Best Ice Fishing Rods of 2024

Your rod is your main tool when it comes to fishing. Selecting the right ice fishing rod is very important for your success and is not something that should be overlooked.

In this guide, we go over the best ice fishing rods for several popular fish species and types of fishing.

Shakespeare Ugly Stik GX2 Ice Fishing Reel & Rod Combo – The Best Ice Fishing Rod & Reel Combo

Pros

• Inexpensive
• Multiple lengths and powers
• Comes with rod and reel

Cons

• Rod tip is susceptible to breaking if you’re not careful
• The reel could be better

Overview

The Shakespeare Ugly Stik GX2 Ice Fishing Reel & Rod Combo is one of the most popular rods/combos on the market, and for good reason.

It’s very inexpensive for what you’re getting. The rod tip has great sensitivity paired with a strong backbone, capable of bringing in most species of fish.

It’s a great all around rod for many types of species of fish, and comes in several lengths and power options.

If you’re a beginner, or just want a great inexpensive ice fishing rod and reel combo, the Shakespeare Ugly Stik GX2 is a solid option.

13 Fishing Tickle Stick – Highest Rated Ice Fishing Rod

Pros

• Flat rod tip increases hook sets and increases ability to detect strikes
• Multiple lengths and powers
• High visibility tip

Cons

• The earlier generations have guides that are a little small and may freeze up

Overview

The 13 Fishing Tickle Stick is a great multi-species rod with great sensitivity, bend and a strong backbone. Perfect for catching panfish, trout, walleye and even pike.

The rod is made with PC2 linear fibers, allowing for the industries first flat tip ice rod. The flat tip increases your hook sets and increases ascending and descending strike detection.

The flat rod tip is so sensitive that that 13 Fishing says it makes spring bobbers obsolete.

St. Croix Legend Black Ice Fishing Rod – Best Ice Fishing Rod for Panfish

Pros

• Built in strike indicator
• 1 year warranty
• Multiple lengths and powers

Cons

• Replacement spring bobbers are a bit pricey

Overview

The St. Croix Legend Black Ice Fishing Rod is perfect for catching panfish. It comes with a fully adjustable/interchangeable stainless steel spring bobber, which is perfect for detecting the lightest of bites.

While you can buy spring bobbers and put them on any rod, St. Croix makes it super easy and convenient with the built in spring bobber on the Legend Black Ice.

It comes in ultra-light, light, medium-light and medium, so you have a wide variety of power options to choose from.

Berkley Cherrywood HD Ice Fishing Rod – Best Ice Fishing Rod for the Money

Pros

• Inexpensive
• Great for panfish or other small fish
• Excellent sensitivity and bend with a solid backbone

Cons

• Reel seat is a bit flimsy and you might need to use tape to fully secure your reel

Overview

The Berkley Cherrywood HD Ice Fishing Rod is a great, inexpensive and light rod that is perfect for beginners and for catching panfish and other small fish.

This rod comes in several short lengths, making it ideal for fishing in small ice fishing shelters and is easy to store and travel with.

The Berkley Cherrywood HD is one of the most inexpensive rods on the market. And it’s made by Berkley, so you know you can count on it being a quality rod.

Clam Dave Genz Split Handle Rod – Best Ice Fishing Rod for Big Fish like Pike and Lake Trout

Pros

• Comes in a variety of heavier actions and longer lengths
• Great for jigging heavier lures
• Durable rod with strong backbone and fast action tip
• Split-grip handle

Cons

• The rod tip is not great at detecting light bites, so you’ll need a spring bobber when targeting smaller fish

Overview

The Dave Genz Split Handle Rod was designed by Dave Genz aka Mr. Ice Fishing.

This rod is excellent for targeting big fish. Because it comes in lengths ranging from 28 to 40 inches, it can easily be used inside your ice fishing shelter or standing up outside.

It comes with a split handle rod, which isn’t very common among ice rods. This helps to cut weight, can offer better control, feel and balance.

If you’re looking for a heavier rod at a great price, you can’t go wrong with the Dave Genz Split Handle Rod.

Clam Dead Meat Rod

Pros

• Comes in longer lengths, great for fishing standing up
• Hi-vis tip
• Highly sensitive tip with solid backbone
• Split-grip handle

Cons

• No reel seat, comes with four bands to hold the reel down
• Only comes in medium power

Overview

The Clam Dead Meat rod was designed by Jason Mitchell and was made for the anger that likes to stand up while fishing, coming in lengths up to 48 inches

It has one of the most sensitive rod tips we’ve ever seen, and is almost as good as using a spring bobber. The rod tip is also hi-vis, which is a plus.

The Dead Meat rod only comes in medium power, but with the highly sensitive rod tip, it is still great for catching panfish and other small fish, as well as larger trout and walleye.

This rod doesn’t have a reel seat, but comes with heavy duty rubber bands to hold the reel in place.

13 Fishing Widow Maker Evolve Reel Seat

Pros

• Sensitive tip with strong backbone
• Lightweight and balanced
• Great all around rod capable of catching small and big fish

Cons

• A little on the pricey side

The Widow Maker Evolve Reel Seat is 13 Fishing’s top end ice fishing rod. You can tell when you pick it up that it’s a high quality rod.

It’s great for a variety of fish and comes in four different powers.

That said, it’s a fairly expensive rod. But if you have a little extra money to spare, we highly recommend this rod.

Fenwick HMG Ice Fishing Spinning Rod

Pros

• High quality rod
• Sensitive with a decent backbone
• Great for catching small to medium fish, can handle large fish too

Cons

• Some anglers have reported it has less of a backbone than expected. If you’re looking at catching fish on the bigger side, you might want to go with something else.

Overview

The Fenwick HMG Ice Fishing Spinning Rod is a great, high quality rod for small to medium fish. It’s priced a little higher than other ice fishing rods on the market, but it’s also got a higher quality feel than other rods.

It comes in a variety of lengths, which we like, but only comes in Medium-light, Medium and Medium-heavy, which can be a limiting factor for some anglers.

If you’re looking to target small to medium sized fish, the Fenwick HMG Ice Fishing Spinning Rod is a great option to consider.

St. Croix Mojo Series Ice Fishing Rod

Pros

• Comes in short and longer lengths so you can fish sitting or standing up
• 6 different powers
• Split-grip handle

Cons

• A little more expensive than other rods

Overview

The St. Croix Mojo Series Ice Rod is one of the most popular ice fishing rods. And for good reason. It’s a high quality rod that you’d expect from a company like St. Croix.

It comes in a wide variety of lengths and powers, making the Mojo Series Ice Rods ideal for any type of fish species. From panfish, trout and walleye to pike, muskie and lake trout, these rods can do it all.

How to Choose the Best Ice Fishing Rod

There are several important factors to consider when choosing the best ice fishing rod. Things like length, material, power, and action are all things to look at when deciding which rod to get.

Sure, you can catch just about any fish with any type of rod, but selecting the right rod for the type of fish you’re targeting will make a big difference. Below we’ll go over the most important things to consider when choosing an ice fishing rod.

Size

Selecting the right length of rod matters. Especially if you are fishing inside of an ice fishing shelter. Unless you’re fishing alone inside of a large 6 man tent, you’ll want something on the shorter side, usually 30 inches and under.

Shorter ice fishing rods are perfect for fishing in a seated position, inside of a tent. If this sounds like you, look for something short.

Longer ice fishing rods are great for those fishing outside of a tent or targeting big fish. Long rods allow you to stand up fully without crouching over, are better for targeting big fish, set the hook better, and can offer better control.

However, trying to fish with a long rod inside of a shelter can be frustrating and near impossible. Hitting the sides and roof of your shelter when setting a hook is problematic and willl result in less fish caught. You could also damage the shelter or your rod.

Material

Ice fishing rods are typically made from either fiberglass or graphite. 

Typically, fiberglass rods will be your lighter and less expensive rods. They’ll have more bend throughout the rod and you can more easily see when a fish bites your lure.

Graphite on the other hand, is typically used for more heavy duty fishing applications and the bend is moreso just at the tip.

Graphite ice fishing rods are perfect for fisherman that like to jig heavylures, and target larger fish. They can better set the hook since they are stiffer than fiberglass.

Because graphite rods don’t have much bend at the tip, they are not ideal for deadstick style fishing, unless you use a spring bobber.

Power

Ever wondered what ultra-light, light, medium, and heavy mean? This basically just means how “bendable” the rod is. Ultra-light rods are flimsy and are easily bent. Light, are still easy to bend but a little stiffer than ultra-light. Medium can be pretty tough to bend, and heavy are very hard to bend.
Choosing which power depends on the type and size of fish you’re going after, as well as what type of lures you fish and your fishing style. While you can definitely catch big fish on ultra-light rods, it will be easier with a medium or heavy rod, and you won’t have to worry about snapping the rod in half.

Choose ultra-light or light for smaller fish, or for deadsticking or jigging tiny lures.

Choose medium for bigger fish, or for jigging medium to heavy lures.

Choose heavy only if you’re targeting monster fish or using very heavy lures.

There is a common misconception that bigger rods are always better, but that’s not usually the case. Lower powered rods really allow you to feel the bite better, and feel your lure in the water. 

Action

Slow, medium or fast action. Which is best? Action refers to where the rod bends when a fish is on your line.

• Fast-action: bends at the tip
• Medium-action: bends to the middle 
• Slow-action: bends to the bottom of the handle

Most ice fishing anglers will want to choose medium or fast action. Medium and fast allow you to better see and feel when you’re getting a bite.

Slow action does not let you feel or see bites as easily and is not usually recommended for ice fishing.

Reel Seat

Many ice fishing rods do not come with a reel seat, which means you have to tape the reel onto the rod. This can be a hassle, especially if you like to swap rods and reels, and can affect your performance if you don’t know what you’re doing.

If you’re a beginner, or don’t care to mess with taping your reel to your rod, look for rods that have reel seats, as they typically feel more sturdy and all you have to do is simply place your reel within the seat and tighten it down.

There are some anglers that are picky about reel placement and will want to go without the reel seat for fully customizable placement to get a more balanced rod. 

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best ice fishing rod for walleye?

When fishing for walleye, you want a rod that is sensitive enough to detect light bites, but strong enough to handle a big fish. A medium power / fast action rod would be an excellent choice for a walleye ice fishing rod.

What is the best ice fishing rod for panfish like perch or crappie?

Because panfish are so small and often bite very light, an ultra-light or light rod with fast action is generally the best option. If you’re strictly targeting panfish, the ultra-light would be best, but if there’s a chance of catching bigger fish go with a light rod.

The St. Croix Legend Black Ice Fishing Rod is an excellent choice for panfish. It comes with a built in spring bobber to detect the lightest of bites.

What is the best ice fishing rod for big fish like pike, lake trout, and muskie?

Bigger fish require stronger and longer rods. Go with a medium or heavy rod with fast-action for fish like pike, muskie, or lake trout. Aim for a rod on the longer side, as this will help you get a better hook set and offer better control.