The ice fishing bobber world has been pretty dormant for quite some time.  Thankfully the ice buster bobbers were invented a while back and allowed every ice angler worth their salt to get rid of their summer slip bobbers which ice up constantly and never work like you need them to in the cold weather of the hard water world.  This isn't to say that the ice busters are without their detractions.  This is where the Venom ice fishing bobber system comes into play.  The system is fully customizable to allow for jigs of just about any size.  It allows for taking one bobber on the ice and not worrying about the rest of the day.  Reading the Venom Floats site gives you a full rundown of their offerings, how to best use them while on the ice and how to get your hands on a few of them for your ice fishing gear!  With that said, let's take a look at how they worked for me on the ice in real world conditions.

The Nitty Gritty of Venom Ice Fishing Bobbers

The true test of ice fishing equipment is when you get on the ice and try it under real world conditions.  I must say that I am duly impressed with the system and product.  The first things that every great ice fishing bobber must have is the ability to function in the cold and not have problems with icing up.  The hole where you put the line in this bobber is sufficient to ensure that it won't get iced up.  Even more important in my eyes is that the place where this mechanism is stopped takes place below the water surface to avoid the cold temperatures.  This leads to nothing but problems while out ice fishing panfish or any other species.  The Venom flew by here as well.  As for their claim that you can adjust the buoyancy to varying weights of lures, once again I must say that I am impressed.  I used jigs of varying weights from a 1/16 ounce Lindy Frostee Jigging Spoon to a 1/4 ounce Genz Bug and was able to adjust the float system with relative ease and find that neutrally buoyant point that is so critical in getting those finicky fish to bite.  I was especially impressed with the ability to get down to the 1/16 ounce weight.  I have had such a hard time finding a good bobber for this over the years and have gone away from jigs this small as a result.

The true test for any piece of fishing tackle is whether it works with the fish of course!  Again, the neutrally buoyant float allowed for no resistance when I was out ice fishing crappie and they took it down without dropping the minnow.  This is a common problem when fishing for winter crappie, they can really be finicky.

Venom Ice Fishing Bobber Prices

If there is one detractor to this bobber system it likely has to be the price.  While you can go and buy ice buster bobbers for around a dollar a piece, the Venom is going to set you back $5 a piece (includes all the necessary components for many different weights of jigs and so forth).  If it is up to me I say it is worth it, but you have to make that decision for yourself.

All in all I was very impressed with these bobbers.  Did what they said they would, quality made for years of use and was innovative and practical.  What are your thoughts on the Venom system?  What would you say if asked to write a Venom Ice Fishing Bobber review?

If there is one thing that is true among ice anglers everywhere, it is that they will find a different way to catch fish if they need to!  Enter an interesting piece of ice fishing gear, the dead stick.  For those that are unfamiliar a dead stick is simply a rod that is rigged with live bait (usually a live minnow) and set in some sort of a rod holder and allowed to just sit there.  No ice fishing bobber, no jigging from a person while watching their ice fishing flasher, simply a stick that is "dead" to sit there and use the minnow work its magic.  Given that as a backdrop there are some very specific things you are looking for in a dead stick ice fishing rod.  Obviously you want the similar features to any ice rod, short enough to be fished close to a hole, loads well, and enough backbone to handle what you are chasing.  With that in mind, let's look at some specific rods that are designed and work very well for deadsticking.

Jason Mitchell Meat Stick Dead Stick Ice Fishing Rod

Jason Mitchell has a full line of ice fishing rods, but the one that is specifically aimed at the dead stick is the Meat Stick.  The meat stick has an ultra sensitive tip to go along with a solid backbone.  You can literally see the minnow moving the tip as it swims about.  It allows for the fish to take the bait while not pulling back and scaring the fish.  The Jason Mitchell Meatstick is an excellent choice for your dead stick on the hard water.

Jason Mitchell Elite Series 24" Meatstick ice fishing rod hi vis tip    US $29.99

from their website:

This 28-inch glass rod features a feather light tip that loads to an extremely heavy backbone. An extremely popular rod for Perch, Sunfish and Crappie. This rod is balanced to load perfectly with heavier search lures like dropper spoons, Halis and Mendota Rigs yet enables anglers to watch for the lightest pick ups. This versatile rod is also a great dead stick rod for both perch and walleye as the tip is light enough to telegraph minnow action and loads softly when a fish hits.

Thorne Brothers Dead Stick Ice Fishing Rods

Perhaps the granddaddy of the dead stick rods, Thorne Bros is well known for quality crafted ice fishing rods.  From the perch pounder to the panfish sweetheart rod Thorne Brothers has a full line of rods for all of your ice fishing needs.  They have a special dead stick rod, and it is called quite literally the Thorne Brothers Dead Stick.  A bit more expensive, but the rod is 100% assembled in the USA and they are built one at a time. From their website:

A requested custom rod from Doug Stange. Designed as a minnow rod without the hassle of bobber stops or set floats. Limber tip allows angler a visual check of minnow action and detects the lightest of strikes while producing very little resistance to fish. This rod really shines as a stationary rod while you jig with another rod. This solid glass rod features oversized guides for minimal ice build up when fishing outside.

So there you have your two best options for your deadsticking needs.  Dead sticking is an especially good method when ice fishing walleye or for those finicky paper mouths when ice fishing crappie.  What are your thoughts on dead stick rods and what has worked best for you?  What ice fishing reel do you pair your dead sticks with?