Muskie reels/tackle for saltwater???

[HerbB]

A question for all of you Muskie folks out there that have also fished for saltwater species: Have you ever used any of your Muskie rod and reels, lures, etc for saltwater fishing?

I own a number of ABU 6500 class reels - C3s, CIs, C4, and a UC, like a lot of folks and was wondering if any of these reels are designed for use in saltwater. I know the Ultra-Cast has stainless steel ball bearings so that part of the reel would be safe.....

Any experience or knowledge would be very helpful.

Herb

[ben]

Hello, I have used a calcutta with 8foot all-star rods for stripers this fall in NY. It worked fine, and these are my muskie equipment. I do not know if the abu can hold up to the salt water...good luck...ben

[Sponge]

The reels will work ok, but MUST BE CLEANED in a most excellent way after use. Also you won't get the distance w/ the level wind, and if you use a shock leader, the knot will often hang in the level wind...other than that, you should be ok. Depending on the amount of weight needed, the rod will need to be able to load up w/out fear of breakage; make sure it can handle the weight if cut bait fishing.

[rpieske]

I spend the winter in Marco Island, Florida fishing the saltwater. I use all my muskie gear. There are precautions you need to use. After each fishing trip, I hose off all rods and reels with fresh water. I thoroughly clean and re-lube all reels several times each winter. I have not had any problems with the reels following the above steps. I have some fiberglass rods that I prefer when fishing saltwater. But the graphite muskie rods work fine. Just remember...always hose them thoroughly with fresh water EACH TIME. And thoroughly clean and re-lube frequently.

[BigFishCarlson]

Herb: Been there and tried that, so a few caveats. First, I had a striped Marlin destroy an Abu Garcia 6600 wide reel with 45 lb spiderwire...any reel with a line guide cannot keep up with a big fish and you may smoke or explode your reel. Had a big dorado spool a 6500 loaded with about 50 bucks worth of spiderwire, and I burned my thumb to boot trying to slow her down. It took all of 30 seconds or less. I do love the small Accurate reels, epecially the Boss 270, for dorado and the like. Caught a marlin on the next bigger size, spooled with a ton of 30 pound spiderwire. The problems are how much line you might need, and the speed at which they strip line off making the line winder guide impractical. A lever drag is also important. Good fishing. Mark

[HerbB]

Thanks much for all your input. I am planning to use the Muskie reel more for shore fishing and maybe some fishing in the flats in the SW Florida area. We'll be after Snook and Redfish mostly, but may try for a few other species if they are present. I guess one never knows what one can catch there.

Must have been a blast hooking a Marlin on Muskie equipment. I have my hands full with 35 lb Muskies. A 200 lb Marlin would be a rush.

Guess I should be OK then using the Ultra-Cast. All I need then is a two piece rod so I can bring it on the plane. I might still get a surf rod and reel combo for beach fishing.

Thanks again for all your input.

Herb

[fishkopp]

Those muskie baits work as well, I was trolling little ernies up and down the beach for stripers and blues . We were roping them ,while no one else caught a thing. Make sure you wash them real good when your done . The hooks rust real easy when used in salt water.

good luck

mike ps sponge bob knows those stipers as rock fish

[MJ]

I lived in Floirda for a year and caught a few species with Musky tackle ( jacks, cudas, macks, cobia, small sharks too). However I was spooled twice once big a big shark in LAuderdale ( sorry swimmers) and once in Mexico by an unknown monster. As much as most of us think Muskies are king, Salt water fish are alot stronger and the food chain is alot longer and what's on top make the smaller fish stronger too. Eat or be eaten. Make sure you have alot of line because you never know what you may catch, also your 30 pound fish you may be reeling in can make for an easy dinner for a big shark.

tight lines and good luck
J