Best Ice Stick For Walleyes On LOTWs????

[Gissert]

More stuff on the Rock N Reel? OK - First of credit must be given to T-Bone, the inventor who also happens to be my brother. There are many copies out there, but the original works best due to outright simplicity.

First thing - take your bobber off and put it in your pocket. Bobbers still have a place in my tacklebox, but not so much when I fish LOW.

The upright arm has a horizontal peg, on which your rod will rest. I like to mount my reel so the reel mount is right behind the peg and the rod will hang with nuetral balance.

All you have to do now is let your jig/minnow down the hole, setting the desired depth with your flasher. Once that is done, I like to pull the transducer back out.

Rod choice plays an important part here. A nice soft tip that has a good backbone towards the rod butt works the best. The minnow should be able to be seen working the tip.

Now when a fish bites, the rod tip will start to dip down. If it is an agressive fish, it is obvious. If he bite is light, the indication will be a bit more subtle. Pick the rod off the peg, being careful not to put any tension on the line. Open the bail and watch for the line to play out. Here is the moment of truth - deciding when to set the hook. I like to watch for the line to stop playing out. Once you hook the fish, the fight is on like any other rod and reel combo.

The nuetral balance point is important, more so when targeting crappies. Often, crappies will feed up. When they take the bait, a strike indication will sometimes be a rising tip. With crappies, I tend to set the hook quicker than I would a walleye.

There have been some question over the years akin to "What happens when a really big fish grabs the rig? Does not the whole thing go down the hole?"

I suppose it could happen, but I have never seen it happen. One of the first years I was using the Rock n Reel, I had a 36 inch pike grab my jig. I was in a perm shack off Little Oak. The Rock n Reel slid across the floor, and got caught in the 10 inch hole. The upright arm prevented the rod from going down the hole. In fact, the rod never came off the peg. It just stayed there while the drag let the fish peel off the line. I grabbed the pole, pulled the Rock and Reel out of the way and the fight was on.

Last March, I was in my portable off Rabbit Ears, and a 41 inch pike grabbed my jig and took off. The Rock n Reel never moved, and the rod just pumped up and down as the fish peeled of the line.

As Frank will testify to - we often do pretty good when the bite is tough. High pressure, clear skies and no wind is usually a sign that the fishing will be difficult. On these days, the Rock n Reel presentation will outperform active jigging by a big margin.

[WallEYES]

Well said Gissert! Have a great New Years everyone

[DSmith]

Ok, where do you get the Rock N Reel? Is it available on line or is it special order? Super replies from the thread on Ice Fishing Rods. I now have a better idea of what I want.

[Illinois Dennis]

Wonder if ole Frank would take orders for those visiting him this year and get them all in so they would be there for us. Maybe even a few "rental" units???

[DSmith]

Good idea!! Frank, what do you think about getting these in for us?

[Frank Walsh]

We will have to ask Gissert if they still have any available.

Well????????????????????????????????

[Gissert]

You'd have to ask T-Bone. I dont think he has made any for a while. I'll give him a shout and point him to this thread.