Open water panfish rod?

[Wookiee]

Which of the Gander mountain rods would you get? I am leaning towards a L to ML 6' or longer. I like the lifetime warranty on these.

[Coach1310]

I have a 7 foot medium light. I really like the longer rod. If storing it and such isn't a problem I would go with a 7' one piece ML.

[mike morris]

I have two 5' Cabelas rods and love them.

[cRaPpiEMaN8265]

I have a 6 1/2' St. Croix premier teamed up with a abu garcia 300U and it is deadly!

Good luck on your selection!

Ryan

[harvey lee]

Personally if I'm jigging for crappies, I have used a shorter 5' rod I use alot but I'm building a 6-6 light for those. For the sunnies, I prefer a 6' L or UL.

If I want to fan cast with a smaller jig, the longer rod seems to work better for me.

[Coach1310]

Good point Harvey Lee... I should have added that to my post. With the longer rod I am able to cast longer distances easier, flip or pitch my offering into pockets of bullrushes, reeds, weeds etc. It also helps with fighting a fish through cover to avoid hangups etc.

[Dark Cloud]

The last few years I have gone to mostly 7ft rods for most everything and wont look back. Longer casts and better hooksets If I pick up anything less than 6'6" it feels like a toy, lol

[cjac]

I have 5 1/2 foot I like to use in the summer for slip bobbering, almost vertical dropping around the swim docks.

For the little stuff I have a 6' Avid with a Mitchell 310 Gold that I like a lot. Beyond that, I use the light walleye 7' MLs for pannies too.

Pretty much thae same as said above!

[Matt Johnson]

I'm a big fan on longer rods. I'm using a lot of 7+ foot rods for panfish recently. Not only can you cast those little jigs further, but you also have a lot more forgiveness on the hook set. A longer rod also allows you to pick up more long on the hook set, as the sweep pulls more line in than with a shorter rod. All of these things can equal to more fish in my mind...

And I like cjac's idea of the ML for panfish. Having a rod that allows you to lift a larger crappie in the boat is nice. A stiffer rod also gives more control when jigging at times too...

[fisherdog19]

7'6" St. Croix Avid ML Xfast action is the best pannie rod I've had. Great for slip bobber fishing, cast's small jigs great, soft tip, line pick up is great for hook setting, and when trolling for pannies it keeps it away from the boat better. It also doubles as a phenomenal live bait rod when fishing for eyes. I've also got a ML Fenwick Venture that is 6'3" that I like quite a bit as well, it has an extremely soft tip.

[Fred_Bear]

I really liked my 6'6" ml fenwick eagle gt for pitchin jigs, then swiched to a 6'6" ml fenwick hmg and wasn't really a fan, so I'm now using a 7' m st. crioux and love it.

I either troll or pitch small jigs for crappies all summer long and a longer stiff rod is a must have for me.

[muc33]

I have my trusty 5'6" ultra light lightening rod, and I am building another one using a SC blank, but like some others have said, I am building a 6'6" ML as well. In addition I am building a 6'6" M for a walleye jigging rod. For my verticle drop fishing, I have my Medium action 36" Frabill ice pole that works great. I drop in the rushes with a little cork and pick em up!!!! Drop er down, and pick em up. I am close to being able to do that..... just a matter of days and warmth!!!

[Neighbor_guy]

I have a 2 piece 7' UL Guide Series from gander that I do all of my panfishing with. I wouldnt do without. Team it with my best real from the winter season and I am set. This rod has brought in 8lb catfish as well as 28" pike. If it can handle those, it can handle a day of crappie fishing or pulling bull gills from the reeds.

[Craig Plummer]

I use the 5' UL combos you can get... I got a nice Diawa one for $15 last summer at gander...those things are a blast, however the longer rods would be nice for casting distance

[Quetico]

Personally my go to pan fish rod is a 5'6" St.Croix Premier UL. I like the ultra lights. But I would agree with most of the above when it comes to longer rods. I tend to prefer 7' or longer rods for almost all situations.

My next panfish rod will be a 7' light, most likely a St.Croix Avid but I am curious about some of these smaller rod builders.

[slipperybob]

In some situations where 7 foot rod is preferrential, but I like the shorter handle's on the 6 foot rods for ease of use. For some odd reason I do find the 6'8" Shimano Crucial drop shot rod to be very exceptional use for panfish as well and it's becoming my all around light tackle fav for finesse presentation. I still like my 6 ft St Croix Primere for light cranks and spinners for short to medium distance casts.

[polarsusd81]

I have one rod, super shorty that I have been using for a lot of applications for quite some time. It is a St. Croix 4'-6" UL Moderate action and that rod works well for me, though this year I want to add a long rod for throwing bobber rigs and pitching and flipping light jigs, say a 7' or 7'-6" ML Fast action. My shorty rod I use a lot for close to the boat jig fishing. I tend to work fast and find the most active of fish and really love the feel of that rod, and it works great for what I do. Most aren't like me in their approach to chasing gills and crappies though. I also use it for some finesse bassin and jigging for walters. It is spooled with 4 lb right now, but will probably respool here pretty soon.

[Sandmannd]

I don't know what they are called and have seen them for a while including at the sport show. They are the 20' crappie rod. Just a long rod that you put like 6' of line on with a bobber. Supposed to be fun. Anyone use this?

[polarsusd81]

Its just like a cane pole. I used to use them all the time down south, my grandpa was a cane pole master. He could outfish me 10:1 with his cane pole versus my rod and reel. The nice thing about them is the super stealth approach. You can put the jig in their face without a splash or any kind of commotion. Works best on bedding fish that you can see in the water.

[idratherbefishing]

I love using cane poles. I have a friend that has a 12 or 13' two piece Med Light spinning rod and it is a riot to watch him fish with it.

[Sandmannd]

I don't really get how they work. How much line do you put on and do you just them like a bamboo stick where you don't cast or nothing? Just put like 6 ft of line on them and hang them over the boat and drop them in the water?

[polarsusd81]

Yep, just a little line tied to the tip, drop it in and yank out the slabs.

[slipperybob]

polarsusd81,

I got that same St. Croix Premier 4'6" UL pole. LOL's

But now I've got an ugly stick for 4'6" pole for thrashing through some coontails that I don't wan the St Croix to go through. I'm gonna double up that one for wade fishing or maybe when I get personal float tube thingy.

[Bob/Mn]

 Originally Posted By: Sandmannd

I don't know what they are called and have seen them for a while including at the sport show. They are the 20' crappie rod. Just a long rod that you put like 6' of line on with a bobber. Supposed to be fun. Anyone use this?

I have 9 1/2 and 10 foot spinning rods that I use most of the summer for panfish. For early season dabbling with a fixed stealth float they are hard to beat.

The long rods are just a lot of fun to fish with.

The shortest rod I use is a 6 foot micro lite from Bass Pro Shop.

[tisosy11]

I have a telescoping pole. Not as nice as a cain (sp?) pole but still a decent rig.