Muskie Rod ?\'s – Power and lure weight ratings – Best rod for throwing shadzilla

I’m heading back to Canada in early Sept. to once again chase some MONSTER pike. I’m told Two of the top lures for where we are heading is going to be Shadzillas and the Larger sizes of Suicks. I’m thinking that these 2 different lures would be best fished with 2 different rods. The weight of the shadzilla we put on a scale was right at 6 Oz. I’d think i’d be better fishing the shadzilla on a longer heavier powered rods ( Maybe a 7 1/2 – 8 heavy or maybe even a XH ) I’d think I’d want to fish the Suick on something a lot shorter due to the downward Jerk action used. I have no idea of what length or power to use for the Suicks. I have never fished either a shadzilla or suick before so this will all be new to me. I have a Nice St Croix Avid AM80HF ( lure rating of 2-6Oz ) that I was going to look to sell because it just seems way longer and stiffer than I though I needed for any of the type fishing I do. Would that rod be a good choice for fishing the shadzillas on? I have a few other heavy action rods I think may work for the suick but just am not sure. It seems like the power and lure ratings are all over the place on rods I’ve looked at. My AM80HF seems way stiffer that lots of 8 ft XH rods I’ve looked at. The 6oz lure rating also seems way low for that rod. I’ve seen 8 ft rods with a MH power that are rated for 10 oz or more lures that seem way less stiff for sure. Due to having 3 guys in the boat I want to keep the # of rods I’m bringing to 3-4 so I want to have the correct rod for the lures we plan to fish the most.

FWIW;
I carry 3 rods but could get by with two. Both are Fenwick 7 1/2 foot. One is rated 1-4 ounce and the other is rated 2-6 ounce. Suicks work well for me on the 1-4 rod. Also throw many glide baits and other top water baits.
The 2-6 rated rod is a better choice for heavier baits and those baits which displace a lot of water and just plain pull hard. (double 10’s, big rubber, some big bodied surface baits)
Rod length can be personal preference but deck height above the water also plays a role. Some boats sit higher than others and one needs to be able to reach the water (working a lure and figure 8’s). JMHO, If you have three guys in the boat and are handling large fish (pike and muskie) one rod in use per person and the rest in a rod locker.
PS; we are always targeting Muskies, if it matters.

A great crossover (pike/musky) rod that James turned me onto is the Okuma SBX SWIMBAIT 7’11” XH. It has a 2-10oz lure rating. This would be a perfect rod for throwing shadzillas. Pair that with a Citrix or Komodo SS reel and you have a really nice light weight setup for casting all day.

SBX Swimbait

Pat McSharry wrote:

A great crossover (pike/musky) rod that James turned me onto is the Okuma SBX SWIMBAIT 7’11” XH. It has a 2-10oz lure rating. This would be a perfect rod for throwing shadzillas. Pair that with a Citrix or Komodo SS reel and you have a really nice light weight setup for casting all day.

<div class=”ido-oembed-wrap”>SBX Swimbait</div>

I really like the look of that SBX rod. I think I may prefer the Heavy one rated for 1-6oz rods a bit better than the XH. So many of the rods rated as XH or even a lot of them as Heavy have about as much bend in them as a 8Ft 2X4 board. I tend to like a slightly softer action than most other fishermen. I just think they load up better and are more forgiving when a big fish makes a quick strong run.

For the Suicks you will want a jerk bait rod. The length may vary depending on how high off the water the boat sits. You don’t want the rod tip to be slapping the water all day. A good length would be 7’-0” to 7’-9” with a lure rating around 3-8oz. Some like shorter jerk bait rods.
I am not sure on about the AM80HF since I have not used that rod. Put the Shadzilla on the rod and hit a musky lake. Use that rod if you like the way it feels and the lure reacts with the rod.
There is no standard power or action rating in the fishing world. This can make it hard. I am not sure what your price point is for these rods since this seems like a once a year trip for you. I have used a Musky Innovations Bull Dawg series rod that worked well for the larger Shadzilla and can be found on the cheaper end. It had a 2-10 oz lure, fast action, 50 lb line, and heavy power rating. I would have said it was more in between a moderate and fast action. This action played well with the Shadzilla and top water baits.

That 8′ Heavy Avid should do the trick for both IMO. Shadzillas are an awesome lure. FYI, they also make a smaller one @ like 3.5oz. that would be a good change of pace for pike. Like Rodwork said, go thrown the Shadzilla and the Suick on a local lake and get a feel for it. That being said, I wouldn’t go to Canada on a big fish trip without a back up rod/reel that can handle that stuff too. Go buy one a Muskie Innovations 8′ XH rod for $100 or that Okuma rod and bring it as a back up if nothing else. If you don’t already have them packed bring some, regular Bulldawgs, Super Shad Raps and 1.5oz spinnerbaits for big pike too.

FWIW, I thrown the regular Shadzillas and Magnum Bulldawgs, etc. on a 8’6″ XH or 9’0″ XH, but that pretty much exclusively muskies.

keepcasting wrote:

Go buy one a Muskie Innovations 8′ XH rod for $100 or that Okuma rod and bring it as a back up if nothing else.

Where do you get a Muskie Innovations rod. I went to their website and didn’t even see rods. I was going to check out some of them. Other sites have them listed for around 220.00. The Okuma that Pat spoke about is also around 220.00.
I guess its just money – I’ve never seen a Brinks Truck pull up to a funeral home. You cant take it with you !!!

I guess they are under the name Bulldawg now instead of Musky Innovations. The Predator series should be $100 and the Pro Series is more like $200 most places.

https://www.muskyshop.com/rods-reels/bulldawg-rods-predator-series/

Also look at the Shimano Compre muskie rods for a less expensive alternative at $100 they are good value.

-Also I promise that the 7’11 XH is NOT a pool cue. It’s designed for fishing big swimbaits for bass, umbrella rigs etc. Still has a light tip so that you can cast small baits a long ways but is stiff enough to handle a big gator in heavy cover.

followed this thread and finally looked up the Shadzilla baits.

I’m curious about it’s durability. Been looking at similar big plastics like bulldawgs. Worried that $20 baits will get torn up quickly pike fishing. Are these only good for a couple fish?

@fishthumper are your friend recommending the full size or the jr? I’m having a hard time wrapping my head around 6 oz lures for pike.

Getting ready for a September trip and thinking about a new lure that my partner doesn’t have I’ll have a setup for the jr size but won’t bring anything for 6oz baits.

The Shadzilla comes in a couple of sizes.

Jr at 7” 3.2 oz
Original at 9.5”, 6-1/2 oz
Shallow at 9.5”, 5.8 oz
Magnum at 12”, 12oz

My guess is thumper is using the original or shallow. Big Rubber baits can be repaired. There are kits to do this but I have seen most people use a lighter and butter knife. Heat up the knife and melt the rubber back together. At some point you will have to just call the bait junk.

patk wrote:

followed this thread and finally looked up the Shadzilla baits.

I’m curious about it’s durability. Been looking at similar big plastics like bulldawgs. Worried that $20 baits will get torn up quickly <strong class=”ido-tag-strong”>pike fishing. Are these only good for a couple fish?

@fishthumper are your friend recommending the full size or the jr? I’m having a hard time wrapping my head around 6 oz lures for pike.

Getting ready for a September trip and thinking about a new lure that my partner doesn’t have I’ll have a setup for the jr size but won’t bring anything for 6oz baits.

The guy I’m going to Canada with have many old Shadzillas that have been repaired lots of times and are still being used. The same with Bulldogs. He says they use to spend about 1 hr each evening repairing baits when they got in. They use to use a sodering iron – They now use a some type of PVC pipe glue. He has had some lures that have lasted only 1 fish prior to being unrepairable. He says he has others that have probably caught 50 fish and are still being used. They do now offer just a body replacement. You have to pull the guts out of the original and put then into the new replacement body. He says it was a little difficult at first but he’s now getting rather good at it. He’s now to a point where he has enough of them that he doesn’t bother repairing then till after he get back home from each trip. He mainly throws the original 6 oz size. I am getting a few of the Jr’s to try as well. My guess is that even though they are about 1/2 the cost they will get destroyed even faster that the large ones.

patk wrote:

followed this thread and finally looked up the Shadzilla baits.

I’m curious about it’s durability. Been looking at similar big plastics like bulldawgs. Worried that $20 baits will get torn up quickly <strong class=”ido-tag-strong”>pike fishing. Are these only good for a couple fish?

@fishthumper are your friend recommending the full size or the jr? I’m having a hard time wrapping my head around 6 oz lures for pike.

Getting ready for a September trip and thinking about a new lure that my partner doesn’t have I’ll have a setup for the jr size but won’t bring anything for 6oz baits.

As far as the size of the lure – Keep in mind the Pike they are mainly targeting on these Canadian trips are 40″+ fish. They have caught fish as big as 49″ on several trips. They cant seem to top the 50″ mark – although they believe they have had a few on that would have broke 50″. They also have great luck on both the 9″ and 11 ” suicks. Large pike have no problem eating really big baits. Both spring and fall fish want to get as much nutrition as possibly with as little effort as possible. They would prefer 1 big juicy whitefish over many smaller meals. More calories in and less out is the goal when trying to fatten up after the spawn or prior to winter.

Rodwork wrote:

The Shadzilla comes in a couple of sizes.

Jr at 7” 3.2 oz
Original at 9.5”, 6-1/2 oz
Shallow at 9.5”, 5.8 oz
Magnum at 12”, 12oz

My guess is thumper is using the original or shallow. Big Rubber baits can be repaired. There are kits to do this but I have seen most people use a lighter and butter knife. Heat up the knife and melt the rubber back together. At some point you will have to just call the bait junk.

I’m not 100% sure if they mainly use the Original or the shallow one. I didn’t even know they offered a shallow model – I’ve never seen a package marked as shallow.

fishthumper wrote:

I’m not 100% sure if they mainly use the Original or the shallow one. I didn’t even know they offered a shallow model – I’ve never seen a package marked as shallow.

I only guessed that since you said the lure weighed 6 oz.
They also have a Shadzilla V 9.5” and Shadzilla X at 11”

http://www.bigwoodmuskylures.com/lures.php?cat=swimbaits&make=WaterWolf%20Lures&page=1

The Shadzilla V is a cool lure. Check out the video on the link I posted.

Rodwork wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>fishthumper wrote:</div>
I’m not 100% sure if they mainly use the Original or the shallow one. I didn’t even know they offered a shallow model – I’ve never seen a package marked as shallow.

I only guessed that since you said the lure weighed 6 oz.
They also have a Shadzilla V 9.5” and Shadzilla X at 11”

http://www.bigwoodmuskylures.com/lures.php?cat=swimbaits&make=WaterWolf%20Lures&page=1

The Shadzilla V is a cool lure. Check out the video on the link I posted.

All of the ones my friend has have the center top hook so they must all be the original. I’ll have to ask him if he’s even aware that they have a shallow version