The ONE Ice Fishing COMBO Everyone Needs

 

Bluegills are known for light bites

Ice angling has changed so much in the past ten years, it is hard to believe at times.  One of the biggest advancements is electronics.  Vexilar keeps making their flashers better and better with each new release.  Their newest, the FLX-38 is a huge step above any other unit they have ever produced.  Forward Facing sonar (FFS) has completely changed the game on top of the ice.  These units can tell you exactly where the fish are...and more importantly where the fish "aren't".  However, one thing in the industry hasn't changed over the few decades which often causes anglers to miss out on opportunities while ice fishing.  I am referring to the rods/reels that we use.   

There are a lot of different rods out there to choose from.  Dozens and dozens of companies have a multitude of rod lengths, actions and handle preferences.  The "noodle rod" was all the buzz a few years ago and is still probably the most used rod on the market.  Again, every company has many offerings of this style of rod, however this is not the ONE ROD that everyone needs to have when ice fishing.  The one rod that I am referring to is a spring bobber rod.  This rod has a spring bobber designed into or along side of the rod blank.  There are far fewer companies that include a spring bobber option, the best I have found is Clam Outdoors.  They have several choices to choose from and they sell a good product.  A spring bobber isn't always needed, I may use it 1 out of 4 days that I fish.  It is a specialty rod that is made for jigs 4mm and smaller.  They really shine when using 2mm tungsten and light lead jigs.  If you are using some 4mm and larger jigs a properly balance noodle rod will work the same.  Back to the spring bobber...a spring bobber will help you see the lightest bites.  This has already helped me once in this young ice fishing season.  When anglers in the same area were reporting catching 5-15 fish, I ended the day catching dozens of fish...all because of the spring bobber.  The bluegills were hitting the jig so gently that other rods would not show the bite, thus the fish ended up just taking my bait.  As soon as I made the switch to a spring bobber, I immediately started catching fish at a higher rate.  It was like someone flipped a switch.  Again, it isn't like this every day on the ice, but when the bite gets soft, there is no better choice than a spring bobber.

The spring bobber is an extension of the rod to help you see the lightest of bites.

I hope this bit of information will help you get more fish on the ice this winter, as always, be safe out there.