Fishing rods for ice fishing

Fishing from the ice is a very interesting activity that attracts many fishermen. But in the cold season, the fish is not very active, so winter fishing rods must be correctly made and set up. The rod is the main tackle, such parameters as the choice of location, bait and bait are secondary.

A lot of fishermen choose to buy fish hangri and turn their fishing into a fun activity. But the overwhelming majority still prefer to fish in their usual ways. For the second type of fishermen, our article is oriented, in which we will consider fishing rods for winter fishing from all sides and deal with their independent production.

For jig fishing

Fishing rods for ice jig fishing are the lightest tackle for winter fishing. Anglers very often use such rods, as fishing with a jig is very effective. They there can be two options:

for fishing on a jig with a nozzle;
rewoundless.

The well-known model of a fishing rod – balalaika is most suitable for jig fishing with bait which is used as a bloodworm or maggot. The design of such a rod is very simple and provides for the combination of the handle and the reel, as well as equipment with a whip and a nod.

Fishing rods without reels are used for fishing on a windless jig, and the fishing line is wound over a handle or a special small reel. Winter fishing rods for reelless fishing are distinguished by their miniature size and thinness of the rig.

Equipping such rods is quite simple. Both rod versions are equipped with the same equipment. All tackle consists of several elements:

Small main line – about 0.08 millimeters.
A jig attached to the end of the fishing line.
It can also be equipped with a sinker (most often it is used for fishing on the current).

We make with our own hands

The process of making a fishing rod for jig fishing is that you need to make a handle, then attach a reel or reel and the rod itself to it. You can use foam or cork as the material for the handle.

You can make your own reel from wood or plywood, or you can equip a fishing rod with a purchased option. It will be more convenient to equip the rod with a reel, usually small inertial models made of metal or plastic are taken. You can combine the handle and reel, or just use one reel while holding on to it.

The detachable tips for feeder rods perfectly serve as a rod. You can also find float rod tips on the shelves of fishing shops, which will be a suitable material. You can make a whip with your own hands made of plastic or polycarbonate.

Also, fishing rods for ice fishing on a jig provide a nod, which you can make yourself or buy in a store. Anglers often make nods from plastic, a small spring, or steel plate.

For fishing with a float

Winter fishing rods for float fishing do not have any fundamental differences from the first version of rods. Anglers often fish with a float and filly, but this type of rig is best a fishing rod with a separate reel will do relatively large.

Fishing for a float in winter is considered a passive type of fishing and fishermen very often use more than one tackle. Based on these factors you need to take care of the availability of special supports on the rod… Most often in this way they catch silver bream, roach, and bream, but this is not a complete list, since it does an excellent job of catching any peaceful fish.

Winter tackles are fundamentally different from summer ones, so if you think you know everything about summer fishing and there will be no difficulties with ice fishing, then you are wrong. Low activity of fish entails increased requirements for gear.

The most noticeable difference is the small line thickness. The minimum diameter of the line to be used can cause some difficulties. It is quite difficult to work in frosty weather, and even in strong winds with very thin line.

The diminutiveness of the tackle very often causes confusion among many fishermen, especially often associated with the use of small hooks. When it comes to the question of how to tie the hook to the line, they are at a loss because of the small size of the hooks.

The correct weight of the tackle is also an important factor, as it must have increased sensitivity.

The float is bright and small in size, it is often immersed so that it is immersed in water 1-3 centimeters. The hole can freeze, and the float floating in it will quickly become covered with ice and lose sensitivity.

Do it yourself

For ice fishing with a float, you can make a universal fishing rod that is suitable for any type of fishing. Such a fishing rod for winter fishing with your own hands will fit not only for fishing with a float, with its help you can fish:

On the stream using a float or jig.
With the use of small size winter lures.
For perch with live bait.

There are a lot of options for making such a fishing rod, as well as various materials used in the manufacture. We’ll cover the simplest way using publicly available content and mention an alternative.

A familiar plastic tube with a diameter of about 1.5-2 centimeters can be used as a handle. The process of making such a rod is quite simple and consists of a few easy steps:

You need to cut off 15 centimeters of the tube.
You need to attach a small coil to one of the edges or make a reel from two metal staples.
It is best to insulate the handle by pasting it with foam or cork.
Now you need to stick two plugs into the ends of the tube.
A hole must be made in the front plug to fix the fishing rod with a small drill.
We fix the whip with waterproof glue. Removable tips of a feeder or the last knee of a float rod are suitable as a whip.
Now you need to make the legs from a piece of plastic or iron wire.
It remains to equip the fishing rod with guides, if they were not there before.

For winter blanching

These winter fishing rods are somewhat different from the previous ones, as they are aimed at fishing for a trophy predator, which often reaches impressive sizes. This means that the fisherman will need to use thick fishing line. And fishing very often happens at great depths, which means you need a lot of fishing line.

The need for a lot of thick line entails mandatory presence of a coil… The reel is also necessary for the convenience of the angler, since fishing for a predator is considered an active type of winter fishing and often you have to walk a lot in the reservoir constantly reeling and unwinding tackle.

Fishing rod for ice fishing with trolleys must be resilient and durable, as fast and sharp fish hooking is required. The fisherman usually catches standing, so the length of the rod should be slightly longer than for fishing with a float or jig.

Most often, such fishing rods have a collapsible design for ease of transportation. They consist of two parts and the whip is simply fixed in the handle.

The principle of making a fishing rod for trolling does not have any fundamental differences from a rod for fishing with a jig. The manufacturing process can be conditionally divided into several simple stages:

Handle making.
Fastening the coil to the handle.
Rod whip mount.

For the most part, winter fishing rods for lure are distinguished only by increased strength, the other differences are minor. Typically, the handle for these rods is made of wood or durable foam.

The whip will fit the same as for other rods – the removable tip of the feeder rod or the last knee of the float rod. Just pay attention to the rigidity of the whip, it should be sufficient. It is best to take whips of medium hardness.

The choice of reel depends on the personal preference of the fisherman, as a spinning or inertial version can be used. The large size of the fish and the relatively large depth at the fishing point justifies the use of any type of reel, if only the fisherman is comfortable.

The reel should provide quick deflection and rewinding of the line, as well as easy playing of large fish.

We equip winter fishing rods

Fishing rod equipment is just as important a factor as making or choosing it. When equipping fishing rods, you need to pay attention to some important nuances:

The nature of the reservoir.
The presence of the current and its speed.
Depth at the place of fishing.
Type of fish.

Based on these factors, it is necessary to adjust the rig and tune the rod for optimal behavior in the chosen fishing conditions. All factors are equal and must be taken into account.

Equipping the balalaika

Purchased rods are not ideal and almost all models have to be refined on their own. First you need to unscrew the screw from the spool and pull out the spool. Usually, the line is frayed at the point of entry into the reel due to an unfinished design. It is easy to fix this by installing a small cambric at the line entry point.

Then you need to wind the fishing line on the spool. First, you need to fix the line on the spool with a loop at its end. It is also necessary to install a small cambric in a parallel plane with the rod’s whip to avoid twisting.

After all the manipulations, it remains only to tie the jig to the fishing line and you can safely go to the pond. There is no specific knot for tying the jig, the main thing is that it provides reliable fixation.

Assembly stages

A fishing rod for winter fishing is assembled very simply, all stages of assembly can be distinguished into a small list:

The line is wound onto the reel by turning the handle clockwise.
The whip is installed and fixed.
Put on the tip and nod (if needed).
The line is passed through all the holes on the rod.
Now you need to install the float, if fishing with it is planned.
A jig or a hook is fixed.

It is best to check the performance of the tackle at home in a bucket of water, otherwise you have to tune the tackle in frosty weather, and sometimes in strong winds, so you should avoid such moments.

Whip

You can fish with mormyshless jigs or catch with jigs with a bloodworm, dough or maggot. The choice of whip is influenced by the type of fish you plan to fish. As an example, a plastic whip is suitable for fishing for perch, but for fishing in deep conditions it will not be able to dampen the sharp jerks of the striped one, so you will have to use something more flexible.

Nod

Fishermen consider the best nod made from wild boar hair. But finding such material is relatively difficult, so a simple X-ray can be used. You can equip your winter fishing rods with commercially available nods.

The nod must be configured in advance, it is very easy to do:

It is necessary to set the nod on the rod and attach the jig to its tip.
The length of the nod is adjusted until the nod bends 6-8 millimeters.