Looking for the best rods for walleye? We looked at over 100 different products before narrowing it down to the best seven fishing rods for walleye in 2020, all with different functions, price, and durability. Properly selected rod for walleye will facilitate your fishing and contribute to a good catch.
Everyone knows that a walleye prefers to live at the bottom of ponds, and it is most active in the dark. Such features of a pike perch behavior require the right fishing equipment. There are three types of fishing rods that are the most suitable for fishing on walleye – spinning, jigging, and trolling rod. The design of a rod is just a matter of taste because the best rod depends on the type and features you need. One of the main aspects of choosing the perfect fishing rod is the ease of use so that it is comfortable for people with different skill levels. Also, any fisherman wants to choose a strong, durable fishing rod at an affordable price.
To help our readers with choosing the perfect fishing rod, we have prepared this top 7 best fishing rods for walleye.
Top 7 Best Rods for Walleye
KastKing WideEye Walleye Fishing Rod — best quality fishing rod
CastKing fishing rods have been known for their high quality since 2011. The KastKing WideEye Walleye Fishing Rod is designed specifically for walleye fishing. It is equipped with 64 million modulus graphite blank, which will help you feel even the slightest movement of the rod and help you catch the biggest zander you’ve ever caught.
IM9 fishing rod blank technology and a comfortable grip contributed to the light weight of the fishing rod with a sturdy construction. She made of high-quality composite material for intensive use and strong resistance to deformation.
Tested experience: Lightweight and easy to use a fishing rod. Although the hook keeper placement is not convenient, handle is little too long for a medium light powered rod. It is ideal for those people, who enjoy active sport fishing and will help to pull out zander of any weight.
SHIMANO Talora Downrigger Rod – best-rated fishing rod
SHIMANO Talora Downrigger Rod deservedly receives high marks and praise. The brand has long been known for the rods of high quality. Talora Downrigger Rod is a good choice for both beginners and experienced fishermen due to its due to ease of use. This series of fishing rods is very tough and durable thanks to Shimano TC4 Construction.
SHIMANO Talora Downrigger Rod has a convenient and reliable reel, which makes your fishing more efficient without significant effort. The neoprene handle is equipped with a DPS reel seat.
Tested experience: This fishing rod can be used in lake-river fishing, where persistent baits are not required. It has sufficient power, but unfortunately, the sensitivity is poor. The medium-fast system amortizes any jerks of a walleye and allows fishermen to use baits of various types.
Tica WMVA Bass and Walleye Casting Fishing Rod – best trolling rod
Tica WMVA Bass and Walleye Casting Fishing Rod is a perfect solution for trolling fishing enthusiasts. High sensitivity, minimal weight, speed of construction are the main advantages of this rod. The manufacturer embodied the most innovative achievements of science and technology in this fishing rod in order to make it as convenient and efficient as possible.
It has a sufficient margin of safety and well penetrates the fish. It has a convenient neoprene handle and a reliable reel seat. The rod will be indispensable when fishing from a boat on the course, jerking any bait, as well as fishing among the thickets.
Tested experience: This spinning is convenient, lightweight, and highly sensitive. It has a medium-fast system, therefore it fits any bait and copes with any fish hooked. Possible breaking of the rod from critical loads is minimized due to its robust design.
Cadence Spinning Rod – best spinning rod
Such fishing rods as Cadence Spinning Rod are considered to be universal, as they are equally well suited for jigging and twitching. Despite the fact that the company Сadence appeared on the market relatively recently, it has already managed to win the recognition of fishers due to a good combination of price and quality of products.
Cadence spinning is made of high-quality materials (including 30 ton carbon and stainless steel), which ensures sensitivity and comfortable use. This spinning consists of 2 parts, so you can easily disassemble it and transport it in your car.
The wide range of Cadence Spinning Rod series also offers shortened options for catching fish from a boat, as well as full-fledged products for fishing from the coastline. This diversity allows fishermen to choose the right design on their own, taking into account their own preferences and fishing methods. This spinning is great for beginners, as well as for fishing enthusiasts.
Ugly Stik Shakespeare Elite Salmon/Steelhead Spincast Rod – trolling rod for the money
Ugly Stik Shakespeare Elite Salmon / Steelhead Spincast Rod is a product of Ugly Stick, which has more than 100 years of fishing rod and fishing tackle production history. These lightweight, fast and durable rods keep the bar high.
The best materials and technologies were used to produce this fishing rod, so that the fishing rod was easy to use, it was resistant to heavy loads and at the same time weighed little. Solid stainless steel rails contribute to durability and reduce the risk that the fishing rod may be damaged.
This fishing rod has a certain level of rigidity and sensitivity. As a result, even an inexperienced angler can easily notice the slightest bite without missing his own catch.
Fenwick Eagle Spinning – spinning rod for the money
Fenwick Eagle Spinning – fishing rod, deservedly considered a classic and proven model for years. The ergonomics of the spinning are also on top. The balance of the gear is perfect – you can hold it in your hands almost the whole day without feeling the slightest fatigue.
Cork convenient handle that does not slip out of the hands, and the fishing rod itself weighs a little.
This fishing rod is perfect for demi-season or summer fishing. It is universal because on such a spinning you can fish in running or standing water, on a spinner, soon-hook or on an ordinary float.
Fenwick Elite Tech Walleye Spinning Fishing Rod – jigging rod for the money
Fenwick Elite Tech Walleye Spinning Fishing Rod – is created by Fenwick company especially for walleye fishing, taking into account all the features of such fishing. It is moderately light, quite sensitive, and easy to use.
This fishing rod is designed so that it easily pulls out even heavy walleyes. It allows you to fully control the fishing process and still not get tired thanks to its ergonomic handle.
If you are like walleye fishing, you should definitely pay your attention to this fishing rod, because it is a time-tested model and it will make your fishing relaxing.
Buyer’s guide
When choosing a spinning rod for catching zander, you should always clearly determine how you are going to use it. Key questions include the following:
- What size should your catch be?
- What cast distance do you need?
- What weight of the bait are you going to use?
- In what weather conditions do you plan to fish?
Fishing rod blank for walleye
Spinning for catching a walleye should be powerful and robust enough to throw baits as far as possible. Speaking of casting distance, the spinning length cannot be ignored. The larger it is, the greater the fishing distance.
The most important characteristic of a rod for walleye is sensitivity. This will allow you to feel the bottom. Since the walleye lives at the bottom of a pond, it is very important to be aware of the bottom relief to determine the differences in depths and even its nature – stones, shells, sand, driftwood, etc. The fisherman will be able to find the best fish pokes in the bait by means of high sensitivity of his fishing rod.
The top of the walleye spinning should be soft and sensitive enough to signal the bait touching the bottom and pecking. At the same time, it should be rigid enough to transfer the force to the blank in time and cut through the bone jaw of the pike perch. Naturally, the rod should suppress the jerking of the fish.
Fishing rod action
The experience of many anglers shows, that the fishing rod for walleye should be tough. Such rod is better than others for carrying out heavy fish and weighty baits. These criteria correspond to superfast and fast action rods.
- Superfast action rods are characterized by bending of the upper part when they are loaded. They are considered the most rigid and sensitive, which allows you to perfectly control the behavior of the bait and determine the bite.
- Fast action rods bend the upper third of their length when they are loaded. Thus, you can make more distant castings of baits. The stiffness and sensitivity of such rods is also at a high level.
- In some cases, the use of rods with a parabolic system will be acceptable. They can be useful if you need long casts of the bait. But, since such sticks are not so sensitive, the number of idle hooks will certainly increase.
Guide rings of the fishing rod for walleye
Guide rings are important elements of a fishing rod for walleye. Cheap ceramic rings will become worthless after the first fishing. For this reason, rings that are made of nitrogen carbide (SiC) or similar materials are preferred. The frames of the rings should be plug-in, light, and weightless titanium or aluminum rings.
Handle of the fishing rod for walleye
As for the material of the spinning handle, then everyone chooses the one that he likes. Both natural cork and EVA provide decent tactile sensitivity and do not cause trouble in usage, cleaning and care. The length of the handle and its diameter are much more important, as these parameters should ensure the convenience of using gear. In other words, a rod for walleye should be comfortable for your hands and should not cause discomfort during long fishing.
Reelseat
This element does not require any special attention from the fisherman. Its task is to securely fix the reel and not cause inconvenience during fishing. For this reason, a reel seat with a front clamping nut, which is hidden in the upper part of the handle, is preferred. Such design provides a comfortable grip and eliminates the risk of blisters appearing on your hands.
Manufacturer
When choosing a spinning rod for walleye, you should pay your attention to the branded models. In our top 7 best fishing rods for walleye, we mentioned the brands which are considered universally recognized trendsetters. You can easily find the right fishing rod in the catalogs of these manufacturers, as well as check the reviews about their products.
Frequently Asked Questions
The length of the fishing rod is a very important parameter. It should be determined, taking into account the conditions of fishing. If you are fishing from a boat, then the best choice would be a fishing rod from 1.8 to 2.1 meters long. Spinning for catching a walleye from the shore should be no shorter than 2.4 meters. The most acceptable option varies from 2.7 to 3.2 meters. The main thing is that you should feel comfortable with the chosen spinning rod, otherwise you will quickly get tired.
Trolling, jigging, and spinning are fishing styles that are similar to each other but have certain differences. Therefore, fishing rods for each of them should be slightly different. Below we will tell you about each style in brief. Trolling is similar to towing baits on a moving (motorized) boat. Several fishing rods are used in this case. They are fixed at the stern of the boat. The fisherman picks up the rod only after biting. Jig fishing means fishing with a lured bait, which is carried out by uneven step wiring with touching the bottom. Spinning fishing is used when casting appropriate equipment over long distances. This is especially convenient when snaking from a boat, from a shore overgrown with grass or shrubs.
It is impossible to unequivocally choose the best fishing rod for catching zander. They are all different, designed for different fishing conditions and different needs. When choosing a spinning rod which you are going to use, you should first consider the following factors:
- In what pond you are going to fish. It is necessary to take into account the size of the reservoir ( river or pond), its depth and strength of the current.
- The weight and size of the lures to be applied.
- Are you going to fish from the boat or from the shore
- Possible maximum catch size.
Conclusion
Choosing a fishing rod for walleye is a very responsible business. You should choose the one which fully meets your needs among the variety of the rods offered on the market. In particular, it should be a fairly long rigid rod with a flexible sensitive end, equipped with high-quality rings that are smoothly polished and made of durable reliable material. As a rule, it is not difficult to select a product with similar parameters. The main thing is that fishing rod must be comfortable in use and bring you joy.
