when i started muskie fishing i guess i didnt realize how much it would truly pull me in. when it came to fishing i liked to have people in my boat w/ experience, which i still do but the shear amount of time i spend wants/needs to envolve my girl. its hard enough to try and explain and teach a bait cast reel to her, but honestly i struggle finding the right combo that she could effectively fish with right off the bat. the lures make it tough for her overall lack in casting and getting to reeling right away. also the weight of most of the baits really limit bait selections in my mind to allow her to fish and enjoy herself and still have a chance to fish. most days when she is out with me i always end up trolling around the lake. its tough for me to do i always want to cast but i hate when she sits and watches for so long. i imagine most lures under 8 ounces she can throw but mainly baits probably under 6. i feel like i dont have the right reel for her mainly. it is too much work for her to get the bait to perform right and it seems like when she does its already at the boat ready for another cast. my mind leads to high gear ratio and a shorter rod thats flexible (bass set up!!!) but im curious to some feedback from other members that i know sucessfully fish with females and they have success. it is my number 1 goal for next year to put her on fish and have her succeed. she is very competitive but this area of concern makes me afraid she will shun away from trying anymore. i want my future vacations to include muskies baby!!!! any feedback would be awesome i want to purchase a rod/reel/line set up for her before season.
I'd say stop thinking so big, and start her off throwing spinnerbaits and single-blade bucktails, and maybe some smaller twitch/cranks like Super Shad Raps. The kind of reel really doesn't matter for tossing them, so if she already has a spin-cast reel or something like that, go with it for now. How old is she, anyway?
Our girls (Kim and Christina) used an 7.5 Ugly stick with a 50 series garcia Toro low profile, and an Okuma 8ft witha Toro 60. Kim bought 2 more slop master single blades at the musky show last weekend, and between the 2 they like to throw hell hounds and the slopmasters or Mepps Giant Killer Sassy Shads. Both catch Muskie, the slop master caught a 47.5 and Kim reminds me of who has caught the biggest fish quite often :-).
I have a christmas day photo of Christina bundled up fishing from 2-3 years ago on the forum I believe. She had hooked but lost a muskie at the boat on a sassy shad.
Good luck !
Get a lexa 300 and a okuma evx rod for her it's a quality combo that you will also enjoy using. Definitely pick up some twitch baits, shadraps, suicks and Bert's are easy to work. Straight retrieve top water baits are also a good choice for newbies because when a fish blows up on one weather or not they hook the fish its exciting.
My wife hates a baitcaster so she throws mostly oversized bass spinnerbaits, or small crankbaits like the vamp/x-raps on a spinning set-up. The spinning rod features 25# braid, but most importantly quality wire leader.
I agree that a 7.5-8" medium rod with a low profile reel (toro or lexa 300) would be great. I would recommend spinnerbaits, small bucktails, chatterbaits, SS Shads and topwater prop baits. Very easy, and steady retrieves and fish catchers.
I've fished with a good amount of newbies over the years and a handful of them have been female. I've found a rod in the 7.5' range is best and really like the Lexa 300s paired with it. I always start newbies out with a prop style topwater bait as it is very easy to cast, it's a straight retrieve, it stays out of submerged weeds, and the individual will see the strike (or see a blow-up or wake which will get them excited). Like Scott said though, a decent spinning combo isn't a bad idea as well. There are a lot of smaller twitchbaits and spinners that will work really well on a spinning combo if the person is having trouble with a baitcaster.
Agree with everyone else's posts. I started Sammie out with a 7'-6" MH mojo musky, paired with a 50 size Revo spooled with 60 lb sunline. It's a great combo for beginners having the shorter stick and small framed reel. She has since graduated to 8-6 and 9-0 rods after a season with the smaller rod. Couple tips for you is make sure the brake is fairly tight until she gets the hang of thumbing the line, and most importantly remember to be patient….. Trust me these will save you lots of headaches.
I would also recommend getting a 4" phantom. It's a really easy glide to work and it will help her to learn how to get the cadence down for the larger jerks/glides.
Another vote for the Lexa 300. For my wifes combo, I put one on a Tackle Industries 8' Heavy rod which has a ton of tip to help get the lures out better. I actually love using her rod with smaller stuff. (Teardrops, 6" jakes, small bucktails, 6" Phantoms, etc). The Lexa is a great beginner baitcaster because it has an awesome magnetic spool brake along with a spool tension. Turn it up all the way, and it's almost impossible to get a backlash. When they start getting comfortable to use their thumb to slow down/stop the spool, turn it down little by little.
"Mayhem" said:
Good advice by everyone. Now if I could just get my wife to do a good figure 8 when she has a follow and not have a panic attack and rip her baits away from fish we would be on something.
No kidding! This past fall, Amy pulled her bait away from a 48-50 WHILE saying, that one's too big!! I don't want that one! [smilie=bangtard.gif]
If a baitcaster is the right tool for the job then that's what she should be using. As noted by others the Lexa 300 is almost fool proof. Since I've been using them I've had countless people in my boat that have never used a baitcaster. Despite them often having real concerns (pun intended) within 15 minutes they're over their concerns and in love with the reel.
An 8'6" MH rod is perfect (personal preference is the LT Long Ranger), you can find them used for the same price as a new TI or Mojo.
IMO – It doesn't make sense to invest in anything that you aren't going to use yourself. Buy yourself another combo that can be used when others join you, make it a light combo that you can use for small tails, 6-9" crank baits, etc.
Better have a looooong boat and a good first aid kit if your gonna give a newbie an 8'6 rod! Just my previously stitched headed opinion. I'm in a different camp here…..caught a load full on 7' and 7'6"s over the years, and is always my go to for rookies, especially for gliders and small jerk baits. 8's are beauty's, but for me, longer rods have just as many negatives, (boat size, storage, travel…can't get an 8'6 in my truck), as positives, (no need to list em'). My 8'3" pounder rod is the longest I'll ever need. If I start positioning my boat a mile from the structure I'm fishing, or ever feel like my catch rate will skyrocket if my figure 8's are 6" inches deeper and I can't bend over (now a possibility), perhaps my worthless opinion will change. If your girl is small, or you have up and coming kids, I'd go a little smaller….remember, your not shopping for yourself. If your gonna start her on pounders, mega dussas, and 13" jakes, then perhaps u should go bigger…and wear a hard hat!
thank you guys this makes my shopping so easy.. believe it or not the first baitcast reel i bought was a p.o.s. i do believe jason sold it to me…in his defense he told me to buy a different reel but it was cheaper. but long story short after burning blades it met its end rather fast! my daughter leila is going on 12 years old; my "girl" robin is 30 but is rather short and she struggled all year trying to cast my gear. i was too afraid to hurt/kill a muskie to break out my spincast bass/walleye set up so i resorted to trolling and she struck out all year. it was a sad day when in the fall i hit a 30 inch pike that made it in the net on thorn and she told me "thats the first fish ive seen on this lake i was beginning to think that they all died!" im starting to believe that im a horrible guide haha! it is my goal to put her on a fish if i cannot do it after spring Mr. shultz your getting a call just dont rub it in my face when you put her on multiple fish in a day because her blunt honesty will come out and she will remind of me of how bad of a musky fisher i am compared to others.. 😀
There is also a handful of bass rods that I would not mind having in my boat. I built one last year that I do carry in the spring. They are mostly labeled as flipping rods, but if you can find a fast action swimbait rod its the same thing. A Heavy or extra heavy will work and they are great for small to medium phantoms and hellhounds, spinnerbaits, single and double 8's, prop style topwaters, jigs, and things like little claws, or 4-6" in shallow shads. Bass guys are afraid of heavy line ratings and think they actually mean something… so if it says something like 17-40 lb its heavy enough. with the shorter length (as most are 7'11") they fish very similar to the St Croix top n tail or long ranger, are more readily available and cheaper.
For a reel I can't argue with the lexa, but I haven't used one. The shimano curado is nice too, I have a couple, and other than a minor issue that was totally my fault I have liked both of them over the last 4-5 years.
Michelle has always used the older St. Croix reels that Jim Saric used for years. the model 250 has served her well and she still has the first three she bought in 2003 . Rebuilds are only 10 bucks. Now today there are even better low profile reels like the lexas . You want a reel that fits her hand well. Michelle has never really used super long rods. She does most of her fishing with a 7 foot 4 inch St. Croix Avid that she had custom tied by Mitch Johnson in Montague. That combo has served her very well for 12 years and is still in excellent condition. The quality of those rods and reels speak for themselves. When she does fish bigger baits she has a 7 foot 10 inch St Croix Premier extra heavy action which has also served her well for 12 years. I dont know what they charge to rebuild the Lexa but at 10 bucks its hard to beat the 250 St. Croix for rebuild cost. Like I said Michelle has three of them and they all continue to work great even after over 12 years of hard use. Women tend to use or like lighter rigs. You need to find good quality as in strong but lighter then what you use. Michelle's 7'4" Avid is one such rod. It was a 7'6" blank that we took two inches off the tip when it was built. The Avid blank is much lighter then the premier and with the 250 reel fit her perfect. It is her favorite rod and reel combo. She alos liked the low profile Phluger trion reels so Im sure the Lexa would also fit well as they are very similar in size. she can try Michelles rig if she likes. Any time you two want to visit . Mike
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