New Rod Suggestions

I was climbing up the bank of the river today and one of my rods got stuck on a tree. Turned my body and I heard it snap. It was a cheaper rod and I didn't like it anyway. Looking to buy a high grade panfish rod.

What are the current best rods on the market?

If you are passionate about panfishing and can appreciate a superb ultralight spinning rod developed for the sport then I would recommend a St Croix Legend Elite panfish spinning rod. “Vogey”, a rabid panfish angler on this forum, let me fish with his last year when out on the water. I had one within a week. Some things are worth the money although they seem spendy at first blush. This rod is exceptional in every way and a joy to fish with. Very light weight, superbly sensitive to the bite, and will handle bigger fish than you would think. I have watched Vogey catch a 6 pound black bass on 4 pound line with this rod. Also an 18 pound yellow cat. You run across these critters sometimes as “by catch” when panfishing. The rods have proven to be exceptionally strong and tough and we have used them a LOT. The 15 year Warranty was an important feature of this rod for me as I have broken rods before myself. If you break it, they will give you another. I called them twice to confirm this. All I can say is that if I lost this rod I would buy another one in a heartbeat. I’ve fished with some really good ultralight rods from Japan before I got this one. I did not expect this St Croix to put them in the shade when I first tried it. But it did. Good luck with whatever you get. I think you are making the right move to “go quality”.

However, if I have misinterpreted your post and by “quality” you mean unbreakable, then there is not tougher rod than a Shakespeare Ugly Stik and I used those for panfishing for years before I became a panfish nut. I still use them for catfishing.

I bought the Daiwa KAGE rod. High end as well but cheaper than the St.Croix. If I had my hands on the high end St.Croix or the Daiwa KAGE I would have probably spent the extra $100 and bought the St.Croix. I dont think I would have noticed the difference in fishability between the two but the KAGE is pencil thin at the rod tip. Easier to break if you are not careful how you store the rod etc. Also only has a 5 year warranty which they have already honored for me haha, instead of the 15 year for the St.Croix Elite. Know St.Croix does offer a nice panfish series rod for around $110 to $130. I got one of them in my boat as well. A very good rod but definitely not as good as the St. Croix Elite series or the Daiwa KAGE Ultralite rods. It has a 5 year warranty instead of 15 year.

Pflueger President Series Pan Fish Rod. Bass Pro. $79.98. Like mentioned above if you do not mind shelling out the extra cash the St. Croix by far is the best.

Trying to be.



Nope. You got it right. Like many other things in life having great tools makes a huge difference in the level of enjoyment . I don't mind spending the cash but I'm not looking forward to the scavenger hunt trying to find one in stock somewhere. Shipping is an option of course but I'm impatient. Want what I want and I want it now.



I'll look into the Diawa but I'm leaning towards the Elite Panfish rod.



I was surprised by the quality of Pflueger products and I love their closed face triggerspin reel. I'll check out this rod if they have it in stock. At that price it would make a good backup.

Nobody mentioned G.Loomis or Dobyns.

I have always been a big fan of the Ugly Stick by Shakespeare. You can get a complete 5' rod/reel combo for $40.00 at Academy. Love them and been using them for years.

Sure don't need to spend a whole bunch of money to enjoy panfishing. And, the cost of a rod or reel doesn't necessarily mean you're going to catch more fish. As to the value of the Ultra Light Ugly Stick, I don't know if you can ever beat the durability. Why, Chuck even closed the car door on mine the other day and it didn't even leave a scratch. I've seen him catch BIG Bass trash fish on his, with no trouble at all. They have a soft tip with plenty of back bone to handle the big ones. Course now them high dollar poles sure do look pretty. But I can buy a whole bunch of worms for the price of one.

If you are impatient call the "Tackle Trap" in Boaz Alabama. Just look up their web site and give them a call. They stock the St.Croix, Daiwa, G.Lomis and a couple of other brands in the higher end rods. You get your stuff within 3 or 4 days. I have bought high end stuff off of them for years.




Nope. You got it right. Like many other things in life having great tools makes a huge difference in the level of enjoyment . I don't mind spending the cash but I'm not looking forward to the scavenger hunt trying to find one in stock somewhere. Shipping is an option of course but I'm impatient. Want what I want and I want it now.

I sure thought I was going to be buying you a new Rod. Glad that was a Ugly Stick!

Well I got to spend my retirement money on something. Haha. Might as well be on fishing equipment.

No doubt about that. I'll catch just as few fish as I do with cheaper rods. But I've developed some tendonitis in my wrist. I'm hoping a much lighter setup will alleviate that. Plus I'll probably never have to buy another light rod like this. Long term it will cost less money overall.

So I see 3 models I'm considering. The 6', the 6'4", and the 6'9". Leaning towards the longest one even though it's not an ultra light. Pros and cons of various lengths?

My Legend Elite Panfish is 5’6”. It loads up and casts so well I wouldn’t change a thing. I would think the other lengths are just as well balanced. For me a 5’6” (or 6’ at the longest) is the most comfortable length, especially in a boat or tight bank fishing.

I am another fan of the Uglystick ultra light.

Me personally I like the 5'. A 5'6" to a 6' would work well also.

I was worried about casting distance with such a short rod. I like the portability of a short rod but I have trouble getting my bait where I want it. Perhaps I'll split the difference and stay around 6 foot.

Here is my 2 cents...The Ugly Stik is a really great rod...very durable & has great bend action with the fiberglass tip. But...after fishing with the St Croix Elite for the past year I will never go back except in an emergency. Just for the heck of it I used a Ugly Stik last week for about an hour for old time sake. The sensitivity to detect light strikes is about half as good with the Ugly stik & it just feels "heavy" when compared to the St Croix. If you are on a budget & want a very durable rod then the Ugly Stik will work just fine. As far as casting distance with the shorter rods I think the line you use is more important then the length of the rod. I don't have any problems casting 4 lb. test a pretty long way with the five & a half foot rods.