Ice fishing is right around the corner, and I don't know about the rest of you, but I've been tinkering with my ice gear all summer waiting for the day when ice forms once again. Now as we near the long awaited arrival of that first sheet of ice, it’s time to start focusing on a plan of attack and to make sure our gear is up to par and ready for another fun filled winter season. Ice rods are a huge part of my ice arsenal and I have a weak spot for the custom rods offerred by Thorne Bros...

Thorne Bros, as well as know, offers an excellent assortment of custom-made ice fishing rods, ranging everything from extreme finesse fishing for pannies, all the way to heavy hard-jerkin rods for lakers and muskie, and literally everything in between. Panfish, perch, walleye, bass, pike, catfish, lake trout, muskies… Thorne Bros makes a rod for the situation.

I’m very fond of their panfish line of rods (probably has something to do with myself being a panfish geek) and I truly feel they are in a class of their own. Whether you’re sitting over a tightlipped pod of bluegills with the Finesse Plus and a spring bobber, or an insane school crappies with the Panfish Sweet Heart, Thorne Bros offers a rod for any panfish situation. Some of my favorites are the Sweet Thing Plus, Power Noodle, Finesse Plus and the ever popular Sweet Heart Plus.

Moving on from Panfish to Perch, Thorne Bros offers a few perch options that cater to the needs of both the aggressive and finesse style perch angler. Labeled as the Perch Sweet Heart, they present options for inside and outside jigging rods. By inside and outside I mean your location in or out of a portable fish house. The inside rod provides a shorter handle and the choice of a slightly shorter rod. The inside rod comes in a 28 or 32 inch version. The outside rod provides a longer handle (for better grip/control with gloves on) as well as oversized fuji alconite eyelets to help reduce ice-up. The outside rod comes in a 32 inch version.

While the perch rods can be used for panfish, walleye and bass as well, Thorne Bros makes several options that are designed specifically for walleye and larger gamefish. The Walleye Sweet Heart Plus is one of Thorne Bros most popular rods. The Walleye Sweet Heart is also offered in an inside and outside version. Whether you’re targeting walleye with a jig and minnow, or a jigging spoon or swimming lure, there is an action/feel that will suit your needs. Choose from 9 options that range in actions from medium to medium-heavy, and lengths from 28 – 32 inches. These options allow the ice angler to effectively target walleye throughout any winter conditions.

A line of rods that really caught my eye in recent years was the Professional Plus line of Thorne Bros Ice Rods. Maybe this is mostly due to that fact that I’ve been trying to pursue more species, but nonetheless, these more powerful, yet fast, style of rods have really become a part of my arsenal. Choose for a rod that ranges anywhere from 32 to 45 inches, with actions allowing you to accommodate any big game situation. I like working a 36 inch Professional Plus for catfish and pike. Couple these rods with your favorite open-water reel and you have yourself a very comfortable, balanced system.

One last series of rods that I would like to mention are Thorne Bros Dead Stick line. I save these for last because I feel these are Thorne Bros most unique line of ice rods that really offer something that no one else does. As stated on Thorne Bros website, “A requested custom rod from Doug Stange. Designed as a minnow rod without the hassle of bobber stops or set floats. Limber tip allows angler a visual check of minnow action and detects the lightest of strikes while producing very little resistance to fish. This rod really shines as a stationary rod while you jig with another rod. This solid glass rod features oversized guides for minimal ice build up when fishing outside.” Dead sticking has become more and more popular in recent years, and this rod from Thorne Bros, is in my mind, the epitome of dead stick rods. For anyone who has used one of these, they can vouch for their performance for being in a class of their own. Dead sticking is a technique that has helped me become a more productive ice angler, and for a variety of species and conditions. The Thorne Bros Dead Stick line of ice rods has really assisted me in that productivity.

If you get the opportunity and are in the area, I would highly recommend stopping in at the store to check out the custom ice rods up-close. Take a tour around the rod shop and see how things work. Maybe even build an ice rod of your own

Ice fishing will be here before we know it and I'm looking forward to another exciting year!!

Matt:

Thanks for the summary!

I currently own a Perch Sweetheart with outside guides, as well as a Finesse Plus equipped with the spring bobber. I can't say enough about either of these rods. I have plenty of other ice rods, but these are my go-to's for just about any panfish or light walleye application I've tried.

The outside-guides for the Perch Sweetheart really make it nice for running and gunning outside of the shack, while the Finesse-plus is just a treat for bluegills.

This year I'm upgrading some of my walleye sticks to a Walleye Sweetheart Plus or two, but am still mulling over handle type and length. I'll let you know which way I go!

Joel

Matt, I got 9 of the thorne rods for ice fishing now and I think I am looking at one more for this winter....Just waiting for some cold weather here to get me in the mood for ice fishing.