HOA pond is loaded with gills. I would like to use something other than my kids old Zebco beginner rod and reals. I like Pflueger. What's your favorite.

Shakespeare Ugly Stick Ultralight Combo!


Side Note: Baited with the Bait of Champions! Worms.

Pfleuger President in size 20 or 25

5.5 or 6 foot ultralight spinning rod of your choice.

6 lb clear mono or fluorocarbon line.

Sunfish are a LOT of fun on light gear !

Can't beat a Pfleuger Pres for price/quality, I have two. Just me, but I would stick with a 20. A 25 would seem a little large to me. A 20 is a real pleasure for bluegill.

I would also suggest the ugly stick or my favorite the eagle claw uxl glass rods. Reel would also go with the Pflueger or a the little Lew's crappie reel.

I’ve been doing well with my President XT and St Croix Panfish combo. My reel is size 25 and my rod is a 6’9” UL power F action. I also have a 7’ L power XF action that I pair with the same size reel. If you are gonna go with the size 20, be careful. The tiny spool and the memory of monofilament will give you the blues in my experience. I really like super lines and braid for my UL fishing.

My favorite ultra lite is a Quantum Iron 6' 6" light 1/32 to 1/4 oz lures with a Quantum Micro -00 reel. Casts like a dream and has handled trout, panfish, and bass up to 6 lbs.

second favorite is a Walmart Shakespeare Micro Series rod ($23 @ Walmart) with a Bass Pro Extreme reel EX20FH. I fill both with 4# Stren Original Clear blue line and have had no problems.

I’ve seen Shakespeare Micro ultralight rods at Walmart for $15 and and Pflueger Trion 20 there for $30. Can’t beat it for the price.

I have a St. Croix Premier ultralight with a Shimano 500 size reel and it is top notch, but you would be looking at about $150 for a rod like that. It’s worth it if you are willing to spend that much.

Since you like Pflueger reels, 20 or 25 size is ideal for an ultralight rod. I have a President reel on one of my other rods, for $60 it’s great value for the money. 10 bearings, smooth reeling, and the handle threads directly into the gear, an option which you don’t get on Shimano unless you spend at least around $150 or so.

St. Croix Panfish Series and Triumph series rods are about $100 give or take, Falcon and Fenwick rods seem decent and would be worth considering. The Bass Pro and Cabelas house brand rods are actually good quality too. I think they range from $35-70 for the more affordable graphite rod options they sell (BPS graphite series, Cabelas Fish Eagle).

I use the $25 5’6” Mr Crappie spinning combo. Works great for pretty much all panfish and Catching small bass are blast on it also.

This!

Honestly, a spinning rod built from a 7 wt fly rod blank.

Do not target sunfish but form what I read in this section all of the replies have my vote!

I do not like Okuma reels, but the Okuma SST 6.6 ft. is the best UL rod I ever used. Can fling a light lure much farther than with the typical 5-ft. UL rod. I use it for trout and sunfish, with 4lb. line.

The Pfleuger presidents are good reels but I recently bought the new model shimano sienna 1000 ($30-35) for my boys and think they outperform the pfleugs. There is a 500 size but the wider spool of the 1k casts a 1/32 jig twice as far. Have 5'6" UL ugly sticks for the boys as those things are pretty much unbreakable and have mine matched to a 6'6" daiwa laguna UL ($35-40); its probably the best low cost rig I've ever owned. Not much cover in our ponds here in scottsdale, az so we use 4lb test. Good luck and have fun.