Rod and Reel

[jeffreyd]

Ok i know this has been discussed however i am looking for some input from the muskie guys. My son and i are planning our return to Leech lake in June. While it is a tad early, heck hard water is not there yet, i want to start working on my christmas list. I have a garcia 6600 c4 reel now but would like to move up on the rod and reel size. The only stipulation i have is the rod needs to be a 2 piece. Any thoughts are greatly appreciated.

Jeff

[Esox_Magnum]

Why a 2 piece?? Reels I like the 60 Toro, 400 Okuma Induron, 400 Series Shimanos and 300 Lunas. I have had a 2 piece Mania rod but lacks the backbone for good solid hooksets and dont work well for big baits. Look at the Tackle Industries rods a 9' stores down to an 8' or less with the handle extension removed. For muskies I wouldn't recomend a 2 piece from my experience with them.

[jeffreyd]

I am simply thinking for overall travel purpose. having to either pack on plane or ship prior. I made a rod holder for my two piece rods out of PVC and a cap with chain to lock. Can ship from phx to leech lake for about 30 bucks rt. I will look at the tackle industries. My son is the one that needs the reel, as he is using my old abu c3 but does not like the round reel. he was using a cheap quantum ion low profile and loved it. pretty much wore it out tho. I will look at the ones you mention and see if there is one that he might like. thanks jeff

[Esox_Magnum]

300 Curado is a great low profile muskie reel to.

[jeffreyd]

i used power pro on my baitcasters but it seems to bury pretty deep on various applications. i think it is 12 or 14 lb pp. not sure if that is too heavy or not, do you all have suggestions for braid line?

[Esox_Magnum]

80 is as small as I run, you won't get the problems like you do with small braids. Buddy swears by 100, need to respool next season so may try a couple reels with 100 on it. I think 95% of the guys run at least 80 a few may still run 65, be surprised if many use less than 65.

[mn_bowhunter]

Get a minimum of 65 lb line so it won't bury as easily. I like 80 lb Tuff line XP. Many others like powerpro and cortland lines. I'd buy a 6' musky stick before I bought a 2 piece. I'd take the hassle of getting a one piece there. Other reasons would be resale and more choices available.

[JimBuck]

Those new Okuma's are 2-piece and worth checking out. As for reels, I like the Saltist 20LW for an all around work horse.

[mojogunter]

Well if you decide you can go with a one piece I have two G Loomis Muskie rods for sale one is 7'7" The other is 6'3" for half the price of new in great condition. I would also agree that you should be running much heavier line. I always ran 80lbs Tuff Line on my reels.

[50inchpig]

Pretty good info here, I'd put my vote in for the Saltist 20LW, also a big fan of the Shimanos a mentioned, Corvalus is my favorite. It's round but much more comfy than the 6500. Revo would be your reel if you truly want a low profile.

Yeah the BPS rods run on the light side. Too bad, they're good rods. I have friends that are big fans of Okumas 2 piece, I just don't have any.

You gotta go with 80# line or better, there aren't any other options. It'll still snarl, break off, and wear out much faster than the 100#, which I use. Why not give yourself a little room for error with your line? DCGs are expensive.

[hunter991]

I would look at the okuma telescoping rods. you can get the 8'6" that folds down to 7 feet. XH or XXH for throwing the big stuff. 2 piece rods for musky fishing i have to question. The weakest link is the connection. i would not trust that especially if you are on big water with big fish. That's just my $.02. And i can fit my okuma in my wifes lexus ES so its quite manageable. Also fits in my short bed truck with room to spare. At at $119 its a bargain with a lifetime warranty.

as for the reel, (again) my $.02.. stay away from abu. If you are going to fish for the fish of 1000 casts get something better. For $220 you can get a St Croix Avid AC300 or a Shimano 400b. You will thank me trust in that. They last longer, they cast smoother and are built better for muskie fishing. If you don't want to go that route, look at the Shimano Cardiff. i have one of these and it's pretty solid for $109 which is only $25 more than an abu but way better.

80# power pro, 80# spider stealth, or 80# vicious line is a must. Don't screw around with 65#.. just get the 80#, its basically the same price. I have snapped off 65# in the past, 80# just gives you more strength.

i have been fishing for muskie for years and started out cheap. i now have a closet full of "cheap stuff" that has broke or wore out. i wish i would have never bought it. Muskie fishing is tough on gear so spending a little more gets you reliable equipment. there is nothing worse than getting out there for a trip and having equip fail. for about $300 you can get a great setup that will last for many years.

[jeffreyd]

thanks for the info guys, the line is the biggest issue that i can see. i will strip off the 65 lb from my garcias and load them with 85 or 100. while it cuts down on the amount you can put on the reel, it means less that you have to reel in too. i love both my garcias but the biggest deal is for lucas. he does not like the round reel so will look at a revo for christmas. he has a president spinner which he has issues with when casting, not sure but might be the line on it too. think i will put mono on it and be done. other than that will work on a new heavy rod and see what happens. thanks to all.

[hunter991]

putting 80# on a reel will allow enuf to cast farther than most people could ever cast. There is not a concern with how much less line using 80#. I would just also suggest you do NOT put mono on for backing. I spool entirely with powerpro 80# and just put electrical tape on the spool before spooling it on. It works perfectly and you don't have to worry about a knot coming lose if you ever get to your mono. I learned this from a guide many years ago and it works.

[jeffreyd]

so you wrap a layer of tape on the metal spool first? then tie the pp to the spool which will give it a backer to keep from slipping? I have heard of that, might try it on my garcias. thanks for the suggestion

[JimBuck]

I'd suggest using some cheap mono instead of tape. The thing with braid is it will flatten out over time if it's never used during casts. With the price of a good braided line these days, I wouldn't waste line on a spool that will never see the light of day....especially higher capacity reels like the Saltist, Calcutta's, Induron's etc.

[jeffreyd]

good point jim, i will look at the spec on my garcia to see what it calls out for the heaviest line on the spool and go from there. i went to a local shop here in phoenix to have them spooled along with my spinning reels, the kid that did it spooled all of them backward. he tried to tell me that he could strip off the line and respool it. at that point i grabbed my reels and went to a larger box sports shop to have them spooled. then when i am back in that store i see that kid working in the reel area. so not sure if i will go back.

[AnglerX]

If you are shipping the rods to your destination and back an 8' rod only costs 25-30 bucks through UPS. As stated above there aren't really that many options for a decent 2 piecer.

[hunter991]

again, you do not need mono. every 1 or 2 years i just reverse my line and you have NEW line essentially. i have never needed mono. No one i know does this anymore. But it's up to you. And braid flattening out doesn't cause any issues at all. in fact if it does it actually helps the line not dig in.

i will never trust a mono to braid knot in the rare event of getting that far down the spool. Its just more work and only saves about $2 in braid. not worth it.

and yes, just wrap electrical tape around the spool twice and use an arbor knot to tie.

[jeffreyd]

thanks hunter and all, this is great info

[bronzeback]

Don't just fish Leech! My 2 cents as well.

[NCLaker]

thanks for the info guys, the line is the biggest issue that i can see. i will strip off the 65 lb from my garcias and load them with 85 or 100. while it cuts down on the amount you can put on the reel, it means less that you have to reel in too. i love both my garcias but the biggest deal is for lucas. he does not like the round reel so will look at a revo for christmas. he has a president spinner which he has issues with when casting, not sure but might be the line on it too. think i will put mono on it and be done. other than that will work on a new heavy rod and see what happens. thanks to all.

If your son is not real use to Baitcasters, I would consider seriously looking at the Curado 300's (already mentioned on an earlier post). IMO it is much easier to use then the Revo's as far as fewer backlashes - only draw back is that they do not have a wide spool version so you would probably only want to put 65# tests braid so you can get sufficient amount of line on it. It also has a higher gear ratio, so for big bladed bucktail it will be a lot of work (but doable), side benefit is you can reel them in a lot faster.

If you go the REVO Toro route, go with the wide spool - it has more than enough capacity for 80-100# test braid.

[Esox_Magnum]

80 works well on the Curado, never had a problem yet with it on mine. Not sure what NC means about the Toro backlashing thats not an issue on mine with 80 Invisibraid on it. I use both the Toro and Curado for 10 blades without issue. Both reels will throw anything you want to throw. They just won't work well for burning big blades for more than a couple casts, well they will but you wont.

If you have to adjust the spool tension or turn on a few brakes, I run mine without either and use my thumb.

[sbro73]

Backlashes are not a problem on the Toro's. Error is probably on the person behind the reel! But then again SNAFU's do happen!!! Tight Lines !!!

[hunter991]

you should never worry about backlashes. They happen to some of the best people. Don't shy away from a good baitcaster, just learn how to use it. Bass reels do not equal musky reels in my opinion. The toro may, but the others, i can't see it. Not fishing countless hours and catching countless fish.

[JRedig]

I do believe the correct term is "professional overrun".