Thread: Panfish rods

I have the 9" ESP and love it, I'm looking to get the 5' also. Very light, very sensitive, very well made rod.

awsome thanks for the info slabinc

Originally Posted by bridge addix

doe's anyone use the 5ft micro light from esp??? i'm looking to pick one up and looking for some owner info

crappiepappy has posted a lot about the ESP rods. Search his posts for more info.

Originally Posted by bridge addix

doe's anyone use the 5ft micro light from esp??? i'm looking to pick one up and looking for some owner info

BA .... what specifically would you like to know about ESP rods ??

What I have is the 5'6" UL rod. It's a preproduction model that I fieldtested several years ago. Prior to using this rod, my only short UL rod was a Zebco 5' rod, that I used to cast small jigs, & shoot docks. My ESP UL has replaced that outfit, and is now my primary dock shooting rod.
I also fieldtested the 9' PowerJig and 6'6" Powerlite rods for Noresmen Outdoors/ESP Rods lineup ... and have replaced my 7' Sam Heaton with the 6'6" ESP for most casting applications. My 9' ESP does most of its duty as a tightline rod, as I simply don't do much vertical jigging. That's not to say that I won't, or couldn't ... as I believe the 9' ESP would be a sweet outfit for such a method.

I really can't say what the difference is, between the 5' Microlite & the 5'6" UL, beyond the obvious 6" in length. I don't know if there's a difference in the action, other than what the difference in length would provide. But, for basically the same price ... I'd opt for the 5'6" UL.

I do want to clue you in on one aspect of the ESP lineup of rods, just so you will make an informed decision : the ESP rods have micro guides on the upper end & tip !! This is important to know, since it all but makes the rods useless for slip float/bobberstop use ... if that's a factor to you & your preferred method of panfishing.

I'm not a company rep., just lucky enough to have been asked to be a fieldtester for their rods. The micro guides are there to reduce weight & work with the fast tip action that these rods have. Other than the slipfloat deal (which I rarely use), I've found these rods to be very light, quite strong, sensitive, and a pleasure to fish with. The Tenn style handle allows you to balance the outfit with a slightly wider range of reel weights, than a fixed seat handle does. I will also add, that even though the slide rings do a good job of holding the reel onto the handle, I still wrap the reel foot against the handle with electrical tape ... just as added security.

... cp

" : the ESP rods have micro guides on the upper end & tip !! This is important to know, since it all but makes the rods useless for slip float/bobberstop use .."

I use dental floss for my bobber stop and have no prob casting through micro guides.