Life in these United States is about choice. The nature of choices is that some are always better than others, and in the world of walleye rods this axiom is even more evident. Since it's getting close to the time to make a decision about which rod is right for my fishing preferences, I decided to avoid the opinion pitfalls of asking my buddies for input, and sought out the ultimate expert.

Gary Schaefer has been with G.Loomis for 18 years, coming on board shortly after Gary Loomis started the company 20 years ago. A little over three years ago, as the head of new product development, Schaefer was given the responsibility of creating a new line of walleye rods that matched specific features to each of the traditional techniques for catching ole marble eye. It was curious to find out that Schaefer had taken the same approach when he was given this daunting task - he asked the experts.

"Three years ago, when we first decided to create a new line of walleye rods we set up a meeting in Minnesota with our manufacturer's reps, dealers, guides and four of the top pros in the industry, Pete Harsh, Tony Puccio, Dan Plautz and Jim Peterson. We sat down in focus groups and basically asked each one of them, "if you could design the perfect series of walleye rods, what would each one look like and how would they perform, and why? Naturally, we had the final say, but everything was left open and there were no doors that couldn't be opened," he said. "It was a great meeting. We found out a number of things that we hadn't even considered. It helped us hit a home run on our first at bat. What came out of these focus groups is a line of rods that have features, which make them almost like buying a custom rod, off the rack."

"Another thing we have learned is that the customer wants to be confident that they are getting the right rod. Our old MBR's and SJR's were great rods. Our SJR was ideal for jigging, and our popping rod was perfect for walleye rigging, even though it was designed for popping along the Texas gulf coast. It didn't say walleye, and the customer was confused. With our simplified designations, any angler can quickly determine what rod they need for each technique. Also, our panel of pros didn't think our line looked like a walleye rod. They told us that they wanted a rod that looked like a walleye when it first comes to the surface. That's why our new lineup has that beautiful green color with just enough opalescence to make it look just like a walleye breaking the surface."

A host of decisions come into play every time a rod is designed for a specific application; otherwise it's just a stick with line guides. It's a lot like trying to install a Phillips screw with a flat bladed driver. With a blade that is small enough to fit into one of the slots, you might eventually get the fastener into the wood, but the final effect will be very ugly to look at. Of all the fishing disciplines, walleye angling requires the most diverse war chest of weapons to respond to a wide array of conditions and presentations.

Matching the right amount of backbone, action, flexibility, handle style, guide arrangement and placement are some of the issues that must be addressed. While some rods come close, when you use one that is perfectly matched to the task at hand, you'll know immediately. A perfectly matched rod is like an extension of your arm and fingers, with nerve endings that course its entire length, transmitting vital information at the speed of light. Here's what Schaefer did to take their rods to the upper reaches of excellence.

"One of the most important revelations that came out of these meetings related to the spinning rods. We found out the fishermen were cutting off the fore-grip on our spinning rods so they could keep their finger on the rod blank for more sensitivity. Our engineers were able to use an uplocking reel seat, and shorten the fore-grip to about 1 1/4 inches and that has made walleye angers very happy. That feature is a mainstay throughout all of our walleye series spinning models. All of our casting rods feature the Mag-Touch, which exposes a portion of the blank to the forefinger," Schaefer added.

Walleye Jigging Rods - WJR
"We call our jigging rods the beef of the line. The input for this important rod was that our 6' rod was good, but they wanted to see it just a little longer, so that's why we developed the 741 and 742 with a 6' 2" length. It's a very sensitive rod, crafted from high modulus graphite, basically fast action for loading up jigs quickly. The purpose of the fast action is so jig fishermen don't have to lift their rod so far to load up. You don't want a big mushy mid-section with a jigging rod, so we built our WJR line with a stiff mid-section and all of the action in the tip. These rods are designed to fish light grubs and jigs with a butt that has the power to handle big fish. Light line, light jigs, light bite - no problem."

Walleye Casting Rods - WCBR
"A lot of guys use crankbaits. We know that there isn't a tremendous difference in the size of crankbaits used for walleye. With the WCBR -783s, the "S" designation is for spinning. At 6'6", this rod is ideal for casting light crankbaits and was designed for anglers with a spinning preference. The "C" designation on the 843c is for casting, and we added a little length on this model to give traditional guys a little more to work with. At 7', that extra length gives you more reach on casts, and still enables you to control the fish easily. Both models are basically identical in terms of the application, but we make it in both a casting and spinning model to meet the demand of angler preference."

For years, crankbait fishermen had a death grip on their fiberglass rods, firm in their conviction that graphite rods were too fast and too stiff. In their considerable (and correct) opinion, graphite responded too quickly and pulled the crankbait out of the fish's mouth before it could inhale it. G. Loomis has solved all of those problems with crankbait rods that have a soft, slow action that allows the lure to work perfectly and resolves the inhalation issue at the same time. More importantly, unlike fiberglass, the Loomis crankbait series is incredibly light, super responsive and extremely sensitive. In short, you get the best of both worlds - you gain all the advantages of graphite with the action of fiberglass.

Walleye Rigging Rod- WRR 8400
The WRR 8400 is 84" or 7' long, which makes the designation obvious and easier to understand. This rod has an extremely fast tip, and comes in both one- and two-piece designs. "We are finding that traveling anglers prefer the two-piece model. Guys that are going to Canada can break their rods down and store them in a rod case that makes the airport baggage process much more manageable. The collapsibility increases mobility for traveling anglers and still provides that extra length that comes in handy for rigging with long leaders.

Walleye Bottom Bouncer Rod - WBR
When you're dragging a heavy weight that's ticking the bottom, rocks and other debris, sensitivity is a major advantage when it comes to picking bites out of bangs. The main thing we learned about preferences for this technique related to the grip. We discovered that anglers were cutting away part of the handle on their rods so they could maintain contact with the rod blank for greater sensitivity. Like all of our walleye casting rods, our bottom bouncing rod is equipped with our "mag-touch" reel seat, a one-inch cutaway in front of the trigger that allows your index finger to make direct contact with the blank. Even the slightest variation is instantly transmitted."

Walleye Trolling Rods - WTR
Dragging baits around a body of water is basic, but when you raise it to the next level it becomes a thing of beauty. "Our WTR 940 and 941 trolling rods are 94", or 7' 10", with a great tip and what we call our "Mag-Medium" blank. It's extra fast action, combined with extra meat in the middle is ideal for pulling baits and using planer boards.

Technology is always changing, and what we found out is that braided lines have specific traits that needed to be addressed when trolling. We have designed a rod specifically for the new low-stretch braided lines. Stiff rods work great for traditional monofilament lines that have a lot of give, but braided lines eliminate the forgiveness factor. Our trolling rods put that factor back into the game with a sensitive tip that enables you to watch your lure work, and just the right combination of backbone and give to match the characteristics of braided lines. The tip is a lot softer which gives you room to get the rod out of the holder without pulling fish off. The long handle is intended to make it easier to work with rod holders, and gives that added amount of leverage that is important when working big fish."

Guide selection and placement were also discussed at length. The size, style and position on the rod are critical to performance. "I was really amazed at the insight our focus group provided. We can build any blank for any rod but without input from the pros and the guys on the front lines, it might be too fast or too stiff. These guys have spent a tremendous amount of time on the water, holding onto rods that basically determine their success. Fortunately for G.Loomis, they are thinking all of the time. I really want to thank everyone who played a major role in this project. When you try the G.Loomis line of walleye rods, I think you'll agree that the time we spent talking to the dealers, reps, Pete Harsh, Jim Peterson, Dan Plautz and Tony Puccio was time well spent."

Click this link to purchase a G. Lommis Walleye Casting Rod.

Frank Ross grew up on a lake in Florida, where fishing and hunting were second nature. He has pursued his passion from the jungles of South America to the northern reaches of the Arctic Circle and most points in between. With a background in newspapers, the wire services and magazines that began in 1970, Frank brings a unique perspective to his work with Cabela's. He is an award-winning photographer with a flair for getting to the bottom line of every story.

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