Rods

[Brade04]

What kind of rods do you guys use for walleye fishing on lakes such as Pelica, Lida, Prairie, Lizzie. And how many pound test wait?

[eyepatrol]

I just got myself a Gander Mt. Advantage Pro Ice combo which consists of an IM-7 blank. It's a bit of a more stout rod which I'll be using for jigging up on LOTW come this Thursday. So right now I can't comment much on it.

As for line, I've been using Berkley Trilene 4lb Cold Weather. Also picked up some 4lb Gamma today and will be trying that out the rest of the year too.

[harvey lee]

Jason Mitchell Perch rod if I'm jigging a smaller jig. In regards to the line, I use P-Line Flouroice an the 4 or 6# range.

[Mike Walerak]

Are you talking ice or open water fishing. In anycase you should match the rod to the type of fishing you will be doing.

mw

[Brade04]

Walleye ice fishing

[Team Otter]

Jason Mitchell 26" Perch, Berkley Lighting 26", Frabill "Bro" 26"...

[Brade04]

I'm heading up to Scheels or Gander today. I need a few good walleye rods/reels. I'd prefer to buy them together. I don't want to spend a fortune for two rods. What should I get?

[mozy]

If you want to buy a combo, go with the Bro Series in either a 26 or 28". Another option is the St. Croix premier in medium or med light, whatever length you want. Make sure you check the guides on all of them to make sure they are straight.

Unless you are dead set on a combo, the best way to outfit yourself is buy rods and reels separately. I would go with a Jason Mitchell 26" Perch or 28" Walleye rod, and pair it with a $20-30 reel. I guarantee you will be much happier in the long run.

[Brade04]

What I got was a Scheels Outfitters Pro Tourney 26' Medium Light and a Scheels Outfitters Tourney Ice 28' Medium Light. Both of them for $45 bucks. Good buy?

[morefishplease]

I use a Gary Roach Mr. Walleye series med. action for open water walleye fishing. Nice rod, great action, great feel. Oh shoot you ment ice fishing not open water, my bad.

[Team Otter]

What I got was a Scheels Outfitters Pro Tourney 26' Medium Light and a Scheels Outfitters Tourney Ice 28' Medium Light. Both of them for $45 bucks. Good buy?

Yes, those combinations should suit you well.

[norwall]

Ugly Stick med action

On a side note I seen a guy fishing with a plain old jiggin stick last yr.also he was equipped with a tireiron in which he used to chisel out already exsisting holes,a can of corn for bait,blue jeans,overcoat,tennisshoes,temps was about 20 that day.

[Brade04]

I still don't get the whole drag part about it. When I have a big one on the line should i continue reeling or let it go?

[Team Otter]

You can use a drag or back-reel. The most important thing is to keep your rod at a reasonable height while fighting the fish in order to maintain line tension (and to stay away from slack in the line).

[NCLaker]

Ugly Stick med action

On a side note I seen a guy fishing with a plain old jiggin stick last yr.also he was equipped with a tireiron in which he used to chisel out already exsisting holes,a can of corn for bait,blue jeans,overcoat,tennisshoes,temps was about 20 that day.

Fished with a guy that was using a jigging stick and bobber - first time I've seen one used. Was very effective, almost no swing & misses. Funny as heck though watching him in action with that thing. He would set the hook and literally throw his rod behind him all in one motion then his arms would start flying up and down like a mad man as he pulled up the line hand over hand. Worse part though was having to constantly help him untangle his line from other stuff in the shack since it was laying all over the place after pulling up his fish.

[Cicada]

Ahhh, the old jig sticks. When I was a kid, we couldn't afford much in ice fishing equiptment, so Dad picked up a few jig sticks. When my brother and I got bites, we would set the hook and run away from the hole until the fish popped up and on to the ice. Sometimes the fish would get a couple of feet in the air. This way when we unhooked and re-baited, we could just feed the line untagled badck into the hole.

[Cicada]

If you are new to that type reel. I'm assuming you're talking about a spinning reel. Start out using the drag. You probably should quit reeling when the fish runs. I think you will get less line twist. Once you get to know the reel better, you can tighten down the drag a bit and set the reel to "backreel". This means you can reel backwards, letting line out, as well as forward. This will allow you to deep tension on the fish and reel backwards when it runs.

[Fred_Bear]

oh the old jig sticks... my dad still used them until about 10 years ago, but there are still two of them in the rod bag. It seems like about once every spring he decides to pull them out for shallow water panfish just for sh!ts and giggles. And the worst part is he almost always seems to sit there and outfish me with them, never fails!

[Fred_Bear]

Serious side...

JM 26" Perch is an awesome rod for walleyes!

Do not reel when your drag is being pulled, it just creates ridiculous line twist.

Try to learn how to back-reel, its a great skill to have to ice-fishing. Especially on cold days when drags can ice and freeze up.

[Northlander]

I like longer rods so I go 28" to 32" for walleyes and perch. I dont site fish so I use the longest rods I can.

The Jason Mitchel rods are nice as are the Mr. walleye rods. Gander has some nice rods as does cableas but they are getting picked over. Stay away from combos. The reels or rods are usually poor. You never get 2 nice ones. Check all eyes and handles to make sure they fit right.

I like 4-8# Trilene XT or XL off of a power pro 4-8# main line. I fish Lake Superior and the St. Louis River where we get into some big and deep eyes so I fish bigger lines than most. Set the drag to slip a bit on the hookset and your fine.