Long Roding for Bluegills

by Jim Kusuda

There is a style of ice fishing that is one of the simplest and most effective ways to catch panfish that is easy and fun to try. It is generally used when fishing shallow weed areas less than 10 feet deep. I have watched and learned from some of the best locals here in South Central Wisconsin, and have studied how they typically are successful on bluegills and crappie. It is referred to as Long Roding, and is it ever fun.

The long rod is not fancy; it is usually about four feet long so the user can walk from hole to hole without reeling up the line. Line is light, two pound maximum but many will try one pound or even ½ pound test. An ice skimmer, often attached to a golf club shaft is handy to help land heavy fish. The line is strung on guides, or in the style of rod which I prefer, the line runs through the blank, eliminating tangles and line sag in windy conditions. The tip will sport a sensitive spring bobber that will be balanced to the weight of the jig for good action and strike indication.

When the fishing area is located, it is drilled out so that the angler can stealthily walk around and quietly drop in on waiting panfish. Jigging starts as soon as the ice is cleared as many fish see what is coming down and are sometimes waiting very high in the water column. Plastics have been developed here for tipping jigs by fishermen who at first were shocking others by not using live bait.

Usually the presentation is a steady jigging, lowering and raising the lure, pausing it at various levels to trigger a bite. Soft bites are viewed but hard hits are felt as a hearty “Thump” through the rod blank.

The fish is played out carefully, as no reel is used to control the fight. The line holder is a simple spool that is locked down and generally the fiberglass or graphite rod is flexible enough to handle the shallow water struggle. One of the nice things about not reeling up is that your line section that is being fished is perfectly straight with no line twist or coiling. The height of
the raised arm plus the rod length helps carry the presentation to the next hole. An experienced angler will strip off and properly dispose line occasionally to avoid break offs.

Simple, but effective is what Long Roding brings to the sport of ice fishing. The catching of panfish will continue to evolve with different methods of putting fish on the ice. This style is easy and worth trying when you are on a good shallow water bite.