What fishing line to buy?

[NC]

I'm trying to figure out what brand and test of fishing line I need for my muskie adventures and thought this was the place to check. I'm relatively new to muskie fishing but I certainly plan on doing much more and want to do it right. I imagine somewhere between
30-60lb would be appropriate but with all the brands and different kinds, its hard to know which to buy.
I really like Berkley Sensation for other species but it only goes to 30lbs so I don't know if that is adequate.
Thanks,
NC

[Musky Mike]

NC:

I'm sure you are going to get an awful lot of suggestions where line choice is concerned. Everyone has their favorite and are quick to sing the praises of their choice. Most of the musky fishing fraternity now use braided lines and there are numerous ones to choose from. Breaking (test) strength of the superbraids isn't really how we go about choosing these lines so much any more, it's more by line diameter. 60 to 80 lb superbraids are about the same line diameter as say 30 lb. mono. With braided lines, there is very little (almost nil) stretch and that's the reason you will find that most of us use a line test which seems considerably heavier than what is needed. At hookset and during those power dives from the side of the boat, the added breaking strength of these lines really gets tested. I'll tell you that I spool my reels with 65 lb and 80 lb Power Pro and it has served me very well indeed. Have never had a line break since I have gone to this line. I use 65 lb test on my 6'-9" bucktail/spinnerbait rods and the 80 lb on 7'-6'' crank/jerkbait rods. This isn't the only setup, and may not even be the best in many musky hunter's minds, it's just what I use and what has given me very satisfactory results. You WILL get many more suggestions I'm SURE.

Good luck and welcome to the site (and our musky fishing fraternity) you will find many hunters here, ready to share their experiences and ideas with you. Just ask the questions, and many will give response and share their experiences.

"We may release the musky but the musky will never release us."

Mike K.

[NC]

MuskyMike,
Thanks for all of the info. I never really considered line diameter before. Makes sense though. My father, brother-in-law and I have fished Mille Lacs twice this summer (only times ever actually) and have managed to catch a couple of muskie. Nothing gigantic, 39 and 41 inches but it was a blast.
Anyhow, I've always wanted to get into the sport a little more seriously and have the right gear is critical.
Right now I use a 7ft Medium/heavy Bass Pro Extreme Rod and a Diawa Millionaire baitcaster for Pike/Muskie fishing. The baitcaster will be replaced/upgraded this year but I've never really worried about the line.
I'll check into PowerPro and other braided lines. Any ideas on a good baitcaster? Would Abu Garcia be worth checking out?
Thanks again for all of you help.
NC
ncavanaugh992@msn.com

[Musky Mike]

NC:

Check out the Abu reels for sure. In my opinion they are about the best reel for the money. There are costlier reels out there for sure and I'm also sure there are many who feel these are well worth the added expense. And I'm not saying they aren't, but I've had the Abu Ambassadeur reels for an awfully long time now and they have always given me very good service. I bought my first one in 1970 and it's still going strong. I've caught everything with them from bass to walleyes, striped bass and bluefish in the Chesapeake Bay, salmon and trout in Lake Michigan and northerns and muskies in Canada and the US.
Even have a few very large catfish thrown in for good measure. In all this time; brake pads, drag disks and level wind pawls are the only parts I have ever had to replace and to the best of my knowledge, there has never been a fish of any species lost due to a reel malfunction. Sometimes Musky Mike may not perform up to par, but the Ambassadeurs always have. I have multiple reels of three different models. 5000 series (these are the 1970 vintage), 5500 series(bought in 1976) and 6500 series (newest in my arsenal with the absolute newest bought last year). I like 'em, others do too.

Mike K.

Have to be honest and say the 5000s don't see a lot of musky action any more - but on occasion, for old time sake, they still do. Caught my first musky on one of those old black 5000s - just may catch my last one on it too. The 5500s and 6500s do see quite a bit of action.

[Musky Mike]

NC:

Meant to comment on your musky combo of the 7ft Medium/heavy Bass Pro Extreme Rod and a Diawa Millionaire baitcaster reel.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with that setup, there are an awfully lot of musky anglers who use that very same setup. It's a very good starting point. Don't sell it short.

Mike K.

[NC]

Thanks MuskyMike,
The Diawa is not the "high end" reel you see at Cabelas and other places but it does okay. I really want to upgrade to the Abu Garcia though. This would be a pretty good muskie set-up in my world.
I also need to enhance my muskie lures a great deal. I have some bucktails and crankbaits but not too many. I'm not sure if many people use this bait or not, but the 2 muskies we caught were on
Red Eye Wigglers. Trolling them at Mille Lacs in 4-6 ft of water on the North Shore.
Naturally there are many other lures available which are great for muskie, but since I caught my first on the Red Eye, I've decided to stock up on them for nostaglia's sake.
Any other tips on gear? I haven't broke down and bought any titanium leaders yet because the steel have worked pretty well.

Thanks again and please feel free to share any other ideas or tips you think would help.
NC

[kid coulson]

NC
I was new to muskeing as well.Never even owned a bait caster type
reel or tied a "superline" knot.I listened to the gang here at MC
and bought a ABU 6500 and spooled it with power pro line.Love it!!
Just remember to adjust your brake evertime you switch lures.
Thats my 1.5 cents worth!Good luck.
kid coulson

[jyoung]

I fish alot of timber and I use 80lb. Tuff line by western filement, The stuff is amazing, I fish at least once a week and I usually get 2 years out of a reel and could probably get another year but i choose to replace it after 2.
The stuff has no memory and nearly no stretch and a 17lb.mono dia.
I purchase the stuff through rollie&helen's musky shop www.muskyshop.com
You may not need 80lb. for the type of fishing you are doing and I believe they have it at R&H in 65lb. and 50lb. which has an even smaller dia.
I would check the stuff out if I were you.
Good hunting,Jeff<*))))><

[Timo]

Whiplash 80#



Rocks On,

Timo

[esox-anator]

I use 80# tuff line, power pro is very similar to it. If you do go with a superline either put some mono backing on or electical tape. The reason you want some backing is so the line won't slip when you set the hook. Trust me, and anyone on the board will tell you the same.

Abu makes some great reels, I've got three right now. The 6500 is the best, but stay away from the 6500CB (cabela's model) big time junk. I bought 2 of them a yr ago and hated them and took them back. I got the regular 6500 Abu and they worked great. They were way to hard to reel.

Cheaper doesn't always mean poor quality. During the winter I find South Bend muskie rods on sale for $20. I probably have a dozen of them. I cant't tell the differance between them or my St. Croix. Also Pete Maina rod/reel combo are top notch. You can pick them up at bass-pro for $120. Also check the swap boards and ebay. Sometimes you can get some deals, or unload some tackle you don't use.

Good Luck

[kmon]

I used 50lb spiderwire last year and really liked it. It didn't pick up a lot of water and start spitting at you late in the day (really important come fall when wet hands are cold hands). And, after it broke in a bit, cast like a dream.
I switched to 60 lb spiderwire "musky braid" this year and am less impressed. Picks up water and never "broke in". I get one to five minor overun snarls every time out which I never got from the 50 lb. You just have to be so carefull with it.
On the other hand, my brother uses mono and I can outcast him by 1/3 the distance. Do I catch more fish? Did the last trip out!

[Steve @ G & S Guide Service]

You have a pretty good starting setup with what you already have. Unless you're going to be casting super heavy jerkbaits or big cranks, that rod will do most of your muskie duty.

Over the years, I've found myself using lighter and lighter tackle. I used to fish super heavy tackle and HUGE lures. I caught some nice muskies on it but found myself beat at the end of the day.

Taking clients out now, I've found that 90% of my clients can't fish with the super heavy stuff effectively for more than a couple hours. So, I've gone to lighter stuff. I found that 7' and 7'10" flippin sticks make great rods for muskie fishing, throwing bucktails and most small to medium sized crankbaits just fine.

With PowerPro, I've found that I don't need as large of a reel either, which reduces weight even more. 5 of my rigs are heavy action bass rods in 7 foot to 7'10", coupled with Shimano Curado 200 reels and 50 to 65 pound test PowerPro.

Clients and I boated 121 muskies this year, 144 last season, so we must be doing something right.

Steve @ G & S Guide Service and Custom Rods
http://www.herefishyfishy.com

[NC]

Steve,
Thanks for the info. It's nice to hear I don't need the heaviest rod and reel in the world to get the job done. I'm sure I will end up with 2-3 set-ups so I will certainly vary each in size and capacity. I just want to make sure I buy quality and the right tool for the job.
Thanks to everyone for your help and advice, it is very much appreciated.
NC

[musky raiser]

I like the braided stuff.Absolutely no stretch with that stuff.But it will rot fast if not kept away from moisture during storage.I found ths out the hard way.I went out with crash mullins on a trip and he told me he crappie fished with 30 pound test!!LOL