walleye rods

[Ron H.]

I haven't done much regular fishing in the last 10 years but I have decided to to try get out more. I have a pfluger president sitting in my garage I bought the last time I told myself I'd do more fishing, so I want to buy a new rod and put together a decent walleye setup. From reading old posts on here, it seems like a 7' ML or M with a fast tip is a good multi-technique walleye rod. I'm looking in the 60-80 price range, but I could probably bump it up a little if it would be worth it. I've been looking at rods like the Fenwick Eagle, Shimano clarus, Abu Garcia Veritas, and so on. For a little more money I could get a St Croix Triumph or a Fenwick HMX or HMG. Are there any substantial differences among these rods? Any of them to avoid? Any highly recommended? Any other recommendations? Thanks for your replies.

Ron

[expl]

For the price you cant go wrong with the Fenwick Eagle GT.I habe a couple and fish 3-4 days a week and have had them for 6 years now,however the inserts on the guides are starting to show wear from the line and I use mono.I am going to step up to a coupe better Fenwicks when absolutely needed which will be soon.But for a guy like you who doesnt fish too often they would be fine.

[RuKiddingMe]

Last year I bought a 13 Fishing Omen Black 6'10" ML spinning rod for the exact same reasons, and I have to say for the money ($100 or so), I would buy the same rod over and over, very pleased. Also worth checking out the Limit Creek line of rods, The Smoothie @ 6'9" will fit the bill you are looking at.

[harvey lee]

You cannot go wrong with a Mitchell rod for the money. Great rod and warranty also. I use mainly St Croix SC5 blanks for all the rods I build for myself as they are one heck of a rod but they are a tad spendy even if you build them yourself.

[delmuts]

I use a BP bionic blade 7' med paired with a pflueger 6730 reel,2/10 braid and a flouro leader for walleye. Love this set up. Rods are $80 unless you can catch them on sale.( bought two this spring for $60 ea.) Balances great and great feel!

[ANYFISH2]

I just bought a Wright&Mcgill Tony roach series rigging/jigging rod (6'9"). So far very pleased with it for walleye and worming for bass. I found it wal-mart(LF) of $89. So far very comparible to my fenwick elite tech. The fenwick seems to have slightly better sensitivity but the wright&mcgill is balanced perfectly with the president reel.

[dan z]

Scheels walleyes series for me. They have a great array of lengths and powers to fit the bill. Your going to be looking at $120. But I hey have sales every once in a while.

[JohnMickish]

Take a hard look at a St. Croix Eyecon. They are in the $120 range which may be out of the budget, but look at it.

There are lots of options for rods in the $100 range now days and many of them are really, really good, but there are always some that will be better for you than others so check them all out.

Its no secret that I am a huge fan of St. Croix rods. I own them from the Premier line up thru the Legend Tournament line and I cant complain about any of them. Great balance with great feel. Engineered in Park Falls Wisconsin, and either assembled in Mexico or Park Falls Wisconsin, and darn near EVERYONE (except Reeds) carries them.

[Igor Drackenwolf]

Scheels walleyes series for me. They have a great array of lengths and powers to fit the bill. Your going to be looking at $120. But I hey have sales every once in a while.

I agree with this. For $120 I haven't seen a better rod. An added benefit is their 100% replacement guarantee, no questions asked. Snap the tip? Get a new rod. Lose and eyelet insert? Get a new rod.

I haven't claimed any warranty as of yet because I've never broken a Scheels rod, but their reputation for this level of customer service is well-known.

I paired a Scheels Walleye Series graphite medium/fast with a Quantum Smoke spinning reel, and it is the best rod/reel combo I've ever had for jigging walleyes. It is unbelievably lightweight and balanced. I can feel every pebble, every nibble. My hookup percentage went through the roof.

[Mistermojo]

I have a Shimano Compre 7' ML and that is the rod I use for jigging and also rigging with light weight. Have been very happy with it, and it's a lifetime warranty. They retail right around $100, but if you watch store's sales, you may get a break. I also have a Clarus, but for the extra $20 I think it's well worth stepping up.

Good luck!

[Ron H.]

Thanks for the replies everyone. It sounds like there are a lot of good rods out there. I'm going to look around, get my hands on as many as I can, and see what feels the best.

[Sandmannd]

Hands down the Smoothie from Limit Creek is my go to rod. You won't find a better rod unless spending three times the cost of the Smoothie.

[Mike_Bennewitz]

Hands down the Smoothie from Limit Creek is my go to rod. You won't find a better rod unless spending three times the cost of the Smoothie.

I just got one of those this evening from Matt's Lucky Bait in Lakeland! Two co-workers and I went to the Willow River State Park and fished the small platforms above the dam. Not much biting due to a Mayfly hatch but I did land a 2.5-3 pound Largemouth Bass and boy I can't believe how well that rod performs with a jig! I am going to keep this one for life!

[beer batter]

I just received the St Croix Eyecon for Father's Day, and gave it a thorough workout in Devils Lake over the weekend. Great rod is an understatement.

Same boat with another guy using same length snell, hook, and bait (leech). I caught over 20 walleyes to his 0. Very light bite, I was able to detect the initial tap, and release line to feed them before the walleye felt me. Difference between catching fish and being the net man was the Eyecon on that day.

[TSchultz]

Hands down the Smoothie from Limit Creek is my go to rod. You won't find a better rod unless spending three times the cost of the Smoothie.

This^

For the money the Limit Creek Smoothie is tough to beat. Fishes like a much more expensive rod than it is.

[paceman]

So where does a guy find a Limit Creek Smoothie? I don't believe I have ever seen one in a store. At least not up in this next of the woods.

[Igor Drackenwolf]

I'm with paceman... I've never seen one in a store. Looks nice though. I'd like to hold one.

[NAMASafetyDirector]

Ron, if your in the neighboorhood stop in at Capra's in Blaine and visit with Jerry over there. He's the most knowlegable person I have ever talked to when it comes to anything fishing related. His primary focus is NOT the sale,he wants you to leave the store with exactly what your looking for and has no problem with you leaving with nothing if you cant find it. He will stand there all day until you get the right rod for the budget you have to work with.( It won't take that long because he will more than likely just hand you the one you need after you tell him what your going to use it for). Class act guy that knows what he's talking about.

[RuKiddingMe]

For the limitcreek rods google their HSOforum and you can see the list of retailers. Beware - make a call to that retailer to make sure they have them on hand - their inventory usually goes super fast. I was trying to get me hands on one last year - but that was proving very difficult and that is how I ended up on the 13 fishing spinning rod, which I am also very happy with.

Off the top of my head I can remember (unvarified) - Matt's Lucky Bait - Mike's Bait on 8 - Blue Ribbon carry the Limitcreek rods in store, but seriously call on check what they have on hand.

[Mike_Bennewitz]

Matt's Lucky Bait and Tackle in Lakeland MN (just south of the I-94 bridge, on the west side after the 2nd roundabout) sells them. I got mine there shortly after getting a job there! I am happy to let the guys looking for one know that we have quite a few in stock as well!

[Mike Walerak]

If you are looking for any of the Limit Creeks you can always contact me directly or order them straight from the HSOforum. If you are in South East MN you can try one of mine. I own 2 or 3 of every single model personally and have sold oodles of them to friends and family.

That be known, I also own Scheels rods, G. Loomis, St. Croix, McGill Tony roach, and a whole bunch of others. I prefer the Limit Creeks day in day out. I am currently in the process of building a Batson blank right now that I think is going to be new go to jigging and heavy rigging rod.

mw

[Northlander]

Hands down the Smoothie from Limit Creek is my go to rod. You won't find a better rod unless spending three times the cost of the Smoothie.

I would agree with this 100%. The Limit Creek Smoothie is one nice rod for the money. You cab buy them from Turk on his HSOforum just search limit creek rods. Great guy to work with and he will not B S you.

[Sea Hage]

Anyone have a 10'6" or 12' lead core rod they like, I'm in need of 2 and don't know much about them other than they are long ! I see Scheels and St.Croix have them. And do you prefer 12's or 10'6"

[Northlander]

Again check out the Limit Creek long rods. Best bang for the buck. I love mine.