Hello all, Does anyone have any ice fishing blanks to reccomend. Possibly higher end blanks. Not the usual 3 dollar blanks that most carry.

Check out MHX....great stuff.

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Super Tight Lines......Don

Are you looking for anything specific Mike? ie Panfish, walleye, lakers...

Some of the very best in the country:

[www.thornebros.com]

Thanks for the response guys.
Andy basically all of the above. I havnt ice fished in about 10 years since that time I have taken up rod building. I am looking to get back out on the ice so I figured I might as well build up a few new rods. When I used to fish I just used the store bought and always thought they were cheaply made.
Roger, I know of thorne bros do you know what blanks they build on. Or are they there own.

Roger I do apologize. I just clicked on your link and it answered my questions. I see t hat they do have there own blanks. Do you have any idea of the maker. And have you ever built on them.

Roger I do apologize. I just clicked on your link and it answered my questions. I see t hat they do have there own blanks. Do you have any idea of the maker. And have you ever built on them.

Roger I do apologize. I just clicked on your link and it answered my questions. I see t hat they do have there own blanks. Do you have any idea of the maker. And have you ever built on them.

Roger I do apologize. I just clicked on your link and it answered my questions. I see t hat they do have there own blanks. Do you have any idea of the maker. And have you ever built on them.

Roger's post X2,

The technique specific options from Thorne Bros are quite extensive. I tried two a month ago (power noodle / inside rod and panfish sweetheart / outside rod) and was impressed by each. I gave them to my niece who has been fishing with them almost daily on their farm pond. I Built them using rec guides; one for a Symmetry 500 (panfish) and Frabill 241 (noodle). I felt each were better than anything I built in the past though admittedly, I don't build many ice rods compared to some builders.

They are a bit pricier than other options, but I feel you really get what you pay for considering you're buying a premium product.

Mike:

I really like the 2 solid graphite blanks from Jann's ($8.95), TBros does make a nice blank but agree with what others have said on the money, I've also gotten blanks from Ron at Schneiders and MHX too. One other source I've used is Sportsmans Direct.

Andy

Mike,
I only live a few miles from Thorne brothers and it was there that I was taught the rod building craft. Very nice folks who really bend over backward to do their best for their clients.

With respect to the ice rod blanks that they sell. Thorne brothers has many very die hard fishermen and fisherwomen. Over the years, they have accumulated hundreds of thousands of hours of both soft and hard water fishing. As they do their fishing, they are always thinking about the best rod for their particular rod needs.

Many years ago, the rod builders started with using fly rod tips for ice rod blanks. But then as time went by, they begin to use some of the solid blanks that were then available. But, many of the fishermen found that the blanks that they were receiving did not do the jobs that they wanted to do for them. So, the rod builders began to shape and grind the solid fiberglass and solid graphite blanks to meet both their needs, as well as the needs of ice fishing clients.

Eventually this business expanded to 50, then 100, then thousands of ice rods sold every year. In the early years, the builders at the shop took raw stock and ground and sanded the blanks to meet the needs of the clients. But as time went by, the builders came up with standard blanks, and then sent the specifications out to graphite and fiberglass suppliers. These folks would bid on bulk manufacture of the blanks, using specific materials and techniques to create the variety of various ice blanks that are now available from them.


The key with all of the blanks available from this supplier is that each blank has been created for a specific need and has been ground to a specific length, diameter and taper to meet those very specific requirements.

I believe that all of the graphite and fiberglass suppliers of these custom blanks are all U.S. Manufacturers.

Good luck
Roger

Roger Thank you. That is no doubt the better quality I was interested in. There site is also very helpful.

Mike,
Also check out some of these products.

I have purchased a number of their various products and all work very well.

[www.sportsmensdirect.com]

Roger

10X roger's comments. I also live a few miles from there. The blanks rock and you would be hard pressed to find a more knowledgeable crew on hard water. I have a few that I built and love them all. Nobody knows ice like folks from MN!

From another guy in Minnesota...Thorne Brothers.

If you fish for anything beyond panfish thru the ice, you need to get a real ice blank.


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Better to have and not need than to need and not have.

Thanks guys. Great stuff here. The thorne bros site ia great. They have a small video with all of there rods so I can get an idea of the action.
Roger that sportsman warehouse seems to have some pretty good options as well.

Mike,
Yes they do. By the way, the folks at sportsman warehouse are good friends with Thorne brothers folks and each store knows each other products very well.

Roger

Mike,
Mud Hole has both solid fiberglass and sold graphite blanks for sale. If you would like to email me some specifics I can tell you which ones my customers prefer for the application that you are looking for. The guides who use my rods that fish lake trout/salmon/borwn trout on the great lakes are having me remove specific lengths of the tip sections of the solid graphite blanks to get the lure action and lifting power that they want. Great blanks, build a bunch of them.

Buzz

Buzz, Thank you. I will email.