Musky Reels

To all you musky guys. I am looking at adding another setup. What reels do you all use for burning Cowgirls? Anything else you want to add about fishing them would also be helpful.

Awesome question, you might want to put price range you are looking for, I think you will get a lot of suggestions for 2-3 hundred dollar reels.

Shimano Calcutta….bit the bullet and picked one up last season. High dollar but the quality is top end.

For a cheaper work horse reel I’ve had a Cabelas Prestige that has been dragged through hell and back, does the job yet.

Last fall I had the opportunity to use an Abu Garcia 7000i and that really worked well with the big double blade baits. This is the best experience I have had. There are a few versions of this reel and sell for between $150 and $200.

Good luck.

Last year I bit the bullet also and got the Calcutta TE and love it. I do not do much ski fishing but I do use i on sturgeon and cats a lot but just change my rod to chase skis!

I was just noticing the 7000. Only 2 bearings in it though. Worried it may not last very long with heavy usage

This is the post that i made a while ago asking a similar question…. what kind of Muskie rod and reel to buy

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This is the post that i made a while ago asking a similar question…. what kind of Muskie rod and reel to buy

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THanks. Guess if I’m not throwing a Calcutta I might as well stay home. Thats just not in my budget at this time. We’ve had 5 fish 48-52 inches fishing casually with 0 caught on cowgirls, in the last 3 years. Guess I will save my money on not buying the lures and reels this year.

yeah… im probably gonna wait and just buy a calcutta 400 te. Seems to be about the best thing u can buy. And my philosophy with a lot of fishing equipment now is to buy quality, so you have to replace it less. I hope that will save me money in the long run.

During last summer I got to work part time for Rollie & Helen’s over here, kind of a Thorne Bros of the Northwoods. We sold tons of the 7000’s. Had a few come back, but not many considering they make a special set of bearings for the reel for R&H. Only thing I don’t like about it is it is right handed. Some day I am going to buy a TE left handed, check E-Bay or any local pawn shops for these Shimano models.

I have been seeing a a new reel out on some of the shows, a right hander with what looks like a gear cover on the outside of the reel casing. It has no pawl to put line back on the reel, but looks interesting and I don’t know what pricing is attached. Some of you might want to look at some of the saltwater reels.

Mark

Are you talking about the trinidad?

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Only thing I don’t like about it is it is right handed. Some day I am going to buy a TE left handed, check E-Bay or any local pawn shops for these Shimano models.

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The Left handed is what made me go big with the TE It was spendy but I got it off ebay for under $200 and the guy had only used it once and couldn’t cast it so he sold it. NO regrets for me!

I actually have no idea what is so special about the TE reels, even though im planning on buying one someday. haha. Can someone explain what is so good about them? Also what is the difference between the TE and the regular calcutta models as far as performance?