I'm sure this topic has be discussed before on this forum but I'm new and would love the input from Muskie hunters that have been around the block. I'm looking to buy some gear/bait/rods/reels for next season. I'd love to know what lures /rod/reels is everyone go to gear that they wouldn't go without: the type, color and what lake they use them on. If this is taboo information to share I respect that. I just would like to purchase bait /reels/rods that have worked for others rather than spend money on worthless gear.
I am only a couple years into this and still on the learning curve myself. What has been really fun for me is to go to the MMA holiday party/lure swap (early December) and the Chicago lure swap (January). These are great opportunities to talk with guys about different lures and buy a huge variety of stuff on the cheap to try out. I came out of Chicago with a small gym bag crammed full of stuff for less than $150. Now after playing with them this summer I know how these baits run and am fine tuning with new purchases of ones I like for size and color. Bonus was that I caught my biggest fish of the year on a bait that no one would ever put on their 'must have' list.
Ross – Where do you or do you plan to fish? The answer to that will help answer the lure questions.
# 1 – A good net from either RS nets, Frabill or Drifter. Nets that aren't muskie friendly are very hard on fish and can be a huge issue when trying to unhook a fish.
#2 The right release tools. Doubles are a good idea because things happen fast and they sink! A lanyard on expensive hook cutters is a must. You also nee to have 11" or longer pliers, Knipex mini compound bolt cutters (cheap models take twice the effort and dull quickly), Tyrant hook out, jaw spreaders. All can be found here: <url url="[Permission to view this media is denied]
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Rods
Personally I only use St Croix Legend Tournament rods for casting rods, I've got them to cover all ranges of lures:
(2) 8' Flippin Sticks – (jigs to 1oz, 6" twitch baits, rattle baits, up to 3/4oz spinnerbaits, etc.)
(2) Long Ranger (smaller bucktails, 9" suicks, smaller gliders, 6-8" twitch baits, DDD, depthraiders, etc.)
(2) Sling Blade (this is kinda the do it all in the line, most jerkbaits, rubber to mag dawgs, most surface baits – doesn't handle pounders)
(2) Big Nasty (essentially a 9' version of the sling blade and the ultimate big blade rod, does everything the sling blade does and will handle pounders)
(2) Big Dawg (this is THE big bait rod but due to its light weight it handles smaller lighter baits such as 10" suicks, 10" jakes, 9" grandmas p to pounder bulldawgs and monster medussas)
Seems ridiculous when I read it but that's what I need in my situation. Do you need $350 rods? No, not at all but they are a pleasure to fish with and if I break one in any way I know the lifetime warranty will replace the rod. Can you get it done with other rods? Absolutely, there are some great rods from both Okuma and Tackle Industries that are well built and have good warranties.
Reels
I've used everything over the last 30 some years and have made wholesale changes when a company offers a better product than the rest. I've had bad experiences with many reels over the years and thankfully most companies are making an effort to build reels that can handle muskie fishing. Right now I love Daiwa and their Lexa 300H for everything except big blades and for those the Lexa 400H on the previously mentioned Big Nasty for big blades. These reels have been super durable and most importantly I can put them in the hands of someone that has never used a baitcaster and within 20 minutes they're casting perfectly and won't backlash because of the magnetic cast control. Okuma also has some very nice reels and their Komodo is built very well, they don't have the magnetic cast control but with the internal spool brakes set correctly they cast very well and will rarely backlash.
Line
You'll hear lots of opinions and it becomes like a Dodge, Ford, Chevy debate… people like what they like but rarely try anything new. I've tried everything and continue to test any new line from all companies when it comes out. That said, I've been using Sunline FX2 80# and it continues to amaze me in every aspect. You'll hear guys say you need 100# for pounders and other heavy lures but that's because they have been using lesser quality line. In thousands and thousands of hours fishing pounders on the 80# FX2 I haven't had a single failure, I can't say that about the other companies I was using before Sunline.
Lures
Lures are somewhat personal and by that I mean they need to fit your fishing style. I catch lots of fish on lures that other people don't really like and the opposite can be said. When I need to power fish I have my favorites, when I need to finesse I have my favorites for that too. As Tom noted, our MMA lure swap and the lure swap on Saturday night of the Chicago Muskie Expo are great places to get lures cheap. You may or may not like what you buy but you're going to get them cheap, usually less than 50% of retail, and if you don't like them you just have to bring them back to the swap the following year and sell or trade them for something else.
Rods- It depends on how much you want to spend. St.Croix rods are awesome but can get expensive. Okuma makes some nice rods at an affordable cost. I'd go with one of those.
Reels- I started out with Abu Garcia round baitcaster reels. They get the job done and are pretty cheap. The next step up would be Abu Garcia revo or the Diawa Lexa. Those both are nice reels.
Baits- Don't go crazy and buy hundreds of baits. You'll find yourself only using 10-15 baits once you get some confidence with them. Join musky flee market on Facebook. Buy some baits from there and if you can make it to lure swaps buy baits there. You'll save yourself a lot of money that way. A good starter pack of lures in my opinion would be
Mepps Musky Marabou, 9 inch weighted Suick, hellhound, double 8 or 9s bucktail, top raider, ss shad, rattle trap, depth raider, spinnerbait, mag bulldawg, 206 crane crankbait, grandma/Jake, and a weagle.
You have to get yourself the proper release tools also. A big musky size net is key. Keep the fish in the water while unhooking it. A good pair of hook cutters like knipex are good to have just in case you get a hook through your finger. Long needle nose pliers and a jaw spreader are a must too.
Hopefully this helps.
For an all purpose reel, you just can't beat the Shimano Calcutta in my opinion. The 400B or 400TE are both real solid reels. A little pricey but not as bad as some of the other high end reels and they last forever. You can send them in for a cleaning/maintenance in the winter time if they start getting noisy but that is usually after several years of use. I have had issues with Abu Garcia, Daiwa, and Okuma reels but have not once had an issue with my Shimanos. Just for comparison, I bought my Calcutta TE 7 years ago and it has never broken on me but my Daiwa Lexa 400 has broken 5 times in just 3 years now. The only downside to my Calcuttas are they dont have a power handle for throwing big blades easily.
Matt,
I have seen power handles for Calcuttas. You could even use an LJV handle if I'm not mistaken.
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Matty B
"Will Schultz" said:
What exactly has gone wrong with the Lexa 400?
It is hard to explain, but I think it is the anti-reverse or an issue with the bail not fully engaging when you reel. You can forcably pull line from the reel when the bail is closed, but its not the drag that is letting the line out. When the bail is closed and there is resistance on the line, like when you set the hook on pull a bait through weeds it jerks line from the spool, but not smoothly like if the drag was loose. I have a hard time explaining the issue to the customer service reps because they just tell me its the drag, but its not. Every time I send it in to get fixed, they send it back and it works for a day or two and then the same problem occurs. They actually charged me $35 for the last repair and this time it broke again within hours of use. It is very frustrating since it costs money and time to send it in the mail, not to mention the money they charge for repair to not fix the problem.
If I can make it to the lure swap next weekend, I will bring it down with me and show you.
"MattG_braith" said:
[quote="Will Schultz"]What exactly has gone wrong with the Lexa 400?
It is hard to explain, but I think it is the anti-reverse or an issue with the bail not fully engaging when you reel. You can forcably pull line from the reel when the bail is closed, but its not the drag that is letting the line out. When the bail is closed and there is resistance on the line, like when you set the hook on pull a bait through weeds it jerks line from the spool, but not smoothly like if the drag was loose.
This can happen if the line is slipping on the spool; in other words the whole pack of line on the spool is rotating and the spool isn't. It seems like a slipping drag. It could also be a bad clutch (anti-reverse) bearing.
"hemichemi" said:
[quote="MattG_braith"]This can happen if the line is slipping on the spool; in other words the whole pack of line on the spool is rotating and the spool isn't. It seems like a slipping drag. It could also be a bad clutch (anti-reverse) bearing.
Its definitely not line slipping. It is the actual spool itself slipping. It makes a loud grinding noise as it jerks when it slips.
"MattG_braith" said:
[quote="Will Schultz"]What exactly has gone wrong with the Lexa 400?
It is hard to explain, but I think it is the anti-reverse or an issue with the bail not fully engaging when you reel. You can forcably pull line from the reel when the bail is closed, but its not the drag that is letting the line out. When the bail is closed and there is resistance on the line, like when you set the hook on pull a bait through weeds it jerks line from the spool, but not smoothly like if the drag was loose. I have a hard time explaining the issue to the customer service reps because they just tell me its the drag, but its not. Every time I send it in to get fixed, they send it back and it works for a day or two and then the same problem occurs. They actually charged me $35 for the last repair and this time it broke again within hours of use. It is very frustrating since it costs money and time to send it in the mail, not to mention the money they charge for repair to not fix the problem.
If I can make it to the lure swap next weekend, I will bring it down with me and show you.
Sounds like it's not completely engaging. Could be as simple as a sticky thumbar that's not letting the clutch engage completely.
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