I tried a lot of options, and found a 9' 10 wt. to be the most efficient ( I am sure heavier would be a good thing too!) I also use a 450 gr. sinking line, it gets the big streamers down far enough, and also is heavy enough to shoot the flies without a lot of casting. as for leader I have used both the cortland pike/musky leader or just a few feet of 50+ lb. flouro, and a tie-able titanium or steel leader after that, and it has worked fine… tho all I ever catch are pike! the rig works, and is easier to cast the big flies. I have thought about going heavier on the rod, and the line, but haven't gotten around to it yet…
I am also sure there are much wiser here than I, so I am kinda curious how far off I am with what I use 
Ahh, I misread. I thought you meant you wanted to give it a go.
Like JP mentioned, a 10wt is a good place to start. I like the shorter rods, but a 9' is going to be the most common length and will work just fine. I prefer a faster action. A sinking line with grain to match the rod (usually around 450 like JP said) will be the most useful. Rio Outbound Short is my favorite. SA Streamer Express and Rio DC work well too. You definitely don't want to be underlined when throwing big flies. An intermediate line is nice if you want to keep the flies just under the surface, or when fishing topwater.
My brothers and I have messed with a few different leader setups and this is what we settled on. We start with 2' 30# maxima (or any stiff mono). That is attached to 2' of 80# fluoro with a albright knot. Then we use about 12" of surflon (<url url="[Permission to view this media is denied]
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cat=0&page=1) albright knotted to the fluoro. The 30# maxima makes a smaller knot in case you have to pull it through the guides quickly (figure 8), and have it slide back out easier. The 80# fluoro gives you a little insurance if the fish happens to get above the surflon. The surflon is the best bite leader we've found. Its soft so it doesn't hinder the action of the flies, it ties easily, and its very durable. We haven't had a fish come close to cutting it yet. We have mostly used the 26# in camo, but my brother has recently stepped up to the 40# and the fish don't seem to care.
With the surflon, you can use a rapala knot to attach the flies. Just go around twice after coming out of the loop. Wet and tighten. Part way through this year we started using a snap so we didn't have to replace to surflon after retying a few times. Just use your favorite snap (no swivel) if you want to go that route.
When it comes to flies, bigger isn't always better if he just wants to catch a fish. Smaller stuff in the 6"-8" will catch fish and are much easier to cast and fish. The 14"+ stuff is fun as hell to tie and fish though.
Double hauling is very important when casting the larger flies. The sinking lines basically cast themselves, you just have to get the momentum going. Don't waste time with a lot of false casts. You should be able to shoot out enough line after 1 or 2 false casts. Casting 60' isn't a must. I'm sure its even less important in most river situations. 30' is definitely enough to be sufficient.
Thanks Vito! Thats really great information and i'm sure it took a ton of trial and error on your part. I appreciate it though and we feel way more prepared. Hopefully we'll have some great video and pics at the end of the weekend with some flies getting eaten by some fish up there. Appreciate it man.
I can't disagree with anything a Grajewski says regarding fly fishing/casting for muskie. The brothers and I are on the same page for most things, which does sometimes differ from the MN and WI guys.
Everything he said is as I would have, so I really can't say much more. I'll add that I used to tie my own leaders, but now I have John from Stealth Tackle tie them for me, to my specs just for flies. I use 100# FC with a #3 snap, likewise, no swivels. I hate tying leaders and John does such a great job it's insane for me to not have him do it. I enjoy my time tying flies and building rods.
Just remember to set-strip and not set with the rod. I had a buddy who's new to fly fishing for muskie text me this weekend, "tell me again about the hookset….I just lost a big one!" And lo and behold, he set with the rod, which even a 14 wt won't often drive the hooks home on a muskie skull. Strip set like you want to rip her head off!
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