21st Century Rods for cold weather

[Red Childress]

How difficult would it be to construct a casting or spinning rod that would house maybe 2-4 "D" size batteries in the butt which would be connected to a wire that flows into the guides to prevent icing??

If it would be semi-practical to construct, would a few D size batteries deliver enough heat to keep the guides clear for an 8-hour day of casting??

Maybe a screw-in rear cap section on the butt to keep the batteries snug and a highly conductive metal to reduce loss of heat on the way to the guides??

Would the innerflow rods be more useful in this situation due to only having to keep the end guide ice free??

Been thinking about something like this for years but I have little knowledge on the practicality of such a contraption.

It is OK to tell me I am crazy.:)

[R Findlan]

A couple of months ago I popped a couple of the eye inserts out of two rods I was using while trying to get the ice out. I took them to a local guy to get them repaired and I asked him the same question. He said that it has been tried but there was difficulty finding an effective way to keep the eyes heated. Not really sure how much he knew about it, but that was his answer.

Reed

[cband]

I think it would work...That sure would be nice to have a heated grip and not worry about ice. If they can make battery powered socks that are run on a 9v batttery, then the idea should work in a fishing pole.

[b.bent66]

funny this was brought up ,cause a couple of guys and i where just talking about this at work. i think its possibly with all the new technology. i think the hardest part would be regulating the temp. with lithium ion batteries it could still be light and rechargeable.

[RapRunR]

Crazy ideas are usually the ones that get patented and make people millionaires. Sounds like an excellent idea to me !!

[Red Childress]

Some other thoughts radiating from my balding head are:

-Who cares if it is light or not? If it is functional, a few more ounces will not matter to the guy wearing 2 pairs of gloves chucking a 6 ounce bait. If you are crazy and motivated enough to battle single digits temps, another pound of extra weight will not matter.

-Cork handles will not be necessary. Make the butt section out of HD plastic and then wrap it or use neoprene so the rod does not fly out of your hand when casting.

-What if the thing plugged into a cigarette lighter and you ran it off your boat battery?? Or better yet, you wore a small battery pack on your waist like the high dollar electric socks. The battery could be placed on the same side as the hand you fish with.

-Maybe the reel itself could also be heated by putting a metal plate on the reel seat so the reel could conduct heat from the power source?

-The battery pack could be re-charged off the boat battery.

[b.bent66]

i was mostly thinking lite for other aspects of fishing most do not cast 6oz baits all day.

[Red Childress]

I did not even see your post until I was finished babbling in mine.......lol

[b.bent66]

that's fine Red, i was just saying that we all dont cast heavy baits. the lighter it was the better the rod would balance.

[b.bent66]

i did some looking on the net and found that there are a couple pattens for heated handles,one that includes the rod shaft and one heats the tip eyelet.

[muskie24/7]

HMMMMMMM! How about if you would generate power with the turning of the reel, like one of those wind up radios they have! Maybe have a battery you can charge at first, then keep it topped off with the turning of the reel all day! YEA,YEA THAT WOULD BE THE TICKET! (LOL)

Brian:p

[Red Childress]

BBent66,

I finally got what you were saying. I get blinded by the musky stuff and forget that guys are actually fishing for something besides muskies!

I use longer than normal walleye/trout rods (here on the river) to keep the line from bowing too badly in the current. For me, the little extra weight in the butt section is what I like to keep the rod from being too tip heavy and easier on the forearms....90 percent of the rods I own have "Rod Balancers" sold at Bass Pro. The extra weight from the battery pack (if in the butt section) would serve that purpose, somewhat.

I use an 8'6" Avid Steelhead rod (3/8-3/4oz, I think) as my crankbait rod for trout and walleye and I have found by keeping the line off the water, my SOLID hookups really increased. The crankbait feels much more natural to me and I am sure the fish does not feel the extra resistence on impact. The longer rod allows me to have much longer casts which is sometimes necessary during low flows and crystal clear water. There used to be times when the fish would already have struck and shook me off by the time I got the slack picked up but that rarely happens anymore.

[RapRunR]

I could have used one of these rods last night as my eyes were freezing up every 4th cast. Was out running raps real slow for 1.5 hrs at dusk with no hits or followers. The snow sure was deep trudging through.