Best Ice Fishing Rod Reviews to Chill Your Way to Efficient Ice Fishing
One of the simplest yet inexpensive ways to enjoy your day during a winter season is through ice fishing. But as most seasoned anglers would tell you: the truest sense of which cannot be experienced without the aid of the best ice fishing rod.
Choosing the right one nowadays, however, requires an elaborate search as this endeavor has grown much forward, enabling most of its design and efficiency to be a bit more pronounced. And with the plethora of options out there, it’s important that your decision is both sound and very much informed.
Today, I’ll be unveiling our five selections of what I think are the most suitable ice fishing rods for your ice fishing needs. A quick buying guide should also be provided which I’d hope would benefit those who have just gotten started with ice fishing and those enthusiasts who are planning to upgrade.
Either way, I have high hopes that this post will allow you to get the most out of your ice fishing experience. So, let’s get started:
Product Name | Size | Rating | Reviews |
|---|---|---|---|
28” | 97 | ||
24'' - 30'' | 99/100 | ||
27” | 96/100 | ||
16” | 94 | ||
20” | 94/100 |
Five Best Ice Fishing Rods On The Market Now
Via Amazon.com
One of the more popular light ice fishing rods in the business, the Shakespeare Ugly Stik GX2 Ice Fishing Combo is both a legitimate treat and threat at the same time. This is largely due to its fiberglass tip, which should readily delight anglers who are always on the lookout for nibblers.
But perhaps the greater benefit any user can get from this feature is the rod’s durability. And when you’re chasing the most desirable species in this segment, there’s no mistaking that this winter weather rod is going to make an impression.
Meanwhile, the accompanying 20-size spinning reel comes with one ball bearing. But let’s get more about the rod in which most of its action is deemed to come from: it is equipped with the patented and genuine Ugly Stik blank, an EVA handle, and a Twist-lock reel seat.
Moreover, expect a much lighter weight and an added durability as the product is armed with one-piece stainless steel guides and the much needed aluminum spool.
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Via Amazon.com
Whatever your fishing style and targeted species are, the Fiblink Graphite Ice Fishing Rod should deliver technique-specific actions, solidifying your guard and skill as an ice fishing master. It comes with solid cork handles that are sized and shaped for comfort and feel.
Both variants boast of blank materials that are carefully selected to jive on your technique, action, and species. Best of all, this entry from Fiblink is touted for its robust performance even in some of the harshest conditions.
Its rod blanks are all-graphite. Despite this, the product is still able to afford to provide durability, along with sensitivity and lightweight. Accuracy on your hand’s feedback is also noteworthy, allowing you to move your wrist with certainty right before it finally secures the hook in your target’s mouth.
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Via Amazon.com
Developed to cater mainly for jigging spoons and ice jigs, this St. Croix Avid Jigging Series Ice Fishing Rod is all carbon-construction in the truest sense, it is enforced with precision-taper solid carbon blanks along with a set of highly sensitive carbon.
In addition, these U.S.-made rods are all expected to deliver stronger control and sensitivity. Foreign and domestic materials are thrown in the mix: some of these include Kigan stripper guides and extremely light and low-profile running guides.
This rod is also armed with efficient high vis and flexible tip that are certain to help you in upping your game in detecting strike during the winter season. St. Croix’s ice fishing rod reigns supreme especially when you’re going after a crappie, white bass, walleye, and even wippers.
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Via Amazon.com
Ice anglers all delight on the calming experience of a frigid lake that is wondrously consumed by fog. With this choice, the Fenwick Elite TechTM Ice Spinning Rod should be able to enhance that moment with its complimentary high modulus graphite blanks.
Additionally, the rod is boasting a stronger cork handle that should, no doubt, amaze those serious ice fishers. Before, the more conventional ice rods would often lose grip in cold and wet condition – well not until Fenwick’s entry was later introduced.
Fenwick’s offering is especially suitable for fishers who are going for the soft bites as they place and set the hook quickly. And whether you’re already serious about ice fishing or you’ve just gotten the hang of it – from midsize to larger fish type - this rod needs to be at the top of your priority list.
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Via Amazon.com
The last thing you’d want to do with Wtrees Ice Fishing Rod Pole is to underestimate its size. This little fishing rod has made countless of its users all happy and more than satisfied.
The U.S.-made product comes with an EVA handle that ensure a tight and sure grip among the anglers. Also, the same users have come to admire the product’s graphite rod blanks which are both efficient and robust.
A highly durable performance is noted, too, on these blank even when subjected to the meanest of conditions. And as our fifth entry comes with a lightweight stainless guides, the sometimes troublesome friction is effectively reduced.
The last best-selling rod on our list also comes with a flexible 2-PC offering. Wtrees’ ice fishing rod is recommended to be used alongside with a jigging rap.
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A Quick Buying Guide on Choosing The Best Ice Fishing Rod
As it goes with all of our products in this blog, the selection of which ice fishing rod is right for your needs depends on a number of vital considerations. But as ice fishing rods have already witnessed the advancement of technology today, choosing the best one out of hundreds of alternatives out there is expected to come with some challenge.
Fret no more, though, as I’ve collated these factors that should guide you well through in choosing the best ice fishing rod. As long as these features are present, narrowing down your selection should just be a breeze.
Right below are the crucial features that you must have in your ice fishing rod:
1.) The Base Materials
The base materials of your ice fishing rod will determine whether you’ll be able to catch a lot or not. Seasoned anglers and rookies know for sure that this endeavor is expected to battle lots of fish that can be at times, formidable to fight with when they get hooked.
As it goes, your rod is all slated to experience an interminable strain from the lines’ ends. This in itself demands a rod that comes with toughened and robust materials. Two of the most popular today are graphite and fiberglass.
These materials are armed with distinctive yet mutually advantageous qualities. Graphite is deemed to be the more responsive and lighter between the two. But these components make graphite to be a bit on the pricier side.
On the other hand, fiberglass comes with more durability and versatility. The only drawback that can be noted from using this material is its light sensitivity response in cold conditions. Another material that is making rounds on the market now is carbon fiber.
It is both light and strong but also sensitive and robust. And as carbon fiber comes with these qualities, its price tag is also hefty on the pocket.
2.) The Rod’s Strength
Ice fishing rods are also categorized based on the power that they were built to accommodate. Today, these categories are split into heavy, medium, light, and ultralight. For the uninitiated, the power in your fishing rod entails how well it will endure the pressure right before it starts to bend.
When it comes to your rod’s strength and power, it is always important to determine first which type of fish you’d be going after to. Also, it is crucial to ascertain which fishing style you’d prefer as this can also affect the way the rod’s power is going to perform.
So, if you’re gunning for some of the biggest catch out there, it is expected that you work with heavy action rods. Meanwhile, rods that are categorized as “low in action” are more suitable for smaller fish that weighs from two to 12 lbs.
3.) The Fish Type
Your chosen ice fishing rod will also depend on the species of fish you intend to catch. As such, one single rod is not meant to catch all of these fish types; various power levels which are retailed today only accommodate a particular type of species.
Before purchasing one, make certain that you’re already well-equipped of the fish type your location would usually provide. For example, if you’re on hunt for adequately-sized species such as lake trout or pike, you must go for a heavy rod.
Meanwhile, an ultralight ice fishing rod would do if you’re gunning for a panfish.
4.) The Rod’s Length
Also dependent on the fish type you’re trying to hunt, the length of the rod is also paramount when choosing for the right ice fishing rod. Whenever you’re hunting larger type of species like salmon, it’s recommended that you go for bigger and longer rods that range about 40 in. size.
On the other hand, medium-sized rods are more preferred when going after smaller species such as walleye. These rods usually vary from 24 to 36 inches. Now, if your location thrives with even smaller species, rods which measure 24 in. and below are always suggested.
5.) The Rod’s Action or Speed
Another fish type-dependent is your rod’s actual action or speed. For the uninitiated, this is usually being measured when your rod makes a bending. For instance, when your rod makes a bending right at its tip, it’s categorized as a fast one.
Meanwhile, medium ice fishing rods tend to make its bending at the midsection. Slow rods, on the other hand, are expected to bend through the rods’ entire length.
The Verdict
The Standout: Fiblink Graphite Ice Fishing Rod
The Fiblink Graphite Ice Fishing Rod is without a doubt the clear winner in this segment. The product’s fusion of an extremely sensitive rod tip along with a highly-durable backbone makes it one of the more appealing and efficient when it comes to ice fishing.
The rod is also readily available in different variants: the 24” rod with ultralight power and the 30” with medium power. Talk about the ultimate versatility!
Did you like this post? Do you think Fiblink’s Ice Fishing Rod is infinitely better than its rivals? If you happen to have something to add, ask, or even share, please feel free to sound them off in the comment section below and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.
