whats a good rod/reel for northerns?

Tyler23 · February 23, 2009

??

redbandit · February 23, 2009

For smaller northerns (1 to 5 lbs) anything that you could throw normal spinnerbaits and cranks with. The standard medium to medium-heavy rod/reel combo in either spinning or baitcast would do the trick. Now if your going for the bigguns I'd recomend a decent muskie setup. Last summer I got into muskie fishing and while doing so caught some nice northers aswell. I didn't want to break the bank so I picked up one of the C2b31as Tourney Trail Muskie rod found a 6000 series Abu on sale and got the whole works for a hundred bucks. Caugth numerous pike in the mid to upper 30's, a couple of muskies biggest being 43 in and it hasn't let me down yet.

Tyler23 · February 23, 2009

ill be going for a spinning reel most likely. but i would like to we able to use it for walleye also if that will work? the northerns i usually catch are pretty much around 30 inchs or a little higher nothing huge. would a medium work for this? what kind of length should i go for?

redbandit · February 23, 2009

For spinning I paired up the biggest Gander reel they have with a medium Abu 7 ft rod. The rod actually falls more into the catagory of medium-heavy but loads up really nice and has a faster tip allowing use for a wider range of bait sizes (spinnerbaits to medium sized muskie plugs).

For avid walleye anglers this settup would be a little on the big

side. I think a medium would rod work fine for you just get one with some backbone and a sensitive tip if you plan on jigging for the walleyes. Also find a Medium sized reel with a large spool to accomadate the heavier line for northerns and an extra spool for switching to the lighter walleye line. I've had great luck with the 20 lb spiderwire. I know other poeple would say differently about it though, just my preferance.

As far as rod length goes I would'nt go less than 6'6" and go 7' whenever possible. More rod to fight the fish with and better casting. Just make sure you go with an IM7 graphite or higher on the longer rods for sensitivity and strength. Should be able to find an IM7 or IM8 reasonably priced at any of the outdoor retailers just make sure the eyes line up under a load.

Muddog · February 27, 2009

A walleye rod would work fine for Northerns 35" or less. It is not so much how the rod will fight the fish but how big of lures you will be throwing. 3" spoons and crank bait would work fine. I catch a lot of Northern in that range while trolling Hot'N'Tot with a ML rod and 8lb fireline. If you are fishing around weeds and brush you will want to go with heavier line and a beefier rod. I troll with out a leader and only lost one #4 Salmo hornet to a cut off last year. That is a small lure for such s big mouth full of sharp teeth.

Tyler23 · February 27, 2009

well i was thinking about getting a 7ft st.croix medium rod? as far as when i fish for northerns when i cast for them i usually use shad raps. would this rod make a good rod for walleyes as well as northerns. i usually never incounter anything over 35". or should i look at getting 2 seperate rods? i just want to get the right stuff the first time. also i would like to give bass fishing a try could i use this rod for that also. ive never done it so idk what i would use for lure? if my choice isnt what you would do please let me know. if theres a rod that will do all this that would be the one for me!! but im guessing there probley isnt? Thanks for the comments!!

solbes · February 27, 2009

Sounds perfect. I have a pair of St Croix spinngin Avids in Medium power and 6'6" length. It has enough whip to cast most lures effectively, can work for most of the finesse walleye tactics, and has enough backbone to troll with if you want. Best all around rod I have used. I catch 4x more northerns than walleyes and it works well for me. Bass fishing fits right in there also, though sometimes a baitcaster is better.

I do also have a Med Light for casting lighter lures and jigging, but the Medium does a decent job for those also. The Med Light does not troll well.

Bigguyone · February 27, 2009

If you are tryign to get to one rod I would go with the Shimano Cumara M 7'2" or the St croix legend tournament 7' M F rod "tube rod" to be able to do double duty on spinning gear - I own them both. I did land a few 38"+ fish last year on my 7' ML and it is doable but definitely not something that is recommended - especially if near any cover (weeds, logs, pads, etc).

I would defintely say for this application one high quality rod is MUCH better than two moderate rods.

As far as a reel I would look to a 20 or 25 series reel (personally I love the Quantum Energy tour) as with a lite rod going with a 30 or 40 series reel is just too heavy to have proper balance with a high quality, medium action rod.

You may wanna consider moving to baitcaster if you like throwin shad raps and such.