There’s always an awkward transition phase that bass go through before they fall into their full-out prespawn mode. I’m not sure what you call it, but the tough fishing often calls for subtle finesse tactics and spinning gear. Duckett Fishing provided us with a 6-foot, 10-inch medium-action White Ice Spinning Rod for review and I’ve become pretty intimate with its uses and applications. It’s a standout rod for 4 specific techniques.
• Shaky heads
• Small crankbaits
• Soft jerkbaits
• Floating worms
Shaky heads around docks
Skipping shaky heads under docks with spinning gear is a great way to put your bait in front of bass that other anglers can’t reach. The 6-foot, 10-inch White Ice Spinning Rod is a near-perfect selection for this technique.
With smaller shaky heads, such as 3/16-ounce and 1/4-ounce models, this rod loads excellently on the back cast, giving you the right amount of momentum and “whip” to skip your soft plastic into the dark underbellies of docks. When you get a big bass to bite, you’ll have plenty of backbone for a stiff hookset before it wraps you around any obstacles.
Don’t be timid when it comes to brush, either. I’ve ripped some solid bass out of some brush piles underneath docks with no problem. The tip is fairly light on this rod, so make sure to reel quickly to avoid losing the fish in thick cover.
Chunking small crankbaits
Small crankbaits catch big bass—there’s no other way to put it. In windy conditions, however, they become burdensome and irritating to throw on casting gear. This rod takes wind out of the occasion and lets you cast directly into the wind with no problems whatsoever.
I’ve started throwing my Rapala Shad Raps and Scatter Raps on this rod and it outperforms many of my fishing buddies’ more expensive spinning rods. It loads very well and the custom blank-thru ergonomic reel seat lets me feel every movement that my crankbait makes. When cold water bass slap at my crankbait, I’m able to feel those fish sooner and the soft tip allows for a sweeping hookset without ripping the bait from the bass’ mouth.
Bombing and skipping soft jerkbaits
A lot of anglers prefer to throw their soft jerkbaits on casting gear, but I’ve had much more success using this rod as an alternative to casting gear. It’s a fairly short rod compared to my large collection of 7-footers, but this shorter 6-foot, 10-inch model makes a tremendous different when fishing in close quarters.
The shorter length allows me to get up-close and personal when fishing in skinny water such as backs of creeks and narrow rivers. Just a quick, compact roll cast will send a soft jerkbait sailing through the air or underneath overhangs with ease. The soft tip also aides with this technique as it helps me make sure that I don’t penetrate the fish too quickly.
Great action with a floating worm
A lot of our readers are farm pond anglers so I had to take this Duckett to a nearby farm pond to test it out with a popular pond bait—a Zoom Trick Worm. I had no problem using it in tight quarters as it doesn’t require a massive back cast to skip a weightless Trick Worm underneath overhangs and laydowns.
Don’t mistake the noticeable weightlessness of the 6-foot, 10-inch Duckett White Ice Spinning Rod for fragility—this is one tough rod. Farm pond fishing is notorious for being rough on equipment. Spending all day banging around in a small, aluminum john boat is torture for your rods and the first thing to get damaged is usually your line guides. The American Tackle Micro Guides have very thick frames on them, protecting your rod from on-the-water accidents. This rod has been riding with me for months in some of the nastiest conditions you can imagine and it still looks brand new.
The 6-foot, 10-inch Duckett White Ice Spinning Rod is a killer rod. It’s lightweight, extremely sensitive, durable and manages line very well. Priced at $199.99, it may not be in everyone’s ballpark but it’s a rod you can utilize for a multitude of techniques.
The 6-foot, 10-inch Duckett White Ice Spinning Rod is available at TackleWarehouse.com.
