Focus on the Ice: A Review of Piscifun’s New ICX Focus Rod Lineup
My name is Scott Olson. I’m a resident of the Black Hills of South Dakota and have been on the ice for most of my 42 years, though in the last 12 years, I’ve become increasingly obsessed with ice fishing. I am a fishing educator in my area and provide information, tips, and seminars to help others be successful from the shores or the ice. And am looked at as an ambassador for the sport by many because of this. I try out new ice gear each year from various companies to see how well they will work for how I fish and what I fish for. I’ve been with Piscifun for several years and was excited to try out the new ICX Focus rods when I heard the company was coming out with its first foray into the ice rod market.
Introduction of Focus Series of Ice Rods
The Focus series of ice rods comes in three models—26” ultralight, 32” light, and 34” medium. There is also the option of having the reel seat be composed of EVA foam or Precision Grip, similar to a Winn Grip style of material, as well as being available with blue or red accents to suit your aesthetic needs. The ultralight and light models have a long titanium spring bobber attached to the end of the rod, while the medium has a fast action tip colored green to help show the bite easier when using it for trout, walleye, or other predator fish. All the models are very lightweight thanks to their carbon forged blanks and very sensitive, even with the spring bobbers. After using these three rods for this season, I can say that they are a very impressive entry for Piscifun into the ice rod market.
26” and 32” focus ice rods
The spring bobbers on the 26” and 32” models are pretty loose regarding how big of a jig you put on the end of the line. Anything bigger than a 3mm jig will bend it pretty far, but when using a 3mm jig or smaller for finicky panfish, it is hard to find a better rod on the market that shows the slightest inhale of a jig or “up bite” of crappie than the ultralight and light action models. Fitted with an ICX Frost inline reel, these two setups have been my go-to combos for those high-pressure days when downsizing is key to getting bluegills and crappie to bite. The length of each of these rods has its advantages. The 26” ultralight works great for up close and personal bites when you want absolute control of your jigging cadence, while the 32” light is good for sitting on a bucket or seat when you don’t need to be right on top of the hole.
In a couple of recent ice tournaments in my area, the perch and bluegill bites were very finicky and required very small jigs with one or two waxes on the hooks with very little movement to get the fish to bite, and the spring bobbers were very handy with how loose they are.
34” medium ice rod
The medium rod has become a favorite of mine for targeting hard fighting rainbow trout in my area and has even handled lake trout very well. The tip of the rod is not a noodle one by any stretch but more of an extra-fast action. I could also feel the hard bites, and there’s plenty of backbone to help drive the hooks into a predator’s mouth. The rod allows for good control of big head shakes and the long runs trout are known for.
comparison between Focus Series of Ice Rods
The results of this season of using the new Focus show that these rods are all good in your ice lineup. Suppose I have any small issue with any of them. In that case, it’s that I would love to see a stiffer spring bobber on the 32” light model to be able to utilize bigger tungsten jigs better closer to 5mm size, and have two rods with the same style of spring bobber on them is a bit redundant. The 26” model was definitely my go-to for those hard bite days so far this winter. In comparison, I used the 32” model more sparingly. But other than that, I’ve enjoyed using them and catching plenty of fish. Piscifun has a good thing going with these models, and if the company chooses to expand on the lineup, I see no reason why they won’t be as good as these three models were in my hands on the ice this season.
The ICX Focus rods that Piscifun came out with this season are excellent additions to the ice rod market, and while they are only available online, I sincerely hope that others will order them to give them a shot. Their price points are easily well below any other rod similar to them on the market, and the company is great at handling any issues that could arise with any of their products. Piscifun is well-known for its quality reels at very low market prices. The Focus ice rods are the same after spending this season putting them through their paces. Be sure to check them out on the Piscifun website and decide what model you want to try while there’s still ice. You won’t be disappointed!
author
Scott Olson
Hello from the Black Hills of South Dakota! My name is Scott Olson and I have lived in Rapid City since 2008. I’ve been fishing since I can remember, both open water and ice, but it was the move here to the Hills that my love of fishing really took off. With dozens of lakes to choose from and many species to fish for, the area really is a great place to be a multi-species fisherman or woman, whether you’re after bluegills, bass, walleye, lake trout, or others in between. Trout have become a favorite of mine to target, but I also enjoy going after bass and bluegills as well.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/scott.olson81
