The ice fishing season is getting closer every day, and many of us are checking our equipment to see if we need or want to fish on the ice when the ice comes back. I looked at my popsicle and realized that there are a few moves that need to be added to my arsenal. 

Although I have done a lot of ice fishing over the years, there must be many people more experienced than me. Some of them are good friends, and I was fortunate to share an igloo with them. I decided to contact some of them to see if they could provide guidance on which fishing rod is best for me. This is what I learned. 

My first call was John Crane. He is one of the best bait designers in the fishing industry. Most of us have used bait made by JC. As a bait designer, JC fishes on ice for all kinds of fish and uses a variety of techniques. The material used in the structure of the fishing rod determines how the bait reacts in fishing situations. 

Popsicles are made of glass fiber, graphite or boron. Graphite and boron rods are more sensitive, but according to JC, the main attraction to them is that they make the bait more responsive. The slight trembling of the tip of the fishing rod caused the bait below to tremble. 

Glass fiber is not so sensitive. It requires more tip movement to give the bait more movement. However, fiberglass is more suitable for dead fishing because of its softer effect, that is, the angler uses one fishing rod to show the bait, and the other fishing rod, the dead fishing rod, is placed in a nearby hole. The softer tip of the dead rod prevents resistance from biting the fish, so it can hang for longer, giving anglers a chance to grab the rod and set the hook. 

Last year JC used the scepter carbon rod that met all his needs. This is a higher-end fishing rod, but avid ice anglers will appreciate its properties. 

Laef Lundbeck lives in the Great Lakes region of northwestern Iowa. He is busy with his fishing guide business, when he does not have a guide, he just goes fishing. Laef has a lot of ice fishing rods, but he said that if he is limited to one pair, he wants to ensure that he has a medium-speed fishing rod with a spring float. This action is suitable for leukoplakia, but the spring float will also show the gentle impact of pan-fish. 

Laef fished in places where the wind often blows, and he often moves from hole to hole. Many times, he was fishing standing up. Because of this method of fishing, he likes longer fishing rods so that he can bring the tip closer to the wind tunnel, and the wind has little effect on it. 

Matt Johnson is an insider in the ice fishing industry. When it comes to ice fishing equipment trends, Matt knows what is going on, he knows what is going on, and he knows very well what will happen to the equipment we will use. 

Matt said that the fishing rods we use now are much longer than not far in the past. Most are in the size range of 28 to 32 inches, and this trend is even longer, mainly for reasons mentioned by Laef. 

According to Matt, softer cues are also a trend. Seeing being bitten is more important than feeling bitten, and a softer tip and longer fishing rod enable anglers to do just that. If the angler is looking for a length that will work well in most situations, then 30 inches or so is a good starting point. 

So, with all of this in mind, I did more research and search, and decided to add a few Sceptre rods to my ice fishing arsenal. They are made of graphite, are versatile and affordable, and are highly recommended. Now I just need to put some ice in the pond to try it out.