Panfish Rod Advice

If you could pick any rod for panfish what would it be? I’m looking for something with enough sensitivity to feel light bites while pitching small jigs and ideally it would also load up nicely while fighting the fish. Thanks!

Ryan

Everyone is going to say St Croix. Depends on how much you want to spend. For the money try out a Defy in ultra light 7ft. They run 50 bucks, so not busting the budget and has a nice feel to it. Otherwise look at a Gloomis or the Croix. I prefer Gloomis but both are awesome. I just can’t get myself to spend to the money for a high end rod for panfish. However own several for Walleye.

John is likely correct in his forecast on St. Croix….for a good reason. They are the tops.

I have a 6’9″ Panfish St. Croix and a 6’6″ Triumph panfish weight rod. They are both super rods.

The Tuned Up Custom Apex Elite Ultra-light is excellent.

Limit Creek 8ft 3 in telescopic its a great all-round rod. whips a chicken jig a mile.

I don’t know if its the best but I have a St Croix panfish 6’6″ light/fast I believe, that I’ve been really happy with the last few years.

I grabbed an okuma(celios maybe?) light rod at fleet farm, $60 or so, nice rod for the money. Put one of my ice fishing reels on it and with some 3# braid it cost very little to get into.

I use a JT Customs Panhandler (6’6″) and a GLoomis Walleye Series 7ft Light – XF for panfishing

I have a hellbent 7ft ultra lite. I really like that rod, and I also have a 6 ft 6 light for crappie jigs and tubes, that on is a st croix. Like that rod as well.

You don’t have to get super crazy for a good pan fish rod. But some of us are a little crazy. I do like St. Croix rods and have the Avid 7’-0” UL AVS70ULF. I have been happier with this rod more than all the others I have tried so far. I just ordered an Immortal, 7’-0”, UL blank to build a new rod on. I will be putting this rod up against the St. Croix Legend Elite Panfish (LEP70LXF) my brother just ordered. I am exited to get my hands on both rods for some testing.

For trolling I like to use B’n’M Difference RG082. This is an 8’-0” Parabolic action rod. This rod cannot cast worth a darn but with the action and light tip you can easily see if your little crankbait is fouled.

I would look at lite action along with the ultra lite.I think some of the ultra-lites are a little to whippy.

catmando wrote:

Limit Creek 8ft 3 in telescopic its a great all-round rod. whips a chicken jig a mile.

I also have one of these Limit Creek rods and its super for a long crappie casting rod. I can easily fling 1/32 head/plastic with it and when doing corks it excels at getting line off the water in a hurry for hook sets. I par it with a long spool 2000 series Sahara filled with 4 pound XL mono.

This rod also does a great job casting lures to 3/8-1/2 ounce when using a 4000 series Sahara spooled with 6/8 pound XL mono, off a breakwater on Lake Superior for Lake Trout and Salmon. Thus far an 18 pound of Laker has come to the net for the largest fish landed on the rod.

Daiwa Presso. Excellent rod for under $100 that comes in many lengths. Fast action and stout. FishUSA had them last time I looked. I own the 6’ model and use 4lb Maxima Chameleon. Great panfish rod that doubles as an equally great ultra-light trout/smallmouth rod.

Croix Legend Elite Panfish 6-4 is amazing for what you’re describing

I have 3 Croix Avid 6’6″ light that I love. Pitch 32nd oz cubbies mostly. That said I have a 7 ft. Avid UL that I don’t like. It is for sale if anyone interested.

I have a totally different opinion on my gill/ crappie rods. I like a slower action and long. So much easier to cast light jigs or toss bait. Crazy when I hear guys grunting while casting a 6-6 light rod and 1/16 or 1/32 jigs. Really, who wants to work that hard. My ultimate panfish rods are my 3 and 4 wt sage fly rod blanks built as spinning. A light lob and I cast a mile. 2# test line is like rope since the rod does all the work. Those are my go to rods for 30 plus years

I admit that my very first St Croix Premiere rod at 6′ L power and fast action was wonderful. Prior to that I had the Ugly Stick 5′ 9 ML and one in 5′ UL and one in 6’6″ UL.

The St Croix Premiere allowed me to finesse my slip bobber technique and my UL lures so much better in accuracy and precision that I actually went and got a St. Croix Legend Elite in 6′ L power as well a few years later. That was a huge jump from that $100 rod to a $300 rod. I will say that while both are very similar. The $300 rod only perform with a very subtle difference of just a little bit more smoothness on the cast and just a little bit more sensitivity stiffness on the rod blank.