Other use for ice rod?

SuzukiGS750EZ · Oct 27, 2013

Hey guys. I don't get out to ice fish much because the ice doesn't ever get thick enough in my area. More inland it does. I've had this rod and reel combo a year now ( http://m.gandermountain.com/modperl...o-UGLYPROICECBO25-Ultralight-25-1-pc&i=717360 ). Was wondering if I could use it for anything else besides ice fishing. Is the rod built for more vertical reeling or can it be used for normal fishing as well? I usually use a MH rod and baitcaster with braid for fishing, so these tiny things are out of my league.

oof · Oct 27, 2013

Practice casting in the living room with cat toys. Mine put up a pretty good fight.

Mark

mewolf1 · Oct 28, 2013

Don't know if you hike much, but they pack "OK" IMO. Spares you carrying a full sized rod.

Brad "the butcher" · Oct 29, 2013

oof said:
Practice casting in the living room with cat toys. Mine put up a pretty good fight.

Mark

Good bobber fishing rod from the boat for a kid or from shore if you don't need to cast too far.

I have been "cat fishing for 24 years". A friend broke a 7ft spin rod and gave me the top. Tied a 7 ft section of flyline and a piece of leather lace. I flyfish the 3 cats in the house. good rollcasting practice.

outside I used to tie a cat toy to the spin rod and cast it all over the yard, had them doing 7ft leaps in the air and panting at the end. Use your good high retrieve reels, lots of fun.

For hiking forget it, most alpine lakes have weedy/brushy shorelines and you need a long multi piece rod to get out there and to keep your lure off the snags when you get close.

In

tom19176 · Nov 12, 2013

I use a similar ice fishing set up to send out a bobber with live bait on it while wading in the water with hip waders on. I cast the bait out with the ice set up and put the rod butt in my back pocket while I use my full size one with a lures and keep casting. I have been doing this for years now when I wade into the water with hip waders. I have got a ton of fish that way, mostly panfish and trout, but some bass too! They do cast fairly well and reel in nicely....

WA Martin · Nov 19, 2013

You can creek fish with it to - you know, where you maybe just have a hook and a worm or something similar and let out line little by little and let the current take it away...

Sullie · Nov 19, 2013

I picked up a friend of mine to go fishing. He just moved recently and couldn't find his rod. He grabbed his ice fishing rod from his ice shack and we went fishing. He's not much of a fisherman and I laughed at him thinking he wasn't gonna get much using that thing casting from shore on the Red River! But he's a good sport and we mostly just wanted to hang out anyway. He caught 5 walleyes to my one! If you want to try it, just use it but I think I will stick with separate set ups for ice and open water. If you have a decent set up it might make a nice ultra light combo for vertical jigging.
Let us know how you make out if you use it, good luck!

tom19176 · Nov 19, 2013

It is sort of like using the "pocket fisherman" from the 1970s....lol....I also bought a "dock master" combo which is about a three foot rod and spinning reel for use from docks, but I keep it in my car as it is useful where the shoreline has heavy cover and casting with a longer rod is hard...Works well for me!

WA Martin · Nov 20, 2013

tom19176 said:
It is sort of like using the "pocket fisherman" from the 1970s....lol....I also bought a "dock master" combo which is about a three foot rod and spinning reel for use from docks, but I keep it in my car as it is useful where the shoreline has heavy cover and casting with a longer rod is hard...Works well for me!

I had a friend that did better than most with a Ron Poppiel pocket fisherman. Could also use his son's superman pole to great effect also. Made the rest of us with 75 pounds of tackle and three rods each look like a bunch of idiots. Him packing fish and us packing gear.

upnorth · Nov 22, 2013

oof said:
Practice casting in the living room with cat toys. Mine put up a pretty good fight.

Mark

Gotta love those catfish.

For the OP, I suppose that your ice rod would be ok for vertical off a canoe or some lite craft, casting would be dismal. I have used everything from small ice rods to braded nylon line and those huge ''L'' hooks that I push through the body of a smelt. The smelt hang horizontally with these and they work great for pike.