Ice fishing rod for kokanee jigging (from a boat)??

[DuckHarvestor]

Hello,
Just saw an ad for ice fishing rods and noticed that they come in some pretty heavy weights for big fish like pike or lake trout. When jigging for kokes the fish I lose are primarily when I initially hook them. I am wondering if a stiffer, short rod might be better for keeping the fish on?? When I am jigging there is no casting and I do not think there are any advantages in having the line further from the boat with a longer rod so I would like some insight from other fishers on the forum - what do you think?

BTW, I have never used an ice fishing rod so this may be a wacky idea!

 

[nofish]

I have been jigging with a 52" rod for years. I started with a standard ice rod and it was to short and soft and then I went with a stiffer rod and it was like using a piece of rebar for a rod. I tried several others and could not find one I liked so I started building my own.

A shorter rod is like shorter shotgun, it gets you on the bit quicker. The shorter rod takes a bit to get used but I feel the advantages like a much more sensitive rod are worth it.

 

[DuckHarvestor]

Thanks Nofish.

When I first started jigging 2 seasons ago I tried several rods I already had but they were too long and the tips too soft. Last year I purchased 2 "heavy" ugly sticks that are 57" long. They are an improvement but still not ideal. Where did you buy the rod blanks and what are they made of? Thanks. Gary

 

[nofish]

They are made by Rainshadow, they start out as 7 ft rods and I cut them down to what action I am looking for. They are a graphite blank.