Fish-Hawk.Net

I'm already thinking about next spring and was wondering if any of you had suggestions for an ultralight rod for panfish.

I have an ultra light ugly stick. Love it.
I have caught many species on it, including pike! Fun ride when that happens.
A friend caught a laker on one this summer on big Rideau .. that was fun to watch.

OntarioRider wrote:I have an ultra light ugly stick. Love it.
I have caught many species on it, including pike! Fun ride when that happens.
A friend caught a laker on one this summer on big Rideau .. that was fun to watch.

I never thought of one of those thanks for suggestion

My ULs are my most commonly used rods! Such a blast....

As usual it depends on how much you want to spend...

Remember to factor in an appropriate length especially if you are planning to target bigger species. You will really need it to play the fish. My PB is a 8 lb carp on 6 lb fluro on a 7 ft UL.

Only buy the short rods if you fish in areas with overhead cover, fishing strictly for panfish off the dock or close by, or you share your rods with your kids. I also have picked up some medium lights to make some of those bigger fish easier to play in weedy areas.

One thing I would also recommend is matching it with an appropriate reel in the 500/1000 series.

I have a number of bargain ULs. There is good selection in town.

Le Baron currently has a good selection of Diawa Presso rods from 5 - 9 ft.

zippyfx wrote:My ULs are my most commonly used rods! Such a blast....

As usual it depends on how much you want to spend...

Remember to factor in an appropriate length especially if you are planning to target bigger species. You will really need it to play the fish. My PB is a 8 lb carp on 6 lb fluro on a 7 ft UL.

Only buy the short rods if you fish in areas with overhead cover, fishing strictly for panfish off the dock or close by, or you share your rods with your kids. I also have picked up some medium lights to make some of those bigger fish easier to play in weedy areas.

One thing I would also recommend is matching it with an appropriate reel in the 500/1000 series.

I have a number of bargain ULs. There is good selection in town.

Le Baron currently has a good selection of Diawa Presso rods from 5 - 9 ft.

I was looking at sizes and was trying to figure out what might be a good choice.

I travel by bus to fish for some species so maybe a shorter rod would be better.

Thanks for the hint on the reel. It's something I forgot about

I use a 5 foot UL for all small fish including when in a boat and catching walleyes.
Lots of fun on UL and if you drag is good, it can handle very large pike.
David

After many discussion with Tim Allard last winter we both agreed on one thing. UL pannie rods are to light. Almost like small noodle rods that you would use for steelhead. I know Rj the crappie king around here uses a Gloomis rod, and I am sure he will share with you his knowledge on this subject. I ended up going with Fenwick Elite Tech River runner rods in 7'2 length and light action and I absolutely love these rods! Still super light with lots of action but not noodley like an UL. It all depends on what you want in the action of your rod and what price range you want to spend.

I agree some UL rods are more "noodley" than others. In this thread we are talking about UL rods from the perspective of the fish fight. Another aspect to UL fishing is the ability to cast jigs from 1/100th - 1/64th of an OZ effectively. Most UL rods are rated for lures and jigs to 1/4 OZ but you can easily get to 3/8 in most cases.

Noodle rods really help loading the rod for the small weights which gets you a better cast. I have 6'6" eagle claw which with is very "noodley" but the diawa presso for example is much stiffer.

I find the shorter rods to generally be generally more stiff. With "noodley"-ness setting in at the 6ft range in some brands and not others.

More precisely the noodle rods are a slow action rod with more of the lower parts of the rod blank bending with force. As mentioned above the Diawa presso is stiffer and has a faster action. Most fisherman are used to a faster action rod and do not feel as comfortable with a slow action rod. i find slow action rods are good for absorbing a powerful strike and like from a carp or a big bass allowing the rod to yield and take the force a bit more smoothly preventing the hook from getting pulled and loading the rod more evenly.

It all comes down to preference and need.....

Fenwicks and Rapala for my panfish sticks.

The Rapala F2 Ultra-light rods are by far my favorite. A few seasons ago I had Ed order in a few of these as all stores in town stocked only one model but here is a link to SAIL.

https://rapala.ca/products/f2-ultra-light-spinning-0

Have also found my crucial drop-shot rod to be an awesome slip-float rod too. A step up from an ultra-light rod but lots of back bone for long casts.

Andrew

Thanks for the suggestions. You've given me lots of suggestions.

I've never had a UL so I am excited to give one a go next year.