It wasn’t long ago that hard-water anglers had to make do with whatever they could find. Now, ice fishermen are spoiled for choices, and innovation is the watchword of the industry.
Good ice rods are now plentiful, and for folks just getting into the sport - or looking to extend their fishing season - there are a plenty of good choices, though two names still dominate the hard water:
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Length: 23.5” and 28.5” (ultralight); 20.5” (light); 16.5” and 27.5” (medium-light); 29.5” (medium)
Blank material: Toray graphite
Power/action: ultralight, light, medium-light, and medium with fast action
Handle: Evolve Blackjack Reel Seat
Guide material: Evolve Solo Guides
If you fish the hard water for crappie, perch, sunfish, bluegill, and other panfish, 13 Fishing’s Whiteout is a rod and reel combo that deserves a serious look.
Available in two ultralight lengths, one light length, two medium-light lengths, and one medium length, this rod’s sweet spot is clearly on the lighter end, and if you’re looking for a walleye or pike rod, this probably won’t be the best pick.
But for panfish, the solid graphite blank is the last word on sensitivity, and you’ll find plenty of backbone to fight fat slabs up onto the ice.
The Evolve Solo Guides cut down icing, too, making this a solid rod for ice fishing.
One complaint I have, which speaks to the medium rod specifically, is just how little handle you really get for a hard fight with a big fish. For crappie and perch, you’re more than good, but tie into a big walleye, and I’m not sure where you’re supposed to put that second hand other than the base of the blank.
13 Fishing supplies this rod with an acceptable reel with a solid anti-reverse mechanism and enough torque and power for the fish it’s designed for. Frankly, many better spinning reels are available - Pfleuger and Shimano come to mind immediately - but for a combo at this price point, you’re getting a lot of bang for your buck.
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Length: 19” and 24” (ultralight); 24” (light); 26” (medium-light); 30” (medium)
Blank material: Toray graphite
Power/action: ultralight, light, medium-light, and medium with a fast actions
Handle: cork
Guide material: stainless steel with polished inserts
The good folks at 13 Fishing know that not everyone can afford to drop a Benjamin on a rod and reel combo, and plenty can’t manage half that. Times are tough everywhere, but fun can still be had on the ice.
The Thermo Ice combo definitely won’t break the bank, and you get a lot for what you spend.
Available in two lengths of ultralight, and one each of light, medium-light, and medium, this rod reminds me a lot of the Whiteout in that it’s best at the lighter end where panfish are the dominant species you’re chasing.
The graphite blank the Thermo Ice wears is plenty sensitive, and you’ll feel every bump and bite of those sluggish crappie and perch. It’s got plenty of backbone, too, and when you tie into a slab with the ultralight, you’ll know you’ve got the oomph to muscle her in.
Expect quality stainless steel guides with polished inserts - not the best, but far from the worst.
Like the Whiteout, you’ll find the handle a bit short for the medium action, where a two-handed grip is pretty much essential for walleye.
At this price point, the reel is pretty basic - certainly nothing to write home about - but it’s going to get the job done until you can afford to slip a better one into the reel seat.
All in all, for the budget-minded ice angler, this is a good combo.
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Length: 26" (light) and 28" (medium)
Blank material: graphite/fiberglass composite (Ugly Tech)
Power/action: light/fast; medium/fast
Handle: EVA foam
Guide material: stainless steel (Ugly Tuff)
Shakespeare's Ugly Stik GX2 is now available in ice-fishing specific designs, and the price for this combo is certainly very reasonable.
But does it deliver the goods on the hard water?
This combo comes with a rod available in two lengths and powers: a 26-inch light and a 28-inch medium. Right off the bat, I'll tell you that the light is really light, and the medium is pretty light, too! It won't take much to get the blank bending on these rods, and even a heavy panfish will feel like you've hooked a swimming stump.
That said, the combination of graphite and fiberglass in the GX2 blank has the same "never say die" fight in it that made Stiks so legendary. Yes, it's going to bend like cooked spaghetti; but yes, it's going to fight a largemouth, walleye, or even small pike up through that hole you made. Simply stated, if your line and reel can take it, so can the GX2.
This is a durable rod - make no mistake about that - and if you've broken ice sticks packing them into a sled or by stepping on them as you maneuver around a small ice shanty, you know why I care about that. I'm not saying that you can't break this rod or bend a guide - you can - but rather that it'll take a lot more abuse than you might think.
It's definitely not the weak link in this combo.
The guides are the usual, no-nonsense affiars you find on Stiks, but they work. I've sawed 4- and 6-pound line against the guides and they just plain worked to preserve that fragile mono.
The handles are EVA foam, tough to be sure, but colder to the feel than cork - if that's an issue for you.
Shakespeare delivers these little rods with a 20-size spinning reel that's nothiung to write home about, but it's more than adequate for dropping jigs, tiny soft plastics, spoons, and the like through a hole and delivering reliable drag. After all, you don't need as much reel as you do when the water's not frozen, and casting isn't on tap.
Overall, I like this rod a lot, and I'd probably lean toward the "medium" for general ice use.
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Length: 27" (medium-light) and 28" (medium-heavy)
Blank material: graphite/fiberglass composite (Ugly Tech)
Power/action: medium-light/fast ands medium-heavy/fast
Handle: split cork
Guide material: stainless steel (Ugly Tuff)
I'm a big fan of the Ugly Stik Elite, and I was really stoked to see what their ice-fishing model was like.
Suffice it say that I'm impressed.
Expect the usual, tough-as-nails durability you get from a Stik, plenty of sensitivity at the tip with either blank, and yes, even fight-winning power should you need it.
Yes, these short sticks aren't the medium-lights and medium-heavies they'd be in 7-foot blanks, but they're more than capable of hauling smallies, largemouth, walleye, and pike through the ice. And yes, they'll bend like crazy under the weight of a reasonable walleye - but so what? That's what they're made to do, and they won't give before your line (or knots) do.
Light, short, and well-balanced with the tiny 20-size reel they wear, they're easy to "pistol grip" and get your lure dancing.
The reel - as far as I can tell identical to the one ther GX2 wears, is perfectly acceptable but nothing to write home about.
Overall, I prefer the Elite to the GX2 because I like thye heavier powers for larger fish. But these are just as capable with panfish as they are with pike.
And the split cork handles feel a lot better to me than the EVA foam you'll find on the GX2. That said, they are a bit short for fighting big fish!
Pick one up - you won't be disappointed!
There’s no one ice fishing rod and reel combo to rule them all, and you need to make your selection based on the fish you plan to chase. But given that, you won’t be disappointed by any of the rods on our list, and they’ll all keep a smile on your face as you work the ice.
As usual, we’d love to hear from you, especially if you disagree with one of our picks or have a favorite we haven’t mentioned.
Please leave a comment below!
