How To Select An Ice Fishing Rod

When it comes to ice fishing it seems one can never have enough ice fishing gear. An integral part of this ice fishing here is the ice fishing rod. To that end this article attempts to clue you in you into the important aspects of ice fishing rods. When you're out of the store is easy to be overwhelmed by the vast quantity of ice fishing rods on the market today. There is no need to be overwhelmed when you break it down into the most simple and elements in pick and choose accordingly.
The most important things to keep in mind are what species you are targeting and what power of rod you require. This can make it especially easy to ferret out which rod will figure ice fishing style the best. If you are targeting panfish, you will want to choose the lightest rod possible. However if you are targeting walleye or northern pike a heavy action ride is really a benefit on the ice.
So what do I mean by power? Ice fishing rods much like open water fishing rods come in powers from ultra light all the way to heavy. The ultralight rods are meant for species and fishing that do not require a huge amount of backbone in the rod. Generally speaking the larger the fish we are targeting a more heavy action you want to use your ice fishing rod.
To break it down into specific species, when targeting smaller fish such as crappie or sunfish try to find the lightest action ride possible. As we move up in species we are going to move towards heavier action rods. For while and I would suggest looking at a medium action ride. If you're planning on fishing for northern pike I would strongly suggest finding a heavy action rod.
I would be remiss if I didn't mention the different types of materials the modern ice fishing rod is made out of. The two most common materials are graphite and fiberglass. Graphite is more expensive, but offers much more sensitivity and a lighter weight. Fiberglass rods are less expensive and more durable, lack of sensitivity of graphite rods.
Some final things to keep in mind are the length of the rod and the guides on the rod. Ice fishing requires a shorter rod due to the cramped quarters you are working in. When you're outside of an ice fishing house is ideal to use a longer ride as it will absorb the head shakes and other things that happen when fighting a fish. As for the guides imperative that you use high-quality guides. When I say high-quality I mean large. In addition make sure that your Roth has at least 4 to 6 guides on it.
The ice fishing rod is one of the most important things one can improve to help landing more fish while on the ice. Make sure you take the above ideas with you when you go to purchase an ice fishing rod. If you use these simple tips I guarantee you'll have more success on the ice this winter.

By: Swold

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Swold enjoys talking all things ice fishing. Please visit his site on Ice Fishing Rods to learn about all things ice fishing including how ice fishing crappie is a great way to spend some time this winter.