recomendation on some musky gear

Musky gear is the one thing that I have never invested in for quality rods/reels. Just got by with a few Pflugers and Amassador 6500’s on some 7′ IM6 broomsticks

Seriously thinking about treating myself to an upgrade or two this year.
Wants:
Very light weight rods to reduce fatigue
Matched reels that I can’t burn up or trash in 2 or 3 years
.
good bucktail rod in the 8-9′ capable of handling double bladed spinners and medium size glide baits

8ish’ rod for surface baits, raiders, Poe’s…

I don’t throw a lot of huge baits, actually never.

Thoughts??

It’s generally true with muskie-capable gear that you get what you pay for. If cost is not a limiting factor:

Reels: Shimano Tranx
500 size is pretty much a dedicated reel double-bladed bucktails; the high-speed version with an aftermarket power handle from Jigging World is pretty much the cat’s meow.
400 size is probably my favorite reel of all time; again in high-speed it excels for crankbaits, jerkbaits, and rubber, and can handle some occasional bucktail work too. Much lighter/smaller than the 500 size it won’t stretch your wrist sideways.

Rods: I favor Keith Terlinden customs, he can talk you through your wants and build it exactly right. He’s got both custom blanks and can also build on St. Croix blanks at various price points. Give him a call and talk to an expert.
https://www.facebook.com/proedgefishing/

Plus he can add the new Jig Ripper integrated reel seat, which is an absolute game-changer in ergonomics for heavy combos.

Randy, bear in mind that most boat’s rod lockers are limited to 8 foot max so if you plan to store them in there, be sure to check what length will fit. I’ve had friends buy 8.5 or 9 foot rods only to have them not fit in the rod locker.

gim wrote:

Randy, bear in mind that most boat’s rod lockers are limited to 8 foot max so if you plan to store them in there, be sure to check what length will fit. I’ve had friends buy 8.5 or 9 foot rods only to have them not fit in the rod locker.

I can put 8′-11″ one piece rods in my rod locker

I see that tranx reel is priced like the rest of most musky gear – $499.00 for a $275.00 reel LMAO

Randy Wieland wrote:

I see that tranx reel is priced like the rest of most musky gear – $499.00 for a $275.00 reel LMAO

That’s for the 500 size. The Tranx 400 is only $299.
I have both, and the 500 is worth it for someone who muskie fishes a lot using big bucktails. That said, the 400 is definitely a better value as it’s less expensive and more versatile.

Shimano TranX-400 Size

x2 on Tranx 400

Randy, I’ve got a couple of Thorne Bros custom rods in my basement sitting unused if you want to reduce your investment in high quality gear. They got replaced in favor of 9 1/2’ custom rods. PM me if that’s of any interest.

Tranx400 is the way to go. I love the low speed model, very easy on the wrist when throwing double 10’s

Okuma Komodo’s are also nice but I’ve only had mine for a year, so I can’t speak to durability but haven’t had any issues to date and used it like crazy last year.

Randy, I thought you made your own rods? If you want to make yourself some I can share some of the blanks I found and like.

Do you have a good jerk bait rod or don’t you fish that type of lure?

Rodwork wrote:

Randy, I thought you made your own rods? If you want to make yourself some I can share some of the blanks I found and like.

Do you have a good jerk bait rod or don’t you fish that type of lure?

Not to hijack the original post but I’ve got into throwing a fair amount of larger glide and jerkbaits – 8″ hellhounds, 7.5″ Phantoms, Suicks, Reef hawgs, Ect. What rod spec’s are the best for throwing these – Length, action. ect.

fishthumper wrote:

Rodwork wrote:
Randy, I thought you made your own rods? If you want to make yourself some I can share some of the blanks I found and like.

Do you have a good jerk bait rod or don’t you fish that type of lure?

Not to hijack the original post but I’ve got into throwing a fair amount of larger glide and jerkbaits – 8″ hellhounds, 7.5″ Phantoms, Suicks, Reef hawgs, Ect. What rod spec’s are the best for throwing these – Length, action. ect.

I would want a jerk bait rod with a long handle, like 18” long. It is not the easiest to get around the belly but makes a huge difference when working larger lures all day. Overall length would depend on your size and how high your boat sits off the water. You don’t want to be slapping the water with every jerk. 7’-6” to 7’-9” works for most people. XH, fast action, lure rating of something around 3-8oz.

I’ll throw my vote in.

Okuma Komodo SS 364P. It’s a 6.4:1 reel. All around workhorse with a power handle. 31″ per crank. Weighs 11.6 oz. Max drag is 25 pounds.
MSRP is 229.99, but you can usually find them for around 199.99. I still have the original one that I ordered in my rotation from 3 years ago. They don’t break.

Rodwork wrote:

Randy, I thought you made your own rods? If you want to make yourself some I can share some of the blanks I found and like.

Do you have a good jerk bait rod or don’t you fish that type of lure?

I have a mix of my custom builds and manufactured rods. Like most of my bass and walleye gear is a hybrid. Hard to top a few of the CaraT7s I have and the quantum Exo rods for general use. Naturally I fill the gaps with specificly what I need
Been
For a couple musky rods, I don’t have time. Been working mostly 7 days a week for almost a year. Plus I know if I build 2, I’ll build 6 because I’ll need to tweak them to exactly what I would like to have

Garcia 7000, $170.00 bucks ,will last a long long time!

The telescoping chaos rods are awesome. Can fit them in the rod locker and you are good to go. For a lightweight combo I would opt for the 400 as the 500 is larger heavier. It wears on a guy if you are casting all day. If you are not looking for telescoping rods then either the thorne bro rods or st croix legend tournament would be a good bet. Hope this helps.

I generally fish for LM and SM bass, but my waters do hold Musky. I want to set up a rod and reel to toss glide baits like the Hell Hound and Predator.

Michael C. Winther wrote:

Reels: Shimano Tranx
500 size is pretty much a dedicated reel double-bladed bucktails; the high-speed version with an aftermarket power handle from Jigging World is pretty much the cat’s meow.
400 size is probably my favorite reel of all time; again in high-speed it excels for crankbaits, jerkbaits, and rubber, and can handle some occasional bucktail work too. Much lighter/smaller than the 500 size it won’t stretch your wrist sideways.

For this application should I get the 400 size or the 300?

You will want to get the 400 Rick. The 300 just doesn’t have enough line capacity for the heaver braid.

Rodwork wrote:

You will want to get the 400 Rick. The 300 just doesn’t have enough line capacity for the heaver braid.

Thanks. Any other reels that would be a better choice for a setup that won’t get used often?

Dadson blade baits are the best bucktails around

Rick Beatty wrote:

Thanks. Any other reels that would be a better choice for a setup that won’t get used often?

Abu Gracia 6500 is not a bad reel and will last you a long time if you are not using it much or with hard pulling baits. I would go with the Tranx or 400B if you have the money.

Rodwork wrote:

Abu Gracia 6500 is not a bad reel and will last you a long time if you are not using it much or with hard pulling baits. I would go with the Tranx or 400B if you have the money.

Thanks. Those are two reels I had looked at that looked like they would be a good fit for my needs. The 400B was high on my list. I read that the drag was smoother on it than on the Tranx. Any thoughts on that or other comparison of the two?

Dusting this off a little. Regarding the Tranx 400, what would be the better gear ratio for all around use – jerkbaits, bucktails, etc (no heavy rubber) the 5.8:1 or 7.6:1 ?

fisherman-j wrote:

Dusting this off a little. Regarding the Tranx 400, what would be the better gear ratio for all around use – jerkbaits, bucktails, etc (no heavy rubber) the 5.8:1 or 7.6:1 ?

5.8:1 – The other difference is the 5.8:1 comes with a paddle handle and 7.6:1 comes with power handle.

My suggestion on reels is the Tranx mentioned by others. As far as rods go I purchased a 7’6″ St Croix Mojo Musky for most of my glidebait fishing and purchased a 8’6″ Okuma EVX Telescopic rods for throwing heavier plastics. I think both rods are excellent value for the money.

tswoboda wrote:

5.8:1 – The other difference is the 5.8:1 comes with a paddle handle and 7.6:1 comes with power handle.

Good advice. The 7.6:1 would be the better choice for bucktails, but the 5.8 is better for overall use if its not dedicated to just pulling hair.

fisherman-j wrote:

Dusting this off a little. Regarding the Tranx 400, what would be the better gear ratio for all around use – jerkbaits, bucktails, etc (no heavy rubber) the 5.8:1 or 7.6:1 ?

I went with the 5.8 because I wanted the paddle handle. I also think its easier to reel slightly faster with the 5.8 than it is to slow down with the 7.6. 30″ of line recover per turn of the handle is more than enough for most applications

fishthumper wrote:

30″ of line recover per turn of the handle is more than enough for most applications

That was a high speed reel 10 years ago!

I just bought a Musky rod/reel for the first time since the early 1980s. I did research on reels and looked at as many rods (in my hand) as I could. This is what I bought.

Tranx 400 ($300) I recommend you look at the review of Tranx 400 by Tackle Advisor on You Tube. He completely takes reels apart and compares design/function. He does spinning and casting reels too. NO sponsorship – true reviews. He accepts donated reels, new or worn out to review.

St Croix Legend Tournament Musky LMC90HF (full cork handle $410). I had maybe 20 different rods in my hand ($100-500) from Okuma, Chaos, Savage, Elliot, Daiwa, Temple fork, Musky Shop, St. Croix and Shimano (SKIXX). After doing the internet/tv show thing for weeks, I planned on the SKIXX until I put one my hand – thought it was club, “clunky??” I would take the St Croix Premier for less than 1/2 the price.

I did like the St. Croix Premier but they only make a 9′ in the Extra Heavy. I do plan I getting another bit lighter set up. Tranx 400HG (high speed) & a St Croix Premier PM86MHF ($235).

Both will have Sufix 832 in #80.

I am lucky to have a few great musky shops around. Musky Shop In Minocqua had HUNDREDS of rods in stock.

tswoboda wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>fishthumper wrote:</div>
30″ of line recover per turn of the handle is more than enough for most applications

That was a high speed reel 10 years ago!

My 1978ish Garcia 6500C does 19″ of line per turn of the handle. It was “high speed”.

Hodag Hunter wrote:

My 1978ish Garcia 6500C does 19″ of line per turn of the handle. It was “high speed”.

And a 6.5′ rod was considered extremely long too. Now a lot of guys use 9′ rods.