shopping for first muskie rod/reel....opinions?

[rancocasrich]

I recently moved to the Madison area and want to get involved in fishing muskie. I have heard there are good opportunities locally on the Madison chain and Lake Wisconsin. I am shopping for a used muskie rod/reel to get started. I am reasonably well stocked for bass and walleye tackle. I have the opportunity to buy a Abu Garcia Ambassador BCX reel and Shimano sojourn 7' heavy rod with medium fast action. This setup is being offered for $100.00

Is this worth purchasing to get me started. Thanks

[Mojo1269]

IMHO no... The rod is too short and the reel will not be able to hold up to modern musky baits. You can get a decent "new" starter rod around $150.00 and the reel for around $250.00. There is a reason it is priced so cheap IMHO...

There are other avenues for getting used musky gear too. Look at some of the more musky orinetated boads or craig's list and you should be able to find better gear that you will be much more satisfied with.

[rancocasrich]

ouch!....so it can cost me $400.00 for a starter rod/reel for muskie....That will rule me out....

[rh1129]

You don't need to spend 400.00 to get started.Look at tackle industries rods Maybe a 8.5 or 9 ft heavy action.They run sales I got one for about a 100.00 bucks.For a reel find a abu 6500 for 50.00 or 60.00 bucks or for a little more you can find a used calcutta for 100.00 to 150.00 and you are set.If you fish a lot of big bucktails it will take a toll on some of the cheaper reels but you can fish till you save up a little to put a better reel on that rod.Just my opinion but don't not go because you can't buy the good stuff right away.

[goldman]

I have a Rhino rod made by Zebco, this is a heavy action rod with a glass blank. On this rod is a Zebco "Hawg". I have fished northern and musky with this setup for years and at the time of purchase I didn't spend $60 on the whole nine yards. Granted, this is no where near top of the line equipment, but extremely functional, and I've had a blast with this setup over the years. Something along these lines would get you started without dropping 4 or 5 bills. You wouldn't need a super sensitive rod, when the musky hits you'll know it. The name of the game is durability, hence the glass rod. JMHO.


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[Mojo1269]

Musky fishing requires special tools and realisticly they are not cheap. Its not like trying to catch pike with a bass rod...Before you even buy a reel and rod you need about $150-$250 bucks in release tools; big net, Knippex, Pliers, Jawspreader, Hook Out etc... Musky fishing is not cheap...just the facts. No point trying to catch one if you do not have the proper tool to release it.

You can find used stuff out there if you hunt it down that might make your budget but I would not go into half assed. FWIW I would stay away from the secondary brands like Tackle Industry..they are crap rods. You are better served get a "name Brand" used...

[rh1129]

I have a big nasty and a sling blade and 3 or 4 other rods so I know something about the benefit of the nicer stuff.I have a tranx a winch and some calcuttas but I would not tell this guy he has to buy that stuff out of the gate.I agree that you should buy the best you can afford but he was clear he is on a tight budget.I don't think the TI rods are crap.I have used mine and it's a decent rod for the money.

[Mojo1269]

I would rather use a piece of rebar than a TI rod. With the options by established brands like Shimano, St Croix and Okuma in the same price point as the TI rods there is no reason to stoop that low. I agree a person does not need to buy high end gear to start but you might as well buy gear that will last for a while. Start casting double 10's with a 6500 China made Abu Garciaand see how long it lasts....

[AllenW]

Don't start to heavy, the big baits get tiring quick if your not used to them.

Rod, I go with a tooth tamer TT80MHC 8'0 Med-Heavy $159.99
Probably find this one cheaper if you look.

Its a good rod for figure 8's and will cast anything you need to start out and continue fishing with.

Reels, I go with a Shimano Cardiff 400 series, not the Calcutta but it will work nicely.
Runs about $100-110

I have several, and use this rod and reel set up quite a bit, when I go heavier I'll use a 8' heavy TT rod and Calcutta.

All reels spoiled with 65# braid and I've never broke a line.

Lures, buy a few bucktails and a couple of hard baits like a suick and believer and a couple plastic ones like a Bull dawg, nothing to big just enough to get ya going.

You can upgrade as you learn more.

Al

[Mojo1269]

Sound advice here ^^^^^^^. Only thing I might do differfent is put 80LBS line on the reel if you are not 100% comfortable with a baitcaster. 65lbs is plenty strong for many musky lures and to fight the fish but the 80 is nice if you get a backlash with an expensive plug or bucktail on. There is a much better chance of the lure not snapping off with the heavier line... I use anywhere from 65-100 on my reels; it really depends on the application I plan on using them for...