Musky rod specs?

[Tjames09]

Looking to buy a rod.

 

Wondering what specs are preferred.

 

Heavy or X heavy. What length.

 

Basspro makes a musky rod 7'6" heavy action fast action 2oz-10oz lures up to 40lb line.

[Tom McCutcheon]

What are your plans? Casting or trolling?

 

Whatever you get, it should be able to handle minimum of 80lb. braid.

[Tjames09]

What are your plans? Casting or trolling?

 

Whatever you get, it should be able to handle minimum of 80lb. braid.

 

both casting and trolling. I believe when they give line specs its for mono/fluoro, so the braid specs would be higher.

[Tom McCutcheon]

8'6" MHF will allow you to cast most baits up to 8 or 12 oz's . Depending on the reel, you could use it for trolling as well, but not for trolling big lipped, deep diver body baits. (ones with a dive curve to 25+ feet)

Again spool it with minimum 80lb braid of your choice.

[mike rousseau]

Depends on the brand

 

Most brands x heavy is similar to a st Croix heavy (in my opinion)

 

Depends what you want to cast/troll

 

If its rapalas and small in lines like musky killers then a MH is fine

 

I cast 10" jerks... Mag dawgs... Medusas... 10" cranks...

 

Minimum I will ever own is an 8' heavy st Croix or an XH in most other brands

 

I love love love my 8.5' XH st croix... Makes the big lures feel not so big and a lot easier to manage

 

Also you don't want a dinky rod when trolling 4-5-6-7 mph with a big crankbait

Edited July 24, 2016 by Mike Rousseau

[landry]

What Mike said^^^^^^

[captpierre]

If you are fishing the Kawarthas, you don't really need a super heavy rod.

If not needed for a 30lb + fish a heavy rod is a lot more weight to have to handle and takes some of the fun out of fighting a good fish.

If you are targeting monsters on GB or the Larry, that's another story.

IMHO.

[mike rousseau]

I don't use big rods for big fish

 

I use them because of the lures I use

 

I've landed several 50" fish on walleye gear and 10lb test... That doesn't mean I can cast a 10oz lure with that gear

[landry]

8' H St Croix or XH other is a good all around choice. Let's u throw. Variety of baits. Anything less is a specialty rod. Kawarthas, st Clair... this is your best one rod option. In fact my two fav Kawartha rods are a 7'6" H St Croix and and 8'6" H St Croix. It's about the baits not the size of fish.

[Fisherpete]

I think Tom meant XHF not MHF above (correct me if I am wrong) - and if I was to only have one rod, that would be it. Having a rod that can handle up to 12oz lures will allow you to throw pretty much any baits including plastics (except the giant ones like pounder dawgs and monster medussas). What's your price range?

 

Pete

[Tom McCutcheon]

Thanks Pete....tripped over my fingers.

 

I have too many rods (don't tell my wife that) and forgot what was an all around rod instead of specialty.

St. Croix has a variety of models in a variety of price ranges. Starting from entry level Muskie Mojo up to the Elite at just under $900.00 a pop. Canadian at todays rate of $1.31 and taxes included.

Edited July 24, 2016 by Tom McCutcheon

[Pigeontroller]

The heavy rods/reels and line are not just for the baits, they are also so the fish can be landed quickly! Muskie for all they're mean looks are very fragile fish and don't recover well from prolonged battles on light gear!

[landry]

I think th 8' H st Croix premiere or mojo would be a great one rod choice.

[Tjames09]

I think Tom meant XHF not MHF above (correct me if I am wrong) - and if I was to only have one rod, that would be it. Having a rod that can handle up to 12oz lures will allow you to throw pretty much any baits including plastics (except the giant ones like pounder dawgs and monster medussas). What's your price range?

 

Pete

Budget is entry level. Hence the bass pro brand. I see the st Croix stuff is $300 and up. And then you need the reel.

 

 

I don't want to spend $500 and I'm sure a musky setup can be bought for much less

[Tom McCutcheon]

You can get in at around $200. to $250. new all in rod and reel at BPS or Cabelas. That will give you a good start and tell you whether you like targeting Muskies or not.

The problem with less expensive gear is weight and they don't last very long before something wears out or breaks. I'm not saying that high end stuff won't break, it does, but it generally is manufactured to higher standards.

Check out used...in the classifieds of this and other forums. Lots of good deals out there.

[RHK]

Shop around, I just picked up a 8' Shimano Compre 1 piece, not the telescoping model, Extra Heavy, Fast, 2-12oz, 65-100lb test line at Fishing World in Hamilton on sale for $130.00.

Last year got an Abu Garcia 8'6" Volatile Extra Heavy 6-16oz at SAIL for $100.00 and this rod does everything from chucking pounders to being a back up trolling rod.

[Garry2Rs]

Although I stopped fishing for Musky several years ago, I have some observations and opinions.

 

It is true that longer rods will give you a little more distance, at the expense of accuracy.

 

If you are standing a foot above the water and holding the rod at waist level, where is the other 4 feet of rod?

 

If you are fishing with spinner-baits, bucktails or diving type baits where the rod tip is generally up, an 8 foot or longer rod might be alright. However, unless you are 8 feet tall, or fishing from a cabin cruiser, they will be too long for jerk-baits and glide baits, which are fished with the rod tip down.

 

USA made rod blanks like Loomis and St.Croix are rated lighter than Asian blanks, so a MH St.Croix would be at least a H Shimano.

 

Asian blanks also tend to exaggerate the max-weight of their lure range. For example, an old Daiwa Heartland I had was rated for 2 - 6 oz. It was great for throwing a 3 or 3.5 oz Sledge and probably should have been rated 2 - 4 oz.

 

My personal favourite Musky rods were the St.Croix 7'2" 1/2 - 2 1/2 oz for bucktails. For Grandma's, Suick's and Sledge's I used the 7' 1-3 oz St.Croix.

 

Use some common scene when considering rods rated XH. At St.Croix these suckers are rated for 6 - 12 and 4 - 10 oz baits. Remember that if your bait is too light to flex these pool-cues, you are not getting the leverage of the rod to work for you. You might as well save some money and tape a couple of guides onto a broom stick! Therefore, read the lure weight suggested on the rod and perhaps rig it up with your reel and favourite bait before you buy.

 

One last observation...The stiffer the rod, the more likely you are to lose a fish from the hooks tearing out.

 

 

 

[landry]

Yes Jerkbait and topwater rod should be 7'6" H.

However - times have changed and 8' or longer rods in H and XH are the way to go for all other baits. Most on this thread agree with this. List n to them.

 

Or buy a shorter and lighter rod and end up selling it later.

[bigbuck]

That would be a good rod to start a musky gear collection with. Its a bit short and a bit stiff for trolling but it will do.

[Raf]

i've 6 or 7 muskie rods but could fish with three rods, a 7'2 H st croix premier for jerkbaits, an 8'6 H st croix premier for mostly everything else and the 8' premier glass trolling rod.

 

if i had to compromise and only have one rod it'd propably my 7'6 h premier.

 

i definately like the longer rods for straight retrieve baits and may replace the 8'6 premier with the 9' big nasty but i'm concerned the 9' may be too much in my 15' boat.

 

i've tried shimano, okuma but it is st. croix for me.

Edited July 27, 2016 by Raf

[JoshS]

If you're going to start with one rod, go with an 8' or 8'6 H or XH (depending on brand).. you want the lure weight rating around 2-8oz. That should be your best bet for one all round rod IMO.

[Tjames09]

Well pulled the trigger today. Got a 7'6" heavy action with an Abu Garcia ambassadeur 5:1. Spooled with 80lb braid.

[Tom McCutcheon]

That will get you started.....now hold on to your wallet....LOL

[Tjames09]

 

That will get you started.....now hold on to your wallet....LOL

 

Well I bought two...and two lures hahaha. one for me one for my wife.

[captpierre]

Well pulled the trigger today. Got a 7'6" heavy action with an Abu Garcia ambassadeur 5:1. Spooled with 80lb braid.

Get as big a net you can afford.

Good leaders.

Hook cutters

Long nosed pliers.

Know the minimum size on your lake.

Make sure everyone in the boat has eyewear on when casting for sure. No hooks in eyes.

Listen to the Muskie guys on this site.

Enjoy the hunt.

Watch for follows.

A good fish is a bonus