Years ago,in the shallow reaches of one of our favorite hard water hang outs,a lone man pulled from his sled a very peculiar piece of equipment.I remember thinking to myself,now why would a man bring his "summer" rod when trying to finesse these finicky panfish?
Muffled snickers and the rolling of eyes soon followed from my co-horts and I. It was just so damn easy to feel a little sorry for this man who obviously was clueless in the art of panfish seduction.
Quickly forgetting about this lost sole,we turned our snobby,know it all backs and kept jigging our 2footers and toothpick thin micro-lites.
I am sure that most of you know where this is going, for that lone,slightly crazed old man put on an absolute,fish catching clinic in front of our astonished eyes!
Little did I know that my world of ice fishing would never be the same.That was the day,(after being down right nosey) that I had seen that the rod he had wasn’t a walleye stick at all, but a thin,5 foot piece of graphite without the guides attached,line running on the inside of the blank and having a small plastic in- handle reel.
I HAD TO OWN ONE!
Over the years,the long rod has become very popular on the backwaters of the Mississippi.Since it’s inception it is common to see ice fisherman show up with at least a few of these sticks mixed together with their other rods. I can not speculate on the popularity of these rods on the upper reaches of the river but down here on pools 10 and 11 they have become a mainstay with the true diehards.
These light weight beauties are a real joy to fish with and the benefits when working with these long rods are countless.
Two simple words can describe these sticks and those words are,"LIGHNING FAST"!
Hook sets improve dramatically from the get go and once a fish is secured,well that’s when the fun begins! During the battle it seems that you can feel the electric sensation from your rod arm right down to your boots.
Leverage also is a plus.When using the 5 footer you have the entire length of the graphite to tire the fish thus making,in my opinion, a more satisfying tussle.
Flourocarbon and monofilament lines in 1,2 and 3lb.test excel with these rods and matched up with a high -vis spring bobber will make for an awesome little addition to your equipment.
One small item that should not be overlooked when hopping holes is the long dipper.The rod and dipper go hand in hand.The dipper actually proves to be a good leaning post so one is more steady and also serves for scooping the fish out of the tops of the hole thus eliminating bending over.Now that’s comfort!
Through time,experimenting with different rod blanks has produced a number of versatile sticks.Always wondering why these great tools had to be limited to skinny water 8 feet or less, I started to put together a few rods with the same lengh but added external guides to the blank.Matched up with a small spinning reel makes these fun to use in all waters, not just shallow.
If you are going to make your own there is one piece of advice that should be offered,and that is BALANCE.
After assembling your rod grasp it the way you would while actually fishing,then unclinch all but your middle finger.The rod should balance out nicely for you.If it teeters one way or another do what it takes to to bring the rod to horizontal.Black electrical tape is all it usually takes,a few wraps on the butt end or on the base of the rod before your hand will provide the proper weight to bring these sticks to their full potential.You will know when it feels right.
I do have a contact for anyone wishing to pick up a few of these long sticks.These rods are custom built and pre-loaded with high quality 2 lb.test, complete with a quality spring bobber.Hell,they even have a quick snap connected so they are ready to rumble upon arrival.
If interested you can call Brian(aka-IDA-Birdman)at the Anglers Nook in Lancaster,Wi.(608)723-7709 or shoot him an E-mail [email protected].
Brian has a great supply of gear and has all of the hottest jigs from Custom Jigs and Spins along with top baits by BfishN Tackle.
I have made this statement before but I will say it again,these aren’t just fishing rods but rather true, hard water weapons. Go on and try one,I promise that if I see you on the ice I won’t think you’re half nuts for bringing your "summer" rod.