Baitcasting ice fishing rod?

[Jeff Soto]

Anyone know where I can get an "ice fishing rod" for a small baitcasting reel?  I have an old Shimano Bantam 100 that I am filling with 4 pound test mono to use as a short jigging panfish rod here in our deep California lakes while I fish from a float tube.

[Dwayne Denison]

Jeff, How about the short rods made for shooting docks?

[Jeff Soto]

Those might be ok, but I want a very light "ultralight" rod for jigging tiny jigs and spoons on a 2 lb test leader.  I don't want a "bass" rod.   Don't ice fishermen ever use small spincast reels?

[Tony Livingston]

Sure they do. I'm sorry Jeff, I don't quite understand.....can't you just order an ice fishing rod from BassPro or Cabela's? I've seen ice rods from 16" up to 3' or so, depending on the species, you should be able to get exactly what you want.

I have a couple 18", and a couple of 22"'s...They are made just like a full size spinning rod, reel seat and all, just shorter! You can also find them with Tennessee handles, where you tape the reel on.

[Rick King]

Jeff, when I grew up Ice fishing we use to make icefishing rods out of short fiberglass blanks and turn the handle on a leath and use two golf tees to wrap our lines on , no reels. So if  you were fishing in 20' deep witch was often on the lake I grew up on you had to do a hand over hand till you got the fish out of the hole and then give you pole a toss behind you and hope  it did not get tangled.. I fished that way till I was about 30. I did not like the Schooly reels that well because if you were not using a little pole holder and had to lay you pole down in the snow it would then freeze and you could not wind it up the line.
Even now the poles I have with reels it is still quicker to go hand over hand especially if your only fishing around 10 ft deep.

[Jeff Soto]

I guess I am not being clear about what I want.  I want to use this rod with a small baitcasting reel, therefore it needs a handle to accept this kind of reel.  Like a "pistol" grip.  A handle that you see on quality bait casting rods. I guess I can go to BPS and look around, or even get the components and make my own ultralight short bait casting rod..

[Dwayne Denison]

Jeff, that's why I suggested dock shooting rod. I am no ice fisherman (would love to do it) but I have never seen am ice rod, with seat you would need. I had an older. spincast rod, that was about 28 inches and UL. You might be able to find something like that. I used it as a dock shooter. I think it was made my zebco, heck might have been kids rod.