# best perch rods?



## briney dave

hey guys, 
i have been very lucky to get asked on to a few perch trips already this year and as the season gears up, I am looking to up grade the rod. I am using a rod that is okay but I think a fast tip would be better?

suggestions brand wieght length tip action 

btw we were out yesterday near Kelly we did not limit but 4 of my perch were over 12" so not all bad


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## Kenlow1

I use a light action 5 1/2' or 6 ft rod with a medium taper. I think any rod will suffice but the more important issue is the line. I would recommend using Fire line or any braid if you fish 30 ft or deeper. IMO there is no comparison. I fish the Eastern basin: Fairport and Conny and water depth is 45-65 ft. Once you use braid you'll never go back to mono. Good luck on you perch trips, it is heatin up and will only get better weather permitting.


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## briney dave

i use braid and like it but not sure I like the medium action light wt rod I have


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## AxE216

Ugly stik, 5 1/2 ft. light action. Best perch rod ever!


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## My Demeyes

Ugly Stik Pro Graphite 5' one piece with braid, best I've used yet.


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## Misdirection

I am also out east, fish Ashtabula or Conneaut for perch. I use a medium action rod with 30 lbs braid. I load up with extra weight (it this a little deeper out here as Kenlow mentioned). But with the extra weight and the no stretch braid, you can feel them them pretty good. Plus you need that heavier action in case you latch into to a walleye or massive sheep head.

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## grub_man

Given a choice, I would look at a nice graphite rod 6'-7' with a 1/16-5/16 lure rating and ~6-10lb. line rating with a fast action. I use a Batson RX7 ISJ781 blank for this type of rod. On the rack, something similar would be a St. Croix Avid 6'6" Light power fast action rod. The rod will cast light lures well, and can be used to drop heavier weights down for fishing vertically.

Joe


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## PARK92

I use a 4'8" one piece ugly stik with 4 lb mono. Makes it extra fun when I hook into a sheep head.


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## spectrum

6-7' medium action with 20-30 lbs braid. Go with a lighter rod and you''l be pissed when a big smallie jumps out of the water and dives straight down and snaps your ultralight in half. Happened 14 years ago and I can still picture the entire incident.


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## spectrum

St. Croix premire are nice most have a good fast tip.


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## briney dave

I like the St Croix rods and do not like the ultra light or light for fish at 30+ feet deep even if they are small

the 13 inch fish had my rod bent almost in to which is more strain than I want to put on the rod but I do not want to miss bits from too heavy of a spine 

I think I will go with a high mod graphite rod medium wt with a fast tip 
I might look at the johny morris label rods as well 

sound okay??


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## RON MCFADDEN

I use a 4'8" ugly stick with 6# fireline, have caught a lot of real big sheethead and one walleye over 8# this spring.


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## briney dave

Thanks Ron, the family I am lucky enough to get out on the lake with are all ugly stick fans, the rods seem to fish well but I have never been a fan. I have to admit that its been many years since I have owned one but the rod just felt odd to me and I never got comfortable with it.

maybe I am over thinking it a bit but I don't think its an accident that some guys out fish everyone else on the same boat on the same school of perch 

when I switched to braid I got many hook ups that I had missed before and I think that the rod up grade is the other missing piece 

I fish so often with the graphite that I expect the same feel perch fishing. I know I can feel the difference between landing on grass bottoms verses leaves with an unweighted texas rig worm: so the switch to a fiberglass rod sort of makes me feel like I am fishing with gloves on or something. Just too disconnected with what is going on at the other end


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## grub_man

Briney,

May I ask what your current rod is?

With your current rod being more of a moderate action, it will feel a little noodly. Those types of rods generally don't have much power in the mid and butt sections, and if built with larger guides than needed will feel really whippy. The rods that truly have a fast action won't feel quite so whippy and won't be as apt to double over with a decent perch.

Also, after checking in on St. Croix's blanks, it looks like the light power may be a tad lighter than I thought, and I would look at their ML and M power blanks with a fast or even extra fast action for your needs.

The best advice is to stop in a place that has a nice selection of rods, if you can, and see what you like. There can be a bit of disparity between rods produced by different companies with similar action and power ratings.

With that said I think you are in the right ball park with the direction you are leaning, especially if you can find a BPS or Cabelas rod marked down that will fit the bill. I have a buddy that fishes their rods regularly, and they are nice. I just like the design control I get by building my own.

Joe


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## briney dave

I currently am using a 6' glass rod from Cabela's tourney line (its a few years old) It was a gift and did not get used much but I rigged it for perching because of the shorter length (thinking that would be better on a crowded boat or short tail boat)

it is too noodle like for my liking. Its not as bad as some rods are but it is just too soft to get the job done with that much water between me and the fish

its okay for small crank baits from shore as it slows the strike down just enough to get a good hook set rather than ripping too soon but it stunk as a worm rod with senkos and tube jigs as a light bassing rod 

I think I know what I am looking for now as suggestions helped me focus in on what it was that I really did not like about the current rod. its a bit too short and too too soft from the middle up. 

thanks very much too all who shared their thoughts


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## Misdirection

Gentlemen...the BEST perch rod is the one which has two 13 in jumbo's on it when you bring it up to the boat!

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## grub_man

Briney,

Have fun selecting your new rod!

Joe


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## Bhuff

Last few years I have tried using some of my inland rod and reel combos for perch out of Conny. Some of my crappie rods ( ultra light ugly sticks 5'- 5'.5 ) they were spooled with 6lb mono. They worked but, I could see that one of my buddies caught 4 to my 1. I chalked it up to him having more experience. Long story short... Last March I bought myself a birthday present. 6'0 medium-light St. Croix rod. Shimano reel (can't remember exactly which model) and 8lb nanofil line. Yes it is an expensive perch rig. 225.00$ but I outfish anybody that steps foot on the boat and my buddy's still say I'm cheating!!!


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## briney dave

Misdirection: you are so right 

bhuff we must be twins LOL
that is nearly exactly what I did: I took my favorite gill/panfish rod out: got spanked by the braid guys 

switched to braid and got better but still lagging 

I hate to spend that much but likely will 

thanks again guys


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## chaunc

I use a 7.5 ft Richard Williams crappie rod made by B&M, with a president reel loaded with 8lb nanofil braid and i can feel when my bait is missing. No lie. Ask Nicklesman. I let him use it last trip out. He slammed the perch with it. Thought he was gonna keep it.


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## Cajunsaugeye

Really,any quality rod will work.Its all about sensitivity.Casting isn't an issue,Strength isn't really an issue.A quality sensitive rod so you can feel the bite is all that is necessary.When I go perching,I just load up a couple of my smallmouth spinning rods.They're plenty sensitive and can also pull anything else up you may hook.Stiffer is more sensitive when it comes to rods.I would think my Shimano crucial drop shot rod would about be ideal.7'2" mh,light tip.Perfect.Flimsy crappie ugly stiks,etc, I think, loose too much feel to be good when there's much wave action at all.My. 02.

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## briney dave

two more rods to take a look at for sure!
I like my shimano reels but never really looked at their rods for what ever reason. I will now though


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## boss302

I use a 6'6" MLF St Croix, have also used a 6' lf St Croix and both work well. Both are custom built on sc3 blanks (premier series I think would be the factory equivalent ?) The 6'6" is my goto drifting rod and does both tasks fine. I also have a medium st croix and think its a bit stiff. 

I've tried braid in the past but just use mono. With the braid, on an older decent medium fast rod, I found I felt too much and over reacted... missing the fish. With mono and a quality rod I can still sense them and hook up with more. Dad switched from a fairly stiff medium rod to a light fast St Croix and keeps up better.

Oh, and, I am a "tip watcher" on a light bite when they just seem to be there/ or your bait just falls off.... you may not feel the weight right away but you'll see the minute difference...can't say that with a stiff rod. I grew up using a 6'6" super soft tip medium rod (1980's shakesphere alpha) and learned to read the rod as much as or more than feeling the bite

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## briney dave

Boss, I think you exposed it perfectly: its what you are most accustom to. I am a feel guy as most of my fishing is bass fishing with texas rig worms, jigs, and crank baits. I don't watch the tip much if at all: that is total feel fishing

I will miss a few bites, but I don't get to perch fish more than a few times a year on a good year so it would be very difficult to learn to be a tip watcher well enough to out fish how I am right now

so for me I think I would be better served with a carbon rod and the fast tip and minimal stretching braid line.

trying to feel for bites with a soft rod and stretchy line means I miss every guy that does not all but swallow the hook lol

last weekend there were 6-10 times that I was cleaned without feeling anything at all but the lake was also choppy and I don't have the greatest sea legs so I lost contact with the bait on a few rolls 

also missed bites that I felt but think that number will be reduced somewhat by the faster tip rod 

good equipment does not beat experienced hands and I am not trying to out fish anyone: As a matter of fact I am sure there are boat loads of guys that can out fish me with a snoopy pole and Kmart brand mono 

buying a better rod is just for me to enjoy the few trips I am lucky enough to be a part of even more than I already do which is really saying something as I treasure my time on the water as it is.

bottom line is I love zapping the little strip siders and love eating them even more 

tight lines brothers


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## creekcrawler

The best perch rod -

http://www.ohiogamefishing.com/community/showthread.php?t=205708


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