Musky Trolling Set Ups

[MuskyGreenHorn]

I was wondering if anyone could help me with picking a rod to do some trolling for muskie. I have been doing a lot of reading and I have come to the conclusion that a glass rod may be better than graphite for trolling??? I have read that a longer (8-10 foot) downrigger or dipsy diver rod may be a good choice as they are more forgiving when a big fish hits at higher trolling speeds compared to a stiffer graphite casting rod. Also the advantage of a longer rod helps keep lines spread out when trolling several lines. I am a big fan of Okuma and I plan on matching this rod with a catalina line counter reel. Okuma has a rod in their muskie lineup that is designated as a trolling rod, but i believe it is graphite??? I have other set-ups for casting bucktails/cranks/jerks. Now I want something specifically for trolling. Thoughts, opinions?

[Raf]

how much money do you want to spend?

 

dipsy rods work just fine for 99% of the baits as long as you're not pulling really hard pulling baits. do not use a rigger rod, they are waaay too floppy.

 

one of the lines of thought re: glass is superior over graphite comes from the thinking that graphite can become brittle during late fall temps and break. i've used graphite rods trolling late in the late fall and had no issues. glass rods are also cheaper and since it's sitting in a rod holder all day, the extra weight/lack of sensitivity is a non-issue.

 

my favourite muskie trolling rod is a st. croix 8'er that's more than $150. it is a glass composite rod specifically made for muskie trolling - it will handle the giant baits and the small ones. i have an okuma convector line counter on it. if money is no object and you want one good rod, this is it. i also use a 9'6" cabelas depthmaster dipsy rod that's probably $30-40 with another convector and the combo works well and a shorter 7' el cheapo muskie rod (probably glass) for trolling using wire line - it has a stiff backbone but a very soft tip. those are 3 "dedicated" trolling setups. I wont hesitate to use my casting 8' MH (bucktail rod) and an 8'6" XH (big daddy) as well (they are graphite)

Edited April 15, 2009 by Raf

[lew]

I use a 7' 6" Shimano Compre with a Shimano Tekotta 600LC reel.

 

Works well for me.

[mepps]

I use a 6"6 Shimano Compre with a Quantum Cabo PTs CBC31 reel.

[Tom McCutcheon]

I used a 6 foot shimano compre with an okuma convector line counter. It was like a pool cue; could pull all the heavy or large billed baits with no problem but very little foregiveness or sensitivity. I now have an 8 foot compre with the same reel, new this year so I can't tell you what it's like but it has to be better than the CUE.

 

Tom.

[Crazyhook]

Try an 8 foot G Loomis, like others had mentioned Conpres are a good value and another good choice is a tiger stick ( saltwater)

[MuskyGreenHorn]

Sounds good, from what I gather a line counter reel is a must for trolling. I doubt I will buy a Loomis or St. Croix, or even Shimano for a rod. I have been a Shimano man my whole life, I fish for just about everything and have all sorts of set-ups, but I find all these brands over priced for what you actually get. They are all top notch and excellent products and I have experience with all of them, but Okuma is really winning me over recently. They use the same materials as the other guys and in fact build stuff for other names (basspro for example), so using their own name they can offer it a substantially better price. Service could be an issue, but I have read lots of good stuff on Okumas service. Plus their EVx rods (including the musky line) come with a lifetime warranty. How can you argue with that at half the price of a St.Croix Premier that only has a 5 year.

 

Does anyone have experience with the Okuma EVx musky rods?

Does anyone use inline planer boards for musky trolling? If so what do products do you use?

[Raf]

Does anyone have experience with the Okuma EVx musky rods?

 

I have the 8'6" XH. It's a good rod for the price but I prefer my 8'6" XH St. Croix Premiere. Just a better rod albeit with a poorer warranty.

 

Line counter is a nice to have but not neccessary. You can easily count "pulls" or "wraps" to achieve repeatability in terms of line out/depth.

[Handlebarz]

Alot of the guides and guys here on LSC use Ugly stick tiger rods they have a great back bone to them but also a soft tip so that you can watch the rod for lure action this way when you get a lure fouled up you will notice it right away and they are alot cheaper then the others.

 

I have been using the Convector 30D line counters from Okuma and they have been great with no problems at all. What the others have siad is all good and great but for some who dont have a larger budget this is the way to go also the rods can take a punishment thats why the guides use them as some clients will step on them or bang them around and they keep on tickin.

[SlowPoke]

I use Daiwa Heartland dipsy rods for trolling, no issues. At $35 each and double as a salmon/trout dipsy rod, I certainly get my monies worth.

I use Shimano Tekota 600 linecounters and Penn 209's with them. As Raf stated, linecounters aren't a huge benefit but can be handy. Since you're not generally trolling huge depths, the margin for error is smaller than if you were trying to get a dipsy down 80-100 feet or so.

I use a Riviera 7' planer mast and triple boards for trolling. Inlines are also very popular but I can't offer any recommendations.

[Roy]

Sounds like your mind is already made up. Let us know how you make out.

 

 

And welcome aboard.

[Guest steel'n'esox]

I use both 7.5 and 8 ft heavy action compres on 600 Tecota LCs and also shimano 8 ft TDR heavy action downrigger rod model 1804 on 500 Tecota LCs. I love the 1804s they are no longer manufactured, they are cheap and I buy every one I find. At the Kawartha Chapter Muskies Canada meeting last night a member had an 8 foot Magnum rod by Rapala that was designed for Sturgeon and Cats coupled with a Rapala LC reel which he got for under 100.00 not bad for a cheap combo, the guys their were impressed but Ill stick to the shimanos

[tinbanger]

Steeln'essox

saw that combo too and going to see what kind of deal my local tackle shop can swing. Can't lose for that price ?

TB

[irishfield]

Like Lew... 7'6" Compre CPC-M76H but with a Calcutta 700B on it .... or a St. Croix with a Quantum CBC31PTS like Mepps.

 

No need for a line counter.. count wraps as others have indicated.

Edited April 15, 2009 by irishfield

[Ron]

I seen it with my own eyes last night at our MCI meeting. Rapala has a "Sturgeon Rod" out on the market. These were on sale at the Carp show last weekend. The rod is actually rated for 20 - 80 lb test comes with a line counter reel. 8 ft long, lure size 2 - 8 oz. IM7 composite. (please note, this is what I recall from the conversation).

 

All this for $80.00!

 

I don't think you can find a better deal than that. 35 - 40 members at our MCI meeting last night and most of them said this would be a great outfit for just getting into muskie fishing and some others said they would definitely buy to use as a full time trolling outfit.

[outllaw]

charters choice tiugerstik blank. eva foam handles. rodholders dont eat them. soft tip great backbone. a 10ft dipsey rod can lift a 12lb bowling ball off the ground without whimpering.

reel a good ole 310 gti. 4.1 gear ratio. excellent for big fish and bigger lures.

[2 tone z71]

I use a 7' 6" Shimano Compre with a Shimano Tekotta 600LC reel.

 

Works well for me.

 

same setup, works well for me too

[moemoe]

Personally I like a longer rod that gets the lures away from the boat. Especially if your using 4 rods. I double my 10 foot Talora rod for dipseys and musky. Great rod with a lifetime warranty for under a 100

[Walshskie]

The first question when it comes to musky fishing and gear is where do you fish, because the trolling rod and reel or casting I would suggest depends on where you fish, the best rod for st. clair would not be the best rod for Gbay. By the suggestions guys give you can tell where they fish. But St. Croix makes a good 8 ft glass/graphit rod that is a good all round trolling rod.

[MuskyGreenHorn]

Fair enough Walshskie, good advice. I should have mentioned I plan on Fishing Lake of the Woods a lot this year. Whitefish bay in particular and hopefully Sabaskong Bay a fair bit as well. I am leaning toward a 9'-10' Okuma Dipsy Glass rod for about $30 and their convector line counter reel for about $80.

[Walshskie]

First thing I've never fished LOTW but I'd love to be you, your on some amazing musky water. Good rod for working open water like the St. Clair guys do, to get a wide spread, but if you get involved trolling weed edges with short line a shorter stiffer rod may be a good idea like the 8 ft st.croix, If you are new to musky fishing, don't forget about running a short line 5-20 ft behind the boat, I know I had little cofidence with running a line that close to the boat untill I saw the results.