The Best Little Glass Panfish Rods Outside Texas
OutdoorHub 09.22.14
In almost imperceptible motion, the spring bobber dips and rises like a single blade of grass in the breeze. Below the frozen veneer, in response to the prick of a miniscule jighook, a broad-shouldered bluegill kicks, contorts and curls in mad motion before sliding into the palm of a gloved hand.
For such persnickety panfish bites and a thousand others across the ice belt, the simple spring bobber is, for all intents and purposes, a fishing rod’s conduit—the sensitive section that transmits bites into bent rods. Beyond that, into the rod’s tip, midsection and butt, one could argue that a perfect parabolic bend plays right into the hands of fishers of tiny lures and wispy lines.
It’s an angling connection made naturally by the rod masters at St. Croix, who recently melded a strike indicator directly into the blank of their new breed of ice wand, the exclusive Avid Glass Ice series. The first ultra premium glass ice rods built for panfish, these sweet little sticks fish like no other fiberglass ice fishing tool in existence.
Specialized strike-indicator tips work dainty ice jigs with precision, while uncharacteristically light glass blanks yield effortlessly to the slightest takes by selective sunfish, crappies and other light biters. Into the handle, supremely sensitive carbon grips amp up sensitivity and comfort quotients to the max.
Made in the U.S.A. (with foreign and domestic components), Avid Glass Ice rods gift anglers with Xtreme-Flex solid fiberglass blanks that bend seamlessly throughout their length, protecting the lightest lines from excess strain and stress. Premium Kigan stripper guides and lightweight, low-profile running guides direct line flow straight from fish lips to your fingertips. The result is an ice tool quite unlike any previous glass rod on the market, and certainly a galaxy away from the swarms of cheap glass sticks overrunning the racks.
“Avid Glass Ice rods are easy to use and very effective,” says Jeff Schluter, St. Croix Rods V.P. of Brand Management. “Rather than relying on a built-in or after-market spring bobber, these rods have the spring bobber built in to our Xtreme-Flex solid glass blank. Knowing many ice anglers prefer this style of rod, St. Croix decided to build a better version of it. Our carbon handle offers improved sensitivity over cork or EVA, and the bright orange tip makes it easy on the eyes for seeing strikes.”
Creators of the ice industry’s only patented spring bobber rod and holders of numerous exclusive fishing rod technologies, St. Croix proudly offers three new Avid Glass Ice models, light power 26-, 30- and 34-inch rods, each retailing for $50.
Contact
Noel Vick
Traditions Media, LLC
612.708.7339
noel@traditionsmedia.com
