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6:53 pm
I have a few dollars burning a hole in my pocket and wanted to hear what people think a good rod and reel setup is for this area. Anyone have a favorite rod and reel they would recommend for all purpose musky fishing?
Thanks for your input!
6:53 pm
Hey Seabass
I personally use several different rods and reels for different situations. I think a 6-6" to 7-0" medium heavy casting rod with a Abu Garcia 6500 reel or comparible with at least 30lb line to start. The new Shimano Compre muskie rods looked nice and they are an affordable starter rod. they have them at the sportsman center.I hope i helped alittle im sure other members will respond with differnt options good luck with youre shopping.
Musky matt L
2:12 pm
matt-
archie is right on the shimano rod. i work art a very busy shop and see the good and the bad with products. i would suggest getting the best equipment you can afford.
any contractor can relate to this. why buy a black and decker tool to aid in building a house. yeah it is cheap but it can not handle the riggers of hardcore work. spend the extra money and get a porter cable or milwaukee.
apply this to fishing gear and spend the extra or wait and do it right. muskie fishing is like going to WAR. why take a knife to a gun fight. you will LOOSE every time.
The abu garcia 7000 is sturdy and if lined properly will allow you to retrieve 40 inches of line per handle turn. By days end, you arm will thank you. The shimano calcutta 400 and TE 400 are excellent choices. The reels use quality gears and the TE actually uses larger than normal gears and pinions that enable you to put more stress on the reel in comparison to the reels overall size. Here, your wrist will thank you at days end. Plus, the larger gears/pinion provide more power and levergae during the fight.
There are many muskie rods on the market that fit everyones budget. The muskie rods (except St. Croix) are actually marketed to striper fisherman but called muskie rods (no idea why). The sportsmen's center sells muskie rods from:
Shimano
St. Croix
Cortland
Tsunami
Rogue and
Loomis
What i am getting at is that there are more choices to fit every budget.
good luck
chris gatley
ArdentAngler.org
4:48 pm
March 26, 2004
Offline
The go-to muskie combo seems to be an Abu Garcia 6500 reel and a St. Croix muskie casting rod. While there are alot of good (and maybe better) choices out there, you can't go wrong with that combo.
With the new superbraids, you can get alot of line on a smaller reel, so you can probably get by with the Abu-Garcia 5500 reels. Be sure to get a reel with instant anti-reverse, I think all the new AG's have this. The AG's seem a little more rickety than some of the more expensive reels, but the price is right (if you time it right, you can get them on clearance from these big-box retailers that don't know what they're for), they take a beating, and they're easy to work on and get parts for.
But if you go with superbraid, try to use at least 50-80# line; the lighter stuff is too thin and gets cut & frayed too easily. I like Mason Tiger Braid if you can find it, but that's really all personal preference.
As far as the rod goes, alot of it depends on the fishing you're going to do and what's comfortable to you. If you're fishing jerkbaits from shore or from the floor of a small boat, you'll want a shorter rod (5'9"). If you're high off the water on a casting deck, a longer rod (7') is better. By the way, I'm 5'9", so adjust the length accordingly. If I was going to get just one rod, it would be a 6' jerkbait rod; it's very difficult to work jerkbaits with a rod that is too soft. Of course, then you'll need a bucktail rod, a topwater rod, two trolling rods, a jigging rod, another jerkbait rod........
I would go into a shop that actually sells muskie tackle (not many of these in SE PA area, by the way - once I bought the heaviest bass flippin' stick @ Wally World and it was still way too light) and just start trying out rod combos to see how they feel and fit you. Make sure all of the components are well-built and strong because if not, they won't survive chucking heavy baits for long. Once you find a good one, buy it from that shop so the salesman doesn't hate you.
To be honest, I haven't paid much attention to muskie equipment in the last few years because the stuff I have works and I no longer live in muskie country, but I still get to fish for them a few times a year.
Lots of words, but I hope this helps. Good Luck,
Chris
5:36 pm
March 19, 2004
Offline
Guys,
Thanks so much for this quality information. It can be so overwhelming! When it comes to bearings, is more better? In comparing the Shimano Calcutta with 2 + 1 bearing to even the Abu Garcia's which are 3 +1 bearings. I'm sure the difference lies in the quality of the gears.
Does anyone have an option on these new St. Croix reels they advertise on the back of the Muskie Inc magazines? I think someone at Dave's in Doylestown told me it was actually a Daiwa. In fact the Daiwa Millionaire CVZ series looks very similar...even the same prices!
Chad T
3:04 pm
sea bass
the St. croix reels are in fact designed and made in the diawa factory. as for bearings. bearings are like any other product out there. They are only as good as the manufacturer that makes them. many companies make bearings and of course there are different quality of bearings. Penn and shimano use high quality bearings and shimano goes one step further to chemically treats them to resist water over time. even though they may be stainless steel bearings, some are treated so that their overall strengths or inthis case corrosion resistance is much better than an inferior reel. More bearings may be smoother during the early stages of life but they may break down later. the calcutta 400 has only 2 bearings and people love them. i like it too. i would suggest to let dave's have you play with them and you decide for yourself. if you only want to purchase something once, then pay a little more and do it right the first time.
now with that info, here is why i am so partial to shimano. I work part time for them as their Eastern PA/Nj & NY rod specialist. With that, i get to see things in a total different light than people not in that position. Plus, in my guides business i use gear that stands up to the rigors of my daily punishment. punishemnt inlcudes getting dropped, kicked etc... abu garcia, penn, shimano and daiwai will do that.
"caveat emptor"
hope that helps
chris gatley
ardentangler.org
12:34 am
September 9, 2014
Offline
Sea Bass
It's my understanding the st'Croix reel is in fact a diawa millionare . I've heard good things of these reels , but my vote goes hands down to the calcutta . But I would say it's tough to beat a St'Croix fishing rod .
Mike K
Let'em Go and Let'em Grow
8:15 pm
March 19, 2004
Offline
Thanks again guys. I picked up a St. Croix rod last weekend so I'm ready to pair it up with decent reel. I have some more money to save up for the calcutta but from everyones advise its worth the investment.
Thanks again. I'll post the 50" muskie I reel in!
Chad T
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