’t go to a better manufacturer. I just spoke to Matt from 13 fishing about an hour ago, and told him what an impact he had on what at the time was a dream and not much else. He gushed and said he doubted it was that big of a deal. Top notch and class.

Second, because of the sponsorships to our non profit, Stevens Outdoors (our guide service) used only 2 company’s rods all year long. HT provided us with great "starter rods" and we used them a lot for beginners and guided customers, but when you want the most bang for your buck, the 13 rods and reels are amazing. The wicked combo is hard to beat for less than 100 bucks. Unless you’re going to put the Beam specialty rod/reel to work, i don’t think you will find a better set up, regardless of price. Now, with that said, 13 came out with the tear drop this year. I have not used it yet, but it takes about 3 seconds of spinning it in a store to realize they may have something special there too.

We used the No.8 tackle companies rods (the lower price point rod made by 13 fishing)for some of our "lower priced set up" and they are a good set up, but it doesn’t sound like that’s what you’re looking for.

This is where my money would go:

If i want a low priced Rod and reel that will work for a long time, but will only impact the pocket book about the same as a night at McDonalds with the kids, id go with the No.8 tackle company or HT.

If you want a high end rod that will work outside when the snow flies and the wind picks up, but don’t want to put a 2nd lien on the house to buy it then i would look at 3 rods. The 13 fishing companies, the 13 fishing companies and the 13 fishing companies. The price between the Wicked and the white out are very close...$15.00 for a combo. Both are very good. I only choose one over the other depending on the fish we are targeting. I prefer the Wicked, but i hold the rod like a dart so i like the shorter butt end.

Finally if you want to have the best, regardless of how much it will set you back, then you have to look at the 13 fishing tear drop attached to the Whiteout rod or a Beam ELITE-21 combo. The tear drop will set you back about $140.00. The black betty is their other high end reel, but i can’t tell you how it fishes, as i have not used it. Im not a large arbor/fly reel ice fishing guy. Those that have used it and like that style swear by them though. The beam is probably the smoothest reel I’ve ever spun, EVER. but its also going to cost you a bit of gold to purchase. The fire on ice 21 combo is $200. Again, if you ever get a chance to spin this reel, you will see why its $200, it really is that smooth. The added benefit of the Beams are the built in LED lights that shine up the shaft of the pole and the rods unscrew from the handles to switch rod weight and length without needing more than one reel.

Hope this helps. If you want to try out one of these rods and are in the area, give me a PM and i'll find us a couple kids to take out on the ice and we'll experiment on what you like best.

[DLD24]

I believe the whiteouts are the higher end rod ($40 vs $30 for wickeds)... I know they won the Icast best combo of the year this year...If I remember right I feel like the whiteout UL has a faster tip for more feel and the wicked is a noodle rod....I could be wrong about the whiteout, I played with it once at the store and I believe it was a UL...

[Chad Holst]

You are correct, the lowest in the line is the white noise, then $20+ for the wiked, then $10+ for the white out. However the whiteout/wicked are not really 'better" than one another, they are just different. The whiteout comes in light and lighter...and is available in a short length. the Wicked is a light upto Heavy rod. I preffer the wickeds reel. but thats just me.

I know someone said one is a noodle the other is firm..that depends on what weight you get, they each come in several lengths and weights.

I like the wicked more, and it happens to be $10 cheaper, Aaron from stevens Outdoors preffers the whiteout.