Hi Guys,
Im new to this board and am looking for advice. Ive tried searching previous threads but have not been able to find what I'm after. I have been asked to build a ice rod for a client for walleye. I am from Northern British Columbia and have never fished walleye so I have no bases to go on.

So my question is what is a good ice blank or rod blank I can cut down to 28-30 inches for walleye?

Thanks

how is he going to fish it with jigs or swimming jigs like the jigging rapalas and spoons that will give you some place to start and what power it will /should have to work best and will it be spinning reel or level wind casting reel those are things you need to get from your customer and info needed to give you sound suggestions for the build

The best day to be alive is always tomorrow !!
Think out side the box when all else fails !!!
Wi.

Chad,
If you want to send me a message to my private e-mail, I can answer a lot of your questions. I have built a huge number of walleye ice fishing rods over the years and can point you in the right direction.

hflier@comcast.net

But, a couple of points.
I stopped using conventional blanks many years ago. Tubular blanks in the lengths and size needed for ice fishing rods end up being too fragile and break too easily in the cold temperatures and the small sizes of the rods.
Rather, I use ONLY solid fiberglass or Graphite blanks for all of the ice rods that I build.
For many ice fishing applications, I much prefer the use of a fiberglass blank due to their softer nature, and their ability to have a softer tip due to their fiberglass construction.
But, if jigging, then I prefer the use of a graphite blank.

For many reasons, I much prefer the use of a solid cork grip with no reel seat on these rods. Then, I use tape to tape the reel onto the rod. Not only does this make for a lighter overall rod, it also makes for a warmer rod. Nothing like being outside in - temps and grab a rod that has a metal or nylon reel seat and you end up with frost bite on your hand. In contrast, picking up the rod with a taped on reel is much much warmer and just very comfortable over the long day on the ice.

Also, don't discount the idea of just picking up an ice fishing rod to use as an example. Also, there are several suppliers on ice rod blanks and other components.

Take care
Roger

Honestly Mathew I can ask him those questions after I narrow down a blank to build on. He's only taken up ice fishing in the last year seriously so I don't think he even know what he wants other then he like to fish with good stuff.

Ok I get the picture now here is where I get my Ice specialty blanks from they are tubular fiberglass and work as well and better than graphite in cold weather I live in WI. and build for a lot of people here and in the surrounding states like ND.,SD .MN., MI. they have been return customers and like the product constructed on fiber glass as vs graphite .
the link below is my source for blanks and they are one of our sponsors and have a good product and all the parts you would need .
Have any more questions you can e mail me also as mine isn't hidden

[www.jannsnetcraft.com]
happy building

The best day to be alive is always tomorrow !!
Think out side the box when all else fails !!!
Wi.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/15/2017 12:19AM by Matthew Paul.

Nothing at all wrong with graphite in cold weather so long as your customer takes care of his gear. The only ice rods I've ever broken were when they were thrown haphazardly into a bucket with a bunch of other misc. gear and transported across rough ice. I did lose a few in a car accident too, glass and graphite models. Another thing to consider, all walleye are not created equal. Big water can produce fish that regularly weigh in the double digits and push the 3' mark. Smaller inland lakes a 5lb. fish is a real trophy.

We would like to mention that we have tubular and solid ice rod kits and blanks available in a variety of styles and lengths.

You can see our ice rod kits here:
[www.mudhole.com]

You can see out ice rod blanks here:
[www.mudhole.com]

Thanks - happy builds!

Regards.
Team Mud Hole Custom Tackle
Web: [www.mudhole.com]
Email: sales@mudhole.com
Toll Free Phone #: 1-866-790-RODS (7637)

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If he wants a good finesse walleye blank go with the MHX quiverstick - very, very light and sensitive with an extra fast action and will handle up to about a 1/8oz jig with with decent control
If you want a little heavier power look into the graphite extreme taper blanks that SDI offers [sportsmensdirect.com]
This blank has a ton of backbone, great sensitivity and a fast action - excellent all around walleye blank with good lure control for up to about a 1/4oz max. It would work very well for rippin raps and jigging raps, plus larger jigs

Both of these blanks can be used out of the box with no sanding to fill the range of walleye fishing