Muskies

I am going to fish some Muskies this soft water season. Is there any one who has experence with Musky rod and reels . and the best type for a beginner to buy ?
thanks dustytoms

Well;

Opinions are like ?????

Anyways, I’ve been chasing them a few years. Started by going cheap, then ended up purchasing the right gear.

It isn’t cheap, but can be affordable.

Personnaly, I’ve come to liking the Gander Mountain muskie rods. They are well made, strong, dependable, great action, and come in many sizes (weights and lengths).

I personnaly have the following:

7’6″ MH (1 to 3 oz)for casting bucktails ( I also use this for trolling cranks).
7′ MH (1 to 3 oz)for casting bucktails and cranks (I too, also use this for trolling cranks)
6’6″ H (1 to 4 oz) for casting jerk baits (suicks, reef hawgs, etc)
6′ H (1 to 5 oz) for casting top water (jackpots, vipers)

As you see, I’m casting shorter rods for jerking action. I stand 6’7″, and I like the shorter rods for this type of fishing, because it allows me to work the lures very well, on the down ward sweeps or jerks, without thrashing the water or having interference of hitting the water with the rod tip. I can almost make the rod vertical, while jerking, giving me great control of my “twitches”. I can make a jackpot just dance on top of the water, while making absolutely minimal progression. This is critical to learn when you have a fussy fish or if the fish missed the first strike (very common on top water. I’ve missed 3 muskies in 10 minutes one morning on top water. Why, because I watched the fish hit the lure and each time, I pulled the lure away from the fish in anticipation of the strike. You need to be self-disclipined to wait to feel for the weight of the fish before you set the hook. I now, have to turn my head away from the bait, and not pay attention to the commotion that the fish is doing to my lure at times, or I will pull the bait away everytime. Sad thing is, that is no fun! I love watching those big brutes torpedo in on those lures. That is half the fun!)

Anyways, back to Gander Mountain rods. You don’t need high modulous graphite. I have IM6 and IM7 for weights. These rods run about $60 to $70 each. Yes, there are many folks out there that say get Fenwick or St. Croix, but you don’t have to have them. What I have works absolutely perfect!

For reels…..
It is tough to beat the Garcia C3 and C4 series. The C3 7000 “winch” is (in my opinion) the absolute best reel, dollar for dollar.

For bucktails, I use the C3. It is a little slower retreive than the C4. I like this, because when I’m burning bucktails, or casting hard pulling cranks, I don’t tire out as fast, putting so much energy in trying to retreive the lure. I’m just casually cranking away, with minimal effort. Burning bucktails with a C4 is going to wear you out!

On my jerk rods, I use C4 reels. This has a much faster retreive, which works in my favor, because when I’m jerking, I just give small cranks to the reel to keep the line nice and tight. This makes it effortless.

So, with this said, a Gander Mountain rod and Garcia C3 reel will put you @ $130 to $150 per rig (maybe a little less).

Go 80lb tuffline. I love it. It is stong and durable. Why 80lb? Not for the fish, but due to this being a “superline”, you want the diameter of the 80lb so the line won’t “cut” into your spool. This reduces backlashes, and when you do get hung up on rock or wood, you can generally pull your lures out, with a little luck.

For lures:
I have a top 10 in each catagory. I stick with them, so I’m not changing so much. Changing lures means not in the water. If you ain’t in the water, it is kind of hard to catch a fish?!?!?!

Bucktails:
Black, with orange blade.
White, with silver or brass blade.
Brown, with brass blade.
Black with Chartruese blade.
Firetiger with Chartruese blade.
Purple with Silver blade (YES PURPLE!!!)
Yellow with Silver blade
Safety pin style: Black with orange blade
Safety pin style: White with Silver blade
Safety pin Style: Yellow with Chartruse blade

Cranks:
10″ beleiver: “9 dollar bass”
10″ beleiver: “Jailbird”
8″ beleiver: Black sucker
8″ beleiver: Silver/blue
8″ Jake: Firetiger
8″ Jake: Orange Perch (Looks like firetiger but black with orange stripes)
8″ Ernie: Firetiger
8″ Ernie: Orange Perch
8″ Ernie: Black Perch
8″ Ernie: Silver/Black

Jerks/gliders
10″ Suick: Black/red sucker
10″ Suick: Walleye
10″ Suick: Firetiger
8″ Reefhawg: Black/Silver sucker
8″ Reefhawg: Perch
8″ Reefhawg: Black/red sucker (I love this color if you can’t tell!!! Black and red are my confidence colors for these fish)
8″ Manta: Black/silver
8″ Manta: Orange Perch
9″ Burt: Black perch
9″ Burt: Golden Shiner

Top Water
8″ Topraider: Black and red
Topwater bucktail: Yellow/orange
Creeper: (Yep) Red, with black dots
Jackpot: Firetiger
Jackpot: Perch
Jackpot: Black w/yellow belly
Viper: Crappie
Doc: Firebelly
Doc: Black/silver
Doc: Orange Tiger

Make sure with jerkbaits, topwater, and gliders, that you use a single strand wire leader (stiff wire, with Titanium being the best, because it bends, but doesn’t kink). Also, make sure that your leader is the same length of your bait. This will give you optimum lure performance.

Good luck and don’t let them get to ya!!!

I 2nd the gander rods,have a pair and like the heck out of them.If you watch the sale you can pick them up cheap.$40 is what i paid.Note of warning; : after you hook that first Big muskie you will never get enough and every last cent you have will be spent in pursuit of the next one!!!

Gary. Try spooling up with Trilene Big Game in the Photochromatic color for top water fishing. When you see the line straighten out, set the hooks. It has worked great for me.

I hear ya Derek, but ya know, my blood pressure jumps from normal to about 5000psi, when I see those torpedos barreling in. I can’t take my eyes off it. It is just hypnotizing to me!!!! Then, when they go into that beautiful attack mode, where all you see is jaws coming at the lure, I never fail to pull it away………It sucks!!!!! One morning on LOTW, two years ago, we were targeting 2 big fish on an island point that lead to deep water. My buddy had both fish follow the previous day on a reefhawg. He started with the same bait and I opted for the jackpot. On my second cast, it looked like jaws coming in…….dorsal and tail fin sticking out of the water and a wake that would of put competetion to a 200hp Merc. As I said HOLY $#!+, the big tuna struck the lure, only to have me attempt to set the hook so hard, that by the time the fish tried to close her mouth, the lure was sailing through the air……..OUCH! So, we left her alone after a couple of more cast, then continued around the island…..Here comes the 2nd pig, cruising at 200mph at my jackpot……WHOOSH…….and again, there goes my lure. (At this point in time, my nerves are so rattled, I was shaking worse than a leaf in a tornado. My buddy is not only lecturing me, but actually generating new vulgar words at what a dumb @$$ I am.

5 minutes later, as we continue to work around the island, I got this small fish (about 35″), just following my jackpot, nice and easy, mesmorized by the swimming. She followed about 20 feet, and as she got about 10 feet from the boat, she hesitated and slowed down. I gave the jackpot a couple of soft twitches……You could see her prep her jaw and watch her gills flair…….Whoosh!!!!! Yep, I pulled it away from her too………

I’m not a big drinker, but I will admit downing 2 cans of beer in 10 minutes @ 8am, along with about 5 cigarettes…….

Those two first fish were each over 50″……I had them, but I screwed it up!!!!!

That same trip, I also had another fish well over 50″ in Portage Bay on LOTW follow my bucktail on a first cast to a reef. Her nose was on my hair, ready to eat. As she came up to the boat. I said: “HEY! LOOK!!!!!!!!” Then I frooze from her size. The bucktail sank………..and so did she!!!!!!! GONE………..Yep, the shakes took over my body and I lost all conscious control for about 10 mintues…….

Finnally, last year, on French Lake, running a topraider, I saw a decent fish (just shy of 40″) come cruising in…….I turned my head, looked at my buddy’s bulging eyes, and I ended up setting the hook when I felt the weight. Fish on!!!

Topwater is a fabulous method for these beast, but the vast majority of people have the same problem I do……..

That is where I try to stick with the reefhawgs and suicks……..I have much better success with hooking up.

Those fish rattle me to no end. I love em!!!!

Thank you for the information , Your detail is very good

Hey, but take this as fair warning……….

You will get addicted and really won’t care about other fish………

One last remark.
Please practice CPR and be prepared with the right tools to release the fish. Today, I cut hooks (yesterday, I pulled them out and watched a lot of fish bleed). I have a bolt cutter at hand, and I just snip away (always make sure that the cut pieces of the hook are not left in the fishes mouth). Take your photos and get her back in the water.

Good luck!

By the way, what waters are you targeting?

the trick that works best for me, is to say out loud to everyone in the boat,” i am not going to set the hook until i feel the fish pulling on the line”. i refresh my statement about every half hour or so. pulling the bait away when the fish brakes the surface of the water is a problem with most first time topwater fishermen. with all patterns, the more fish you see/catch, the more comfortable you get. good luck
tom f.

Interesting… acouple years ago while Muskie fishing, I had a very large fish (I later found out it was a northren about 38″) actually hit my lure (a muskie sized jitterbug) three times on one retrieve! Twice, my lure went airborne at least 18″. I just kept up my steady retrieve ending with a figure 8. Nothing My partner, threw in behind me after the third hit and ended up catching the fish. What a rush! on the same day I caught 3 5 pound plus smallies and my partner caught a six pound largemouth . One of the side benifits of fishing with the muskie sized tackel is if you do catch something else, it will usually be big!

Anybody use an ugly stick?

John

Tom;

I’ve been chasing them bad boys for a few years now……Even got a few respectable fish under my belt……..

Those fish still get me going.

I got a mid 50″ bruiser, pushing in the mid 40lbs on a small lake that I’ve been chasing for a while. I know where she lives and spent 4 days (called in sick at work) working her from sunrise to sunset. Each day, (at different times) she came to the boat once. Right below the deck each time. All on different baits each time. Just slowly following my bait. That girl got me so worked up, if I would of had a bat, I would of clobbered her!!! These fish never bore me and this specific pig is soo big, that I won’t let my daughter swim in the lake anymore. I grew up on this lake when they introduced the fish 20 years ago. I think this one might be one of the first. It is by far, the biggest pig I’ve seen yet………