While trolling is perhaps the dominant technique for catching walleye, casting is my preference for fun on the Great Lakes and its many tributaries.
I found that while walleye may not be the strongest fish you'll ever fight, put a sensitive medium-light rod in your hands and hold on!
Experienced anglers will tell you that a great walleye rod needs to do several things well beyond help you have fun: it also needs to cast like a dream, supply enough backbone for big eyes, and allow you to work common lures effectively.
Fortunately, you're a bit spoiled for choices - if you know where to look.
If you're looking for a new walleye rod, we'd like to help.
Below, we'll discuss what to look for if you’re in the market for a dedicated walleye rod, and we'll offer reviews of some of our favorites.
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No products found. | Kast King
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| Length: 6’8” Power: Medium-light Action: Fast Line Weight: 6-12 lbs. Lure Weight: 1/4 - 5/8 oz. |
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KastKing's enviable reputation for affordable quality drew me straight to the WideEye Walleye Rod.
I recommend the six-foot, eight-inch medium-light spinning model for jigging, crankbaits, and other "casting" applications, as it has the length to cast well and the backbone to fight a big eye, should you tie into one.
The heart of this rod is a IM9 Toray Carbon Blank that's supremely sensitive for the price, and I had no trouble at all detecting light strikes and soft hits.
And KastKing's use of Fuji K-Frame guides and Fuji IPS reel seats means that you can count on these components to deliver in hard fights, protecting fragile lines and keeping your reel locked on your rod.
And I love the long, premium-grade cork split-grip handles as they gave me plenty of room for two-handed casts when I was throwing search lures, as well as enough real estate to tame a hot eye.
Casting was great, even when the wind picked up, and this rod had no trouble loading under 1/4-ounce lures.
If you're looking for a great walleye rod but can't afford a St. Croix, this is a nice option that won't break the bank.
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Tackle Direct | Amazon | Bass Pro
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| Length: 7'1" Power: Medium Action: Fast Line Weight: 6 - 20 lbs. Lure Weight: 5/16 - 7/8 oz. |
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My love affair with St. Croix is in no danger of ending any time soon, and if you're looking for an excellent walleye rod to throw crankbaits, jerkbaits, spoons, and other common walleye lures, the Eyecon spinning rod is very, very hard to beat.
For lures, I lean into a medium-powered rod at right around seven feet in length.
Why?
I find that rods like this load and cast well, and fight better than shorter models - especially with lighter lines.
And trust me, the SCII carbon fiber blanks that St. Croix uses are typically extremely sensitive. They're also usually a bit faster than their descriptions, and I'd certainly call this medium-powered rod extra-fast after my time with it on the water.
Sensitivity wasn't ever an issue, and from light strikes to bumps, the Eyecon was tantamount to a camera for detecting bites.
And as you'd expect, St. Croix's blank tech delivers distance and accuracy in spades.
In fight after fight, I felt in control, and with bigger, harder-fighting eyes, that medium-power blank rose to the occasion and showed them exactly who was the boss.
I was assisted in this by a generous, perfectly-designed split-grip handle, a testament to St. Croix's legendary quality.
If you need a rod to help you cast larger, heavier lures and fight monster walleye, look no further.
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| Length: 7' Power: Medium Action: Mod. Fast Line Weight: 6 - 15 lbs. Lure Weight: 1/4 - 5/8 oz. |
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I own and fish an Ugly Stik Elite spinning rod, and I can summarize my experience by stating that it was money well spent.
A step up from the GX2 of old, the Elite is more sensitive and better balanced than other Stiks while remaining just as tough as you’ve heard.
The Elite series features a blank with an increased ratio of carbon fiber to fiberglass, making it both more sensitive and more stiff.
The tip is clear and finely tapered to assist with that sensitivity. I’ve felt strikes from small walleye with no trouble, but this isn’t a competitor with St. Croix in this respect.
The backbone on these rods tends to be more parabolic than those made from carbon fiber, and you won’t meet the true iron in this blank until you get pretty close to the handle. Once you do, you’ll realize that you’ve really got a game changer in your hands, and I’ve put more stress on my Ugly Stik than I can reasonably justify.
It’s no worse for the wear.
Casting is very good, and I find the Elite loads easily under appropriately-sized lures, launching my casts into the next area code when necessary.
The guides may be humble stainless, but they’re well-polished, and when I’ve sawed at the stripper guide with light mono (6-pound test), it prevented friction, and the line didn’t break. On my rod, the guides line up well, and I’ve no complaints about fit and finish for the price.
The Elite Stik isn’t going to win any beauty pageants - that’s not its reason for being. That said, the full cork handles are plenty attractive, and they work remarkably well for hard casts and even harder fights.
The seven-foot medium-power rod is just the medicine I recommend for walleye, and you'll never be outgunned by one with the Elite in your hands!
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| Length: 7' Power: Medium-light Action: Mod. Fast Line Weight: 4 - 10 lbs. Lure Weight: 1/8 - 5/8 oz. |
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Cadence's CR5 certainly won't break the bank, but it will deliver good performance for walleye if you prefer using light lures and six- to eight-pound test.
For these applications, my pick is the seven-foot medium-power model.
It's blank is constructed from 30-ton carbon fiber, making it very sensitive, a strength that's reinforced by its slender taper and fast tip. And while the overall action of this rod is described as "moderately fast," it was more than able to detect light strikes and load under 1/8-ounce lures.
Fights were exciting, especially with larger walleye, and I found the backbone of this rod quickly on a three-pounder.
The simple stainless-steel guides work - that's about as much as I can say about them - but the Fuji reel seat and excellently designed handle are perhaps better than you'd expect at this price point.
To me, the choice between the CR5 and the Ugly Stik Elite comes down to a few questions:
Are you rough on your gear?
Do you tie into big walleye pretty often?
Do you prefer larger lures?
If you answered yes to two or more of these questions, I'd go with the Elite.
Otherwise, the CR5 is a dynamite rod for small lure walleye fishing.
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| Length: 7'6" Power: Medium-light Action: Extra Fast Line Weight: 8 - 15 lbs. Lure Weight: 1/8 - 3/4 oz. |
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Penn’s name is well-known in the salt, and I see a lot of their rods and reels on the water. That’s a testament to the loyal following Penn has built by delivering the goods year after year.
The seven-foot, six-inch Battalion II is an excellent walleye rod, and if you prefer continuous cork - as I do - a strong rival for the St. Croix.
It’s that good!
The model I prefer for this application is the medium-light, extra-fast version, as it provides everything I'm looking for in an eye stick.
Right off the bat it's fair to say that this rod feels really nice in hand, and the sensitivity was all that I could ask for when I got hit by little walleye. When a larger fish did come along, I found that the power the Battalion II had in store was sufficient to make short work of the fight.
The blank on this rod is graphite (carbon fiber), and you can really feel the added sensitivity it provides, as well as how ably it loads under light lures.
I found that the Battalion II, especially with its slick Fuji guides, casts amazingly well, rivalling the best rods on our shortlist today.
For fans of the Penn brand, or anglers looking for a great rod that still manages to punch above its price point, the Battalion II deserves a close look!
When choosing a walleye rod, you have to make sure it’s strong enough to land a large fish while being sensitive enough to allow you to feel their faint bites. The rod must also be powerful enough to set the hook firmly, and it needs to load and cast well with lures in the weight range it was designed for.
Length matters.
All other things being equal - which they rarely are - the longer your rod, the longer your casts. The shorter your rod, the more accurate your casts.
For excellent casting in relatively open water, and for fighting larger eyes on light lines, I like a rod in the neighborhood of seven feet.
Medium-light to medium power is more than enough for walleye.
"Power" is a measure of how much force it take to bend your rod, and a medium-light should be pulled into an arc by a two-pound fish. A medium rod should be a bit more stiff, helping you land trophy walleye.
"Action" is a measure of where on the rod it will begin to bend under load.
A fast action rod will begin to bend very near the tip, providing lots of sensitivity and loading well under light lures.
If you're tough on your gear, or if you occasionally do something stupid like I do, say, grabbing the tip of your rod to free a snag, you'll want to think about the Ugly Stik Elite.
It's simply the toughest rod I've ever fished.
Otherwise, the rods on our list are made from super-sensitive carbon fiber, which while being both light and strong, can be damaged by impacts. Those bumps can micro-fracture your blank, leading to an epic failure on the next cast or fight.
I can't tell you which walleye rod is the best fit for your needs, preferred lures, or budget. But I can tell you that the St. Croix or Penn are almost impossible to beat, and the Ugly Stik is just as impossible to break - if that matters to you.
I hope that this article has helped you pick your next walleye rod, and I'd love to hear from you it has!
Please leave a comment below, and I'll be in touch.
Pete-
Great article. My son & I have shifted our interests from bass to walleye fishing, and we are going to be trying out the differences between a 5ft9” fenwick elite tech MXF for jigging, a 6ft3” elite tech MLXF and a 6ft9” HMG MLF for jogging & rigging. We have 3 weeks in northern Minnesota, and we can finally test out the poles that we have read such good reviews about. I read a lot of articles, and do believe that there are a lot of good poles out there, heck some guys love the st croix mojo bass strictly for walleye fishing, and some guys only like the short rods, and some guys only like the 7ft rods and jig with that. The general gist that I’m learning, is that there are a lot of like minded, great people out there with the same passion as us, and the only way for any of us individually learn what works best, is to get out there and try it. I don’t believe that there is one great answer, but I do believe that it comes down to how you are fishing, trolling, jigging, casting, rigging and there is nothing wrong with a passion, obsession, and love for both fishing & quality fishing poles! Glad to see that I’m not alone.