Ice Rod Recipes on Mud Hole TV: Fishing Hard Water

Temperatures are dropping, it won’t be long before first ice. Those of us who live for hard water fishing are beginning to grin as we prepare all of our gear for another great season.

We spend so many late nights tinkering with tackle in anticipation of the next frozen bite, why not take a closer look at our rods too?

Custom Ice Rods for This Fishing Season

Whether you’re over missing fish, or you really want to take the whole ice fishing experience to the next level, rod building is the key, and we’re happy to help. Get everything from rod blanks, reel seats, and grips, to guides, tip tops, and spring bobbers at everyone’s favorite one stop shop for custom rod building — Mud Hole Custom Tackle.

Mud Hole knows what you want. We work diligently to keep all the popular options in stock, but we also work hard to keep up with the latest innovative options for leading-edge anglers.

Choose rod components based on your needs in performance, style of fishing, and personal preferences. That’s right, this year it’s time to assemble the ice rods you really want and reap the rewards of custom rods built to pile up fish!

Ice Rod Recipe to Target Panfish

Welcome to the world of ice rod building, where your top priorities in performance are Mud Hole’s top priorities in service. Anglers walk on the ice each morning with high hopes and the rod recipes featured in this blog are designed to deliver and exceed those expectations.

Let's get started by catching some panfish!

The beauty of rod building goes beyond just the appeal of looks. This build was designed to use some familiar components from a fly rod to build a custom ice rod instead.

Inline reels are great for ice fishing and your smaller fly reels aren’t all that different. Borrowing a cigar cork grip along with the fly reel, this custom panfish rod is light, well-balanced, and super fun to fish, especially when targeting panfish!

Want to catch a pile? That’s where we come in!

Crappie, Bluegill, Perch – Beware of this build…

Try this Cork Grip and Fly Reel Combo

Check out the custom rod recipe below:

Lightweight and ready to reel, check out this combo for your next ice rod. Oh, and don’t forget to catch and release in the grease!

Ice Rod Recipes to Target Big Fish

Build this custom CIB-42-MHX rod blank into your favorite ice rod to catch trophy Walleye, Pike, and Musky!

The Ice Rod Built for Walleye, Pike, and Musky

Check out this custom build to easily handle trophy fish under the ice:

With this setup, you can really put the heat on fish like walleye, pike, and musky knowing that you brought the perfect custom rod to do it!

Mud Hole TV: Hard Water Fishing in Upstate Wisconsin

On this episode of Mud Hole TV, the crew heads to the frozen north of Wisconsin to test their wildly custom Ice Rod Builds on the hard water.

Meeting up with expert rod builder and instructor Buzz Butters, the gang heads out on the ice to try and land as many species as possible. Not to be out done, Buzz brings Vince Hytry, a renowned guide, angler and rod builder himself, to show the guys exactly how it’s done.

Will these Florida natives be able to withstand the elements and use their truly custom ice rods to land that trophy fish?

Northern Pike, bluegill, rock bass, perch, walleye, crappie... and MORE!

It's time to put our custom Ice Rod Recipes against the most sought after species under the ice.

Search the journal