what kind of ice rods do i have?

[mrpike1973]

hi went yard sailing bought 2 rods one has 2 pegs on it no rod blank just the pegs and a sharp nail at the end. 2nd one looks like a jiggle stick but has a small round reel on it not like a fishing reel but just a spool does anyone know how these work or if there for certain fish thanks

[polarsusd81]

Those are pretty old school right there mrpike. The first one you describe is an old hand over hand deal that only really works with a bobber. The second one you describe has the reel on it, but it is more like a simple fly reel than a conventional spinning reel. You can reel it up, and line twist wouldn't be an issue, but the only drag you have is applied by hand friction on the spool and you have a 1:1 gear ratio. Spool only turns as fast as you reel it. Most spinning reels are going to be in the 4:1 ratio so you turn the handle once, and the line wraps around the spool 4 times.

Depending on the type of fishing you plan to do, they might work for you. But if you plan to do much running and gunning or if you get yourself a flasher, those rods will hinder your ability to be efficient. I would suggest hitting up Gander in a few weeks and taking a look at a graphite ice rod and spinning reel combo. You can pick up a pretty sweet combo for 20-30 bucks to get you started and you will enjoy using it so much more than the early tools you have right now.

[zamboni]

I bought a South Bend combo at K-Mart a couple years ago for $12.99, and it works fine. I have since added a few others, including a St Croix. I agree with Polarsusd, get a couple more combos, they are cheap enough to come by.