Well, I've never said baitcasting is the wrong way to do it, nor have I said spinning is better. All I'm saying is I'm not conviced spinning can't be effective; and in any case I'm STUCK with spinning for the time being because I can't afford new baitcasting stuff right away, so I have to make the best of it. 😀
So Kevin, can we get right to the beer-drinking part right now and forego the sniggering part? [smilie=brows.gif]
TOM, If I can use a baitcaster anyone can! Believe me I get my share of backlashes!!!!!!! Go to this <url url="[Permission to view this media is denied]
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Click on John and his European guest, the guy is using a spinning reel, you'll love it. Is the rumour true that you have a pet name for every muskie in Ovid? All the guy's I fish with have a saying we say to each other all the time. "Shut-Up you big Baby and Fish"
Steve
"Steve S" said:
TOM, If I can use a baitcaster anyone can! Believe me I get my share of backlashes!!!!!!! Go to this <url url="[Permission to view this media is denied]
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Click on John and his European guest, the guy is using a spinning reel, you'll love it. Is the rumour true that you have a pet name for every muskie in Ovid? All the guy's I fish with have a saying we say to each other all the time. "Shut-Up you big Baby and Fish"Steve
Ha! Yes, I have a pet name for every fish in Ovid, but I can't say it here on a public forum. 😡 
Sometimes I resort to doing what Ernie does when he and Bert go fishing, but it hasn't worked well so far:
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"Chasin50" said:
The "Right" way is what works for you, but my way is more efficient… [smilie=biggrin.gif]
When I was younger and stupid (OK dumber… I'm still stupid) I agreed with that… kinda. I even argued with some guy named Lefty that because I was more comfortable reeling with my left hand on my fly reel that I could indeed reel faster with that hand… despite what he had said in print for years. I'll keep the story short and just say that I lost $1 after timing how fast I could reel in 50' of line first left hand then right. Those old fly guys know stuff…
So… the moral of the story is that a right hand person should crank with their right and cast with their left hand when using a baitcaster.
AND… I've broken or bent enough reel handles that I can assure you that your cranking hand is very important when you set the hook.
Left hand on a spinning reel makes sense because with the way the rod is held you want your dominant hand on the rod. Speed with the reel handle isn't important.
"Will Schultz" said:
When I was younger and stupid (OK dumber… I'm still stupid) I agreed with that… kinda.
…
It's even worse when you're old and stupid, like me, and know everything! 😀
Thanks, Mike and Jason, for the offers. And I started this thread just asking what lure I had bought! 😯
But I'd feel really uncomfortable about taking accepting that stuff. You're a great bunch of guys!
Chemi-
I have to tell you that at some point in your life you will feel more joy in musky fishing and more pride about being in this group, the day you hand that combo to someone else a few years from now, than you will landing your biggest fish. I am proud to see how willing the people in this club are to advance the future of these and all fish. Hell I'll even send you a few lures I don't use and some day maybe you can forward them to another angler and tell that person about how people you barely know were willing to give. It makes the world a better place…
I'll tell you how I know – One day Dave (Muskypimp) and I were out fishing in Manistee Lake, I have an old perch Super Shad Rap that just loves the Northerns in there and it was on my rod when we came to the dock. There was a kid there that pulled his stuff right out of the way and grabbed the boat for us. He could not have been 13 yet, he looks at the rods and the boat and says "Catch any Muskies?" We were a little shocked so we start talking to him and he tells us about how he fishes all the time but no one will take him etc… So we gave him some tips and checked out his gear and let him check out our stuff, it was cool. So I usually have two or three of those SSR's in that color and I decided he should have one so I grabbed it out of the sidelocker and gave it to him. No kid on christmas with a new bike ever looked as shocked or as happy as that kid did when he got that lure… and what did it really mean to me? I spend (have spent) way too much time and money over the years on Musky crap that has never given me the un-encumbered joy that I got from that kid in that moment.
So what I am saying is, be that kid today and then find that kid when you are in a better position to do so. We will all be better for it.
Kevin
I've already experienced the willingness of this group to welcome me as an outsider and a newbie:
I've had multiple offers of sharing a boat;
Mike and Michele King offered me advice anytime I needed it, and fish-finder at a ridiculously low price, and invited me to their shop;
Will Schultz and Fred Becchetti have been very friendly in MANY ways;
I was gifted a muskie video and a Rapala SSR by John Castle, whom I'd never met until the lure swap up in Midland. And that group was very welcoming, too;
and more that I can't remember, now. A great bunch of people! Thanks you all.
Hemi, I'll take you fishing and show you how to use a bait-caster and I won't laugh at you. Mike laughed at me the first time I used one, I only had spinning reels when we first met. That quickly changed!!!! I'm a "righty" and fish a right-handed bait caster. The switch was very easy and I'm very un-coordinated. Queenfisher
"Will Schultz" said:
[quote="Chasin50"]
The "Right" way is what works for you, but my way is more efficient… [smilie=biggrin.gif]
When I was younger and stupid (OK dumber… I'm still stupid) I agreed with that… kinda. I even argued with some guy named Lefty that because I was more comfortable reeling with my left hand on my fly reel that I could indeed reel faster with that hand… despite what he had said in print for years. I'll keep the story short and just say that I lost $1 after timing how fast I could reel in 50' of line first left hand then right. Those old fly guys know stuff…
So… the moral of the story is that a right hand person should crank with their right and cast with their left hand when using a baitcaster.
AND… I've broken or bent enough reel handles that I can assure you that your cranking hand is very important when you set the hook.
Left hand on a spinning reel makes sense because with the way the rod is held you want your dominant hand on the rod. Speed with the reel handle isn't important.
So Will is Stupid, I am Dumb, and Hemi is Stuburn… At least we all belong to the same special needs club… The most imposrtant thing Hemi is not what or how, but rather the fact that you are out there and hopefully having fun… with a spinning reel… [smilie=gayteehee.gif]
From a guy who has WAY too many lures, keep the lure arsenal on the light side and just get a dozen baits that allow you to present in a manner that the situation calls for. Spend you money on the rods/reels and sonar. [smilie=2c.gif]
From a guy who has WAY too many lures, keep the lure arsenal on the light side and just get a dozen baits that allow you to present in a manner that the situation calls for. Spend you money on the rods/reels and sonar. [smilie=2c.gif]
That's good advice, and I wish it were easier to follow! It's much easier to justify spending $15-$30 on a lure now and then that it is $100-$400+ on reels, rods and sonar/GPS.
As of right now, I have ~20 baits:
3-4 spinnerbaits
7 in-line spinners/bucktails, including two "doubles"
3 Suicks
Talonz Slasher, 10"
Super Shad Rap, 6"
The Dunwright Dancer
8" Swimmin' Joe
regular Bulldawg
10" Believer
Baby Weagle
That's a fair assortment for now, and so from now on I'll endeavor to save for a baitcasting outfit. If I need one, that is! [smilie=2thumbsup.gif]
(I sometimes think the phrase "Doubting Thomas" was coined for me… 
)
Hemi, I'll take you fishing and show you how to use a bait-caster and I won't laugh at you. Mike laughed at me the first time I used one, I only had spinning reels when we first met. That quickly changed!!!! I'm a "righty" and fish a right-handed bait caster. The switch was very easy and I'm very un-coordinated. Queenfisher
Thanks, Michelle; I may take you up on that, especially if the Steelies are running soon up there in Muskie-Gon! 😀
"hemichemi" said:
As of right now, I have ~20 baits:
3-4 spinnerbaits
7 in-line spinners/bucktails, including two "doubles"
3 Suicks
Talonz Slasher, 10"
Super Shad Rap, 6"
The Dunwright Dancer
8" Swimmin' Joe
regular Bulldawg
10" Believer
Baby Weagle
With what you have, you pretty well have it covered…
Kevin,
I like your last post.I was that kid for a day at the King ranch a few years ago.
Hemi,and anyone else in the same situation,
No doubt this is a costly hobby.Gas for your boat and Hemi dont help matters.Rods and reels,heck Im no expert.I switched to casting stuff and Ill never look back,other than a couple bobber set ups.
Many good points have been mentioned.The 2 that really stand out to me are from my pal Chad.
Accuracy of a casting reel (with your thumb),and more importantly dont get into buying every lure you see.Its a damb sickness.Even when Im broke Im trying to buy or bid on more lures that probably wont catch me a fish.Stay with the proven winners.Less is more,quality vs quanity,good vs evil,stage1 vs 426 hemi, whatever you want to call it,..its sound advice.
I seriously can not even fathom using a spinning rod for muskies other than to throw jigs. When I first moved to the Midwest I used spinning rods like I used for saltwater, worked fine for a while but the more bass ansd pike fishing I did with my buddies the more I realized that they were more acurate on the cast and worked less then I did using spinning gear and that wasn't even throwing the big stuff. I avoided learing to use a baitcaster because I was intimidated, that was a mistake. I should have learned to throw a baitcaster sooner then I did and you should too Hemi, you will not be sorry.
The Steelies are in and I have access to fresh spawn!!!!!!!! We will be on the river for breakfast and fishing next saturday and you are welcome to join us. My brother "the great and fabulous keeper of the spawn" has been keeping an eye on our honey hole and picked up a good one on Friday. FISH ON!!!!!! Queenfisher
I use almost all left hand retrieve bait casters but grew up trout fishing on the east coast and it was hard to change. For me the transition was hard because no one showed me how to do it and I learned the hard way. I have listed some general rules that I learned and some good websites to get started but you can't beat fishing with someone who can really educate you and you have alot of offers to help.
I would also learn to use a right hand retrieve if you are going to do it. I am stuck with left hand retrieve and recently have been looking for a low ratio reel to throw Supermodel DCG's and I have very little to choose from vs what the right hand retrieve guys have.
Basic rules:
-Always have at least a minimum 10lb mono equivalent line or higher on the reel.
-Be aware of the wind and what it is doing to your bait.
-Be conservative with how far you think you need to cast and use the tension knob. I get a backlash when I try to "push" the limits. For muskies you really don't want a huge cast becuase your hooksets could become a real issue at a really long distance.
-Buy a quality reel and you get what you pay for and make sure you can return it if you don't like it.
This stuff helps me with backlashes:
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Good websites:
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