Be Ready for Hard Water

Sep 19, 2024

By Chris Adams

While the temperature is still in the 90’s here in Florida, I am already hearing rumblings of people ordering their ice fishing supplies. Yes, I will admit, I am looking forward to cooler temperatures, but I have never wished for our waterways to freeze!

For those that have not been ice fishing, it is fun, challenging and I was surprised how much I enjoyed it. From choosing a lake, to drilling the holes and setting up with the old school flashers, it was fun. There is a certain camaraderie about it and you can have a good sized group since you aren’t restricted by boat size. I was lucky because we got to have Buzz Butters along on the trip. Not only is he a great rod builder and fisherman but he is a blast to be around and has some great stories.

I wanted to get this blog down so if you haven’t been ice fishing or built an ice fishing rod, you have time to get everything completed before the ice is safe to fish.

Let’s start with the most underrated deal in ice fishing. That is the All-In-One Ice Rod Kit here at Mud Hole. Notice I say in “ice fishing” and not just rod building. My reasoning behind my choice of words is I see many ice fisherman turn into rod builders. Maybe it is just in their nature or their geographical location giving them access to awesome basement workshops!

Why the All-In-One Ice Kit?

You get three ice rods. In no other kit do you get all the tools, supplies, and equipment PLUS three rods to build. I saw first-hand how having multiple setups is very helpful and efficient on the ice. It is very similar to bass fishing where the angler has very specific rods and reels for a particular lure or technique.

A few unique parts to this kit is the part #IRHT. It might not seem special and is often overlooked, but the IRHT is a 10-inch fiberglass rod handle mounting tube. This provides a uniform and rigid handle section to mount your reel seat and grips before transferring this tube to the ice rod blank. It began as a way to stiffen the handle section of the delicate ice blanks to protect the cork from flexing and cracking while under load. Although that continues to be its main purpose, it can also aid in adding length to a particular ice blank when mounting the handle. This allows you to add an extra custom touch when building our your ice rod quiver.

Ice Rod Blanks

One of the more tricky aspects of building your first ice rod is choosing your rod blank. This is another reason why we recommend the All-In-One Kit to start. I am going to walk your through some various blanks and the common techniques for each one.

Starting with the rod blanks that come in the All-In-One Ice Rod Kit, you get a solid carbon and two fiberglass rod blanks.

The FIB-26UL is known as an excellent panfish power noodle and this blank boasts a super soft, brightly colored tip for effortless bite detection, eliminating the need for spring bobbers. This 26" ice blank also packs substantial power in its base and is preferred for small tungsten jigs tipped with plastics and live grubs. Additionally, the solid fiberglass construction ensures exceptional durability, even in the harshest weather conditions, without compromising performance in the slightest.

CIB-28UL-MHX Rod Specs: 28″ | 1-4 lb. | Fast Action | Ultra Light Power | 2.5 Tip | 0.128 Butt
The CIB-28UL is crafted to serve as the perfect rod for panfish, crappie, and deep water perch - this blank is highly versatile. It is perfect for small spoons and micro jigging raps. Traditional "line watchers" love this blank and its unmatched mixture of power and finesse.

PPN-36 Rod Specs: 36″ | 1-4 lb. | X-Fast Action | Light Power | 1 Piece | 2.5 Tip | 0.190 Butt
The PPN-36 is one of the best selling ice rod blanks of all time. It is our go-to blank for panfish, crappie and any other situations where we need light bite detection. This solid fiberglass blank offers a super soft tip that gives anglers an edge when the fish get finick. But when it is time to set the hook, there's no need to hold back.

Big Fish Ice Rod Blank

I will admit I wasn't planning on catching something big when we went ice fishing. I know we were targeting panfish and perch but I was in for a surprise when our team showed up with live shiners on the last day of our trip. The bait bucket looked like something out of a Florida largemouth guide trip. I paused and then it hit me, "Are we going to fish for a northern today?". The guys laughed and just nodded.

It was awesome. We set tip-ups in a number of different holes around the ice and also continued to fish our light gear for panfish. The first one to go flag up was the CIB-42-MHX and needless the say, I won the race to the rod.

These are workhorse blanks for walleye, white bass, trout, and northern pike. They can jig larger ice jigs, spoons and up to a #7 jigging rap. Between the CIB-42 and its lighter brother the CIB-42L, you have two carbon blanks needed for jigging gamefish with a variety of spoons, jigs, and blade baits.

Rod Recipe for Northern Pike

We know how much our readers love a good rod recipe so check this On-the-Ice Rod Recipe with the CIB-42-MHX

So, now that you have the basics, start building to be ready for hard water this coming winter!

Be Ready for Hard Water

Why the All-In-One Ice Kit?

Ice Rod Blanks

Big Fish Ice Rod Blank

Rod Recipe for Northern Pike

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