ultra lite rods?

[bnbrk94]

I am in the market for a ultra lite rod this year. Any suggestions? I dont want to spend alot but am looking for something in the mid price range that will last. Thanks.

[Matt Johnson]

St. Croix Premiers are nice and will be more than adequate for pannies. The PS60ULF and PS66ULF are both great rods. I like a slightly longer rod for pannies. You can cast light jigs a mile with these rods, and they have excellent feel.

The PS56ULF is a great jigging rod for pannies as well...

[DEADhead]

like Matt said, the premiers are nice, but with all the sales going on right now on last year's model gear, you could get hooked up with a nice Avid at a real nice price. I picked up a few more Avid rods last month at the regular price of the premier rods!

[harvey lee]

I have 3 ultra lights and the least spendy is the premier.It is just as good as the others.No need to spend big bucks for a pannie rod when you can get the premier for less money.

[zepman]

I don't spend alot of money on my ultralight rods but I do appreciate having good equipment. The Rapala series rods are about as good of a deal out there. You can get their Sportsman Series for around 20 bucks or you could spend as much as 50 and increase quality as well. I own a bunch of Rapala rods and have never had a problem with any of them and they are actually a pretty decent rod for the money.

[Tyler Holm]

I agree with Matt as well. I bought a PS66ULF last year and love it.

I'd stick with a single piece rod with a length from 5'6" - 6'6".

Growing up in SoDak, I put all my money towards good walleye gear and bought the cheap pannie stuff. Now that I live in pannie central, I decided to invest in a St. Croix pannie rod and it was one of the best purchases I've made.

[Matt Johnson]

I don't think I own a 2-piece rod. I prefer 1-piece rods, but that's just personal opinion.

CrappieTom also makes an exceptional custom rod. And, for the right price he might be coaxed into making one for someone I have a CrappieTom Signature Series rod and it gets used everytime I panfish during open water.

A lot of great rod choices out there for panfish...

[CrappieJohn]

I do all of my rods from Avid blanks or an occasional one built on the SCv. Really though, the cost doesn't deliver the better rod in my opinion. That Avid is hard to beat. I have some 6'6" that get a workout until the float comes off, then it's all 6 foot stuff.

[bnbrk94]

Tyler, I grew up in south dakota also. Aberdeen to be exact. Spent time fishing richmond and mina then moved to waubay as it got better. Where did you come from? Thanks to everybody for the advice. I will go shopping and weigh my options! Thanks

[BDR]

I love my Crappie Tom rod. I am sure the thief that got the first one likes it as well

I like the long ultra light for getting those tiny baits out a ways and for the simple sweeping hookset.

[gspman]

So between the St. Croix Premier rods, the PS60ULF and PS66ULF, which would be the better all around rod (corking, casting and jigging)? I only get one rod for pannies so I have to make it count.

Last year I compared the Avid 6' ULF to the Premier 6' ULF in a bait shop and could hardly tell the difference. If they really did improve and redesign the Premier this year the difference will be nearly impossible to tell.

gspman

[CrappieJohn]

The Avid 6'6" if you buy just one. If you are doing the float thing and don't do much free line casting you can get by with the premier. If however you do any amount of free line casting (no float), get the Avid. The sensitivity is very apparent with this rod and the premier won't hold a candle to the Avid.

[Mr. Pike1]

I have three of the St. Croix ultra lights for pannies and I even will toss a mepps on the river for small mouths. I have also been impressed with the tiny reels that I use for ice fishing and team them up with the St. Croix for a good combo. There are plenty of options that will all work. Find what is in your budget and enjoy

[fisherdog19]

I have a 7'6" ML one piece avid that I use for crappie fishing with or without a float, and I couldn't be happier. It's great when casting lite weight jigs, great with floats, and even better for slip bobber fishing in deeper water. The length makes the hookset a breeze, and I even use it for live bait rigging walleyes. I, like Matt, do not own a two piece rod other than my 9' fly rod. A 6'6" UL or L action avid would be a perfect all around pannie rod.

[SteveWilson]

My first nice ultra light was a Shimano Compre CPS-56ULA; great rod and matches up well with a Tica Cetus SS500. The only problem was that it was so nice my wife stole it and now she uses it. I picked up an Avid that I like a lot but the Shimano is fantastic.

[tommyk]

I agree with the 6"6" over the 6'0". The extra casting distance is huge when it comes to throwing light jigs. St.Croix also makes an Avid 7'0" UL that is sweet, it is not as whippy as one would think and is actually more like a L than an UL. You can throw a mile and it is also a sweet rod with a bobber if you need that extra leverage when pulling pannies out of reeds and pads. I would imagine this rod is also available in the Premier, but I like the way the Avid feels and is not too noodley. If just buying one though, I would go with the 6'6" L Avid or Premier.

Avid 66LF ($140 w/Lifetime Warranty)

Premier 66LF ($80 w/5 Year Warranty)

-Tom

[tommyk]

Regarding the difference between the Avid and Premier, the quality of graphite used is the difference. Yes, to some, the difference might not be as apparent in the store, but once you run some line through them and bump some weeds or bottom you will feel the difference. With an Avid, you coulf feel a fish cough!

-Tom