Best Sunny Rod?

[hawgTime]

I'm in the market for a couple new sunny rods and was wondering what everyone thought is the best rod for da BULLS?

thanks

hT

[Dan Brelje]

Thorne Bros. Sweet Thing w/ spring bobber. Can't say enough about it, best investment ive made for ice fishin since the FL-8

[deepportage01]

Same thought as Dan, you can't go wrong with Thorne Brothers Rods

[Hotspotter]

I'll third that.....it's fine the way it is. Put a spring bobber on it though and you're ahead of the rest.

Joel

[harvey lee]

I have three different brands of pannie UL rods.Hands down the best is the Thorne Bros.It may be a the higher end on price,but also on the higher end for quality.

[Corey Bechtold]

I'll throw in another vote for the Thorne rods. I also really like the Berkley Lightning rod Professional series. They are a great rod for the money. Another contender would have to be a St.Croix. The Avid and Legend Elite are good sticks too.

Not to shy away from the cheap rods but Cole uses a 8 dollar rod from Wal Mart and he has no problem catching fish. It's blue and has a blue cork handle. I don't have to worry about him breaking it for that price.

Remember, you don't always have to have the most expensive rod to catch fish. But if you're serious and want the best rod for the right application than spend some more money and get exactly what you want. It's only money!

Good luck,

Corey Bechtold

[harvey lee]

I would also add that if you cannot afford to buy the higher end rods to get a cheaper one and put a good spring bobber on it and it will work.

[Captain B.R.K]

Pick me, Pick me, Pick me (as I'm raising my hand)

I would recommend the Thorne Bros rods as well. Sounds like a repeat, I know, but they are worth the price of admission.

I fished with Matt Johnson's Sweet Thing Plus two years ago at a FM get together and was impressed with the rod. I accidently ran into him one day at Thorne Bros and I accidently walked out of the store owning a Sweet Thing Plus! No regrets ever since.

I started with the older Dave Genz Berkley Lighting Rods. I thought they were the cats meow of ice rods. My mind was changed PRONTO once I was on the ice with the Thorne Bros rod.

You spend extra $$ on summer rods, so why not set yourself up right with an ice rod?!? You deserve it!!

[Deitz Dittrich]

Wow, wish I had been first on this thread...

If you want the best.. go for a panfish Sweetheart, hands down , the best!

If you cant afford a sweetheart, maybe think of making yourself a rod? custom build a rod depending on what you want? But when it all comes down to it, you wil lprobably spend as much as a Sweetheart, and have the work as well.

I personally have 1 sweetheart, 2 homemade, 1 MidwestRodNReel.

You really can only hold 1 rod at a time, and I reach for the Thorne most of all..Then my 2 homemade as I have a little personal touch with them....

[Matt Johnson]

I've become very fond of the Finesse Plus rod from Thorne Bros. It's a 19-inch rod but really compliments the spring bobber. Great for both aggressive and negative fishing conditions. Outstanding sensitivity and control.

The Sweet Thing is one of the more versatile rods. Great for hole hopping as well as finessing in a shack. 24-inches seems to work well in most situations.

The Sweet Heart Plus is the 28-inch model which works great for staying power and when targeting deep water fish. However, go ahead and tip it with a spring bobber and work over a pod of shallow pannies as well.

I also like the new 32-inch outside Panfish Sweet Heart. It has the slightly larger alconite guides that help prevent freeze-up, and the longer rod really works well for running and gunning when trying to keep the rod tip as close to the hole as possible. An outstanding Red Lake crappie rod, or for anyone looking to stay on top of mobile fish without constantly feeling the need to always use the portable.

It I had to pick one... it would probably be the Sweet Thing...

[hanson]

I'll change it up a little...

Take a look at a St. Croix Legend spring bobber rod as well. That spring alone changed the way I fish panfish.

Otherwise, got to vote for Thorne as well. Best darn ice fishing rods on the market, period.

[Tyler Holm]

If you can get your hands on a St. Croix Legend that's in good shape, that would be my recommendation. The spring bobber affair on those rods is the best on the market IMO, and has drastically increased my hookup percentage on those light biting pannies.

You couldn't go wrong with a Thorne rod either.

Either way, I'd recommend a spring bobber.

[iland99]

If you're on a tight budget, I'd take a look at a Frabill Panfish Popper combo. It uses the same basic spring bobber setup as the Thorne Bros. rods, but it costs about half as much, with a reel. Don't get the ultra-light rod though, it's way too whippy to get a decent hookset, go with the light action. I've had one for two years now and haven't had a problem yet. The P10 reel is surprisingly well-built and the drag is smooth for such a cheap combo. It's the first rod I reach for when I'm after panfish of any kind.

In my opinion, there is no reason at all to spend $50+ on a spring bobber rod. You don't "feel" the bite with a spring bobber rod, you watch for it. Not much point in having a spring bobber on a super-sensitive $50 rod if you ask me. That's just my opinion though.

[luv2fish]

My .02 cents.... Spend the extra money on a Thorne Bros. I bought a Frabill Popper in the beginning of the year. Then I fished Crappies on a metro area lake. My buddy was kicking my butt. I had never fished with a spring before, and hated the popper. It felt too loose/bouncey. Later in the day my buddy gave me his other Thorne Bros. rod. Man what a difference.... The spring felt like an extension of the rod. It is hard to explain, it just felt right. I went on to start kicking my buddy's butt

Anyway, I went out abd bought myself one. One of the bset icefishing investments I made last year. Getting ready to go get another.....

[Gus]

I agree with Luv2fish. It is hard to explain how good a thorne rod feels until you try one. I love the panfish sweetheart for gills and I love the PowerNoodle for Crappies. The powernoodle is probably my favorite rod. No need for even a spring bobber as you can see the lighest bites in the ultra soft tip. Yet it has backbone! I have never seen another rod that stacks up to the Power Noodle. I do however favor the Panfish sweetheart with a spring bobber for gills. I think it's easier to get a good pop of a hookset for finicky gills.

[Captain B.R.K]

hawgTime - if you can keep that money from burning a hole in your pocket, I'd recommend talking to Matt in a few weeks at the Ice Show. He is going to be working the Thorne Bros. booth during the event. They will have all the different rods on hand to touch & feel and Matt will be able to talk about them all to you then!

[Down Deep]

I must be the only one on FM who has $5.00 generic panfish rods. I bought them at a baitshop in Grand Rapids about 10 years ago along with the $3.00 reels to go with them. I use the $2.00 per pack spring bobbers which I tape on to the end of the rod. My fish production matches anyone that I fish with. I can see spending a few bucks on a good walleye or trout rod, but I just don't see the necessity to spend $50 to $60 on a rod for panfish when all you need is a something that can give a reasonably smooth hook set.

[Jim Hudson]

All great suggestions on rods.. For us ice anglers now, the rod market seems endless. Just a few years ago, there were only a handful of rods to choose from. What a leap the ice fishing scene has seen!!!

Anyways, for an all around panfish rod, that will perform on a tough bite and a good bite, I will second the St. Croix Legend Spring Bobber rod. Go with the light action and or medium light. With different spring set-ups, you will be set for those sunnies.

The one thing I love about this rod, is how easy it is to control the spring tension for different jig or lure sizes.

[MASON38]

Sticking with the Thorne Bros theme, but throwing a new twist on it. I've got the Sweet Peas for sight fishing, and then the Power Noodles for fishing with the LX-5 and tight lining.

If the bite requires a spring, I've toyed with the idea of gettting them for the Swt. Peas, but hard to beat the St Croix system and will keep them for now.