Schooley with a spring bobber is all you need. Custom rods are very nice but not necessary for me. The most I've spent on a rod is $40 for a pulsator rod but those are not the same as the $120 plus custom spinning rods. There are many good factory rods out there in the $20 - $40 price range that work great. I still use the schooley rods today if I'm fishing shallow water (which I do 95% of the time) and I'm in the shack. Outside of the shack I use a pulsator rod.
Another reason I don't want to spend more than $40 is because ice fishing rods can be broken so easily. In the truck, on the ice, dragging it out down a hill to get on the ice, etc. Lots of ways for them to break. Most guys have cases for them. I try to take a minimalist approach with my gear so I don't want to carry a case out with me every time.
That can be said for any sport/hobby. The guy fishing from a 14' jon boat is no worse of a fisherman than the guy fishing from a 2018 lund tyee. A guy shooting a hand-me-down bow can be just as accurate as someone shooting a mathews. Remington 870 vs Browning citori for trap. People spend money on the things they enjoy. Still comes down to the person behind the equipment. Custom rods are no different, they just seem to be criticized more.
Yes, it is factually correct but let me expound upon that point. Custom rod prices are getting ridiculous and there is so much buzz about them that some people are beginning to think that they absolutely have to have them in order to catch fish. It’s bad enough that many have the sense that having a flasher is a must, or the latest high end auger....and still....there’s an old guy wearing a wool coat sitting on a bucket with nothing more than a spud to cut holes and some beat up schooley rods and he’s putting fish on the ice.
Technology is great...I’m a fan...but the hubbub about the newest and neatest stuff can make many feel that they will not find the sport enjoyable unless they spend a ton of money on things that so many folks talk up as being great. That’s not a good thing. We want to introduce youngsters to the outdoors but if their parents are wrongly led to believe that they have to spend an insane amount of money they might not do it. Chances are a 10 year old kid will have more interest in ice fishing if he catches fish on a schooley that he bought and paid for with his allowance money than if he is simply handed a high dollar rod that he won’t appreciate as much.
Ulbian, while that may be factually correct about the Schooley, inside of an ice shack custom rods work better. I use Thorne Bro Rods. I haven't used any since yesterday, when I used a Finesse plus with a Lindy Fat Boy and a Perch Sweetheart with a Buckshot Rattle spoon with a Hali dropper to catch a bunch of perch. You can buy a stock TB rod or have them change anything you want.
I use Schooleys frequently too. I am contemplating having TB make an improved version of the Schooley.
I jumped on the custom rod bandwagon last year. I'm particular when it comes to rods and I like being able to dictate how many guides, type of guides, type of handle etc. I wouldn't say that the custom rod is any better than a regular rod and I still used my ticklestick just as much, but I like how it looks and feels and plan to try a new custom company each year from here on out. At the very least, I have no reason to buy a high end brand name rod anymore.
As many are getting swept up into the custom rod craze, I like to point out that if you combine all of the fish that have been and will be caught with a custom rod by everyone who owns one, it still will never surpass the number of fish caught on a good old fashioned schooley rod.
It's a shame that "custom rods" have become nothing more than high-end brand name rods. How can they call them custom if they are stocked on the shelf? And nowadays to get a truly "custom rod" it seems like you gotta fork up $130+ to make it the way you want.
At least st. croix has good customer service and a solid warranty though, makes them worth checking out.
Yeah that's heavy. The lithium ion augers aren't for me anyways, i'll never be able to switch from a drill set up. It is interesting to see what different features they will be coming out with though to try and get the upper advantage on other brands.
Just wait, 10 years from now Marcum is going to have modified their RT-9 to include sonar, GPS, video, a wi-fi hub and an auger head. MSRP: $2,995 
