Muskie Rod & Reel Recommendation

[Bridget]

I am looking for a special gift for my husband's upcoming b-day. My husband has taken up the hobby of uskie fishing in the Minnesota area and I would like to get him a rod and reel that is perfect for Muskie fishing. I know guys, and I know that you folks out there will take care of him by sterring me in the right direction. Any advice or recommendations on what to get him ? We have a retail store here, Gander Mountain, but no one working there has a lot of experience with Muskies and what works best.

Help ! E-mail your recommendations to mclennantb@prodigy.net

Thanks a bunch !

[Gus]

Bridget,

Where in Minnesota do you live? There are guys at the Gandermountain in Fridley who guide for Muskies. If you are looking for what to get him in the general sense of Muskie fishing, you might want to sit down. It would be alot easier if you gave him a gift certificate to Gandermountain or Thorne Brothers for about $200 - $300. He could then get a setup that would work for him. Otherwise we will have this great big debate about setups. For Jerkbaits it will be a rod about 6' - 6'10" XH, with a Abu Garcia, Shimano, or Diawa reel. For crankbaits it will be 7' - 7'6" with the same reel selections. For bucktails it will be 7'6" - 8'6" with the same reels. Everyone has different preferences. If you are in Minnesota send your husband to Thorne Brother's in Fridley, and they can help him out.

Gus

[msmith]

There are a lot of options and opinions on this subject but for what it is worth here is mine.

One thing to consider is that to really effectively fish most muskie baits 2 set ups are really necessary. If you think this will be a long term hobby for your hsband you may want to get one or the other and figure that he will buy the other set up later. The other option is to get one set up that will work for everything but not be perfect for most situations.

Regardless aof what you choose for rods I would suggest an Abu Garcia 6500 C3 reel for a starting fisherman. There are better reels out there but these are a great value and they will do everything he needs. They are about $70.

If you go with the 2 set up option you should probably get either a heavy rod about 6'- 6" long or a medium or medium heavy rod 7'- 6" to 8' long. The long rod would probably be easeier for you to chose one he will be happy with since the short rod can be more a matter of individual choice. If you want to go with the one set up option, get something that is 6'- 9" or 7'long with a medium heavy action but be aware that that it is not really possible to do everything well with one rod.

As far as tha type of rod, that really depends on what you want to spend. I have had good luck with the Gander Mountain guide series rods for about $60 - $70 but this is the least expensive rod I own that I am satisfied with. The next step up would be something like a St. Croix Premier series for about $130.00. There are many other options but these are both sold at Gander Mountain.

I am sure there are many other opinions but I would get either the Gander Mountain or St. Croix rod in 7'-6" or 8' medium heavy with a Abu Garcia 6500 C3 reel. Good luck.

[kap n jim]

Agree, an Abu Garcia 6500 C-3 reel on a St. Croix muskie rod is one sweet package. If my wife bought me this I would be very, very, impressed. To top it off you could have it spooled with 80 lb. Power Pro fishing line.

[kid coulson]

Bridget,
Get the ol boy a muscle car instead.Maybe a Buick GS or something.
Its cheaper and less heartbreaking!

[Timo]

Bridget,

These are all excellent suggestions. One thing I have discovered that I think you should keep in mind.

Regardless, Buy Quality Components that are made for the specific job. This typically comes at a price but good equipment can make the differance between a great time and frustrating day.

Rocks On,

Timo
MMA\MI#47

[matt_obrien50]

I have a whole bunch of muskie rod reel combos and by far the best one that I have is a Abu Garcia 7000 with a & foot six inch Premere St. Croix