Should I return the rod?

[TylerS]

Hey, total noob here to the musky scene. Got my first taste of the infamous "fish of a thousand casts" on a trip up to Lake of the Woods a few years ago. Walleye fishing went to s%@t so decided to try my hand at ol' esox. Lo and behold, I managed to land my first off a rocky outcrop. Nothing monster (36 inches) but it was exciting nonetheless.

But I digress...

I was walking through the store that lays claim to my future childrens' college funds (a.k.a. Cabelas) and found a musky-esque rod on clearance for 30 bucks (I know, I know, you get what you pay for, but I couldn't resist...it was marked down 50%)! Now I have no idea what constitutues a good musky rod. The thing is stiff as a broom handle but has a fast tip. Its a 7 foot Cabelas IM7 casting rod. It's labeled "musky," thus my assumption as to its intended purpose.

My question is this: Will this be a good all-around rod for my dabbling into the art of "great-gator-of-the-north" fishing? I still have the arduous task of finding a reel to slap on it...and the pain of buying lures, lines, etc. (oh the agony...hehehe). I plan on sticking to mostly top waters and bucktails. Anything else, and I'll have to add another hobby to my already-too-large list of things to do outside.

Anyway, thanks for reading my ramblings. Any advice appreciated.

-TylerS

[mainbutter]

I say for $30 it's not worth the trouble to return, and it's always good to have a back-up rod if you get a more expensive one later.

P.S. I'm sure that plenty of musky fishermen with their seemingly infinitely large pocketbooks might disagree with my own personal beliefs on fishing gear, but I always go cheap(relatively) on rods when I can and put the money I save into better reels.

The fish don't look at an expensive rod when they're chasing a lure and think "oh that guy paid $300 for his rod, I guess I'll bite now" or "pfft, whatever, $30 clearance rod? no way I'd take that guy's lure".

If the rod casts, retrieves, sets the hook, detects strikes, and fights like you want it to, then there's nothing wrong with it. I have yet to find a rod that let me down after I paid money for it, even on the cheap side.

[Croix]

For 30 a good place to start. Get some bucktails, crankbaits, topwaters and some plastics to start.

[goblueM]

pretty soon you'll be buying a $100 tackle box to fit the $500 of baits you bought...

[b1gf1sh1]

IM7 is good enough. ideal? no, but it will work just fine. any number below 7 avoid for anything more than eater walleye, IMO. fast action is good but in case you aren't versed yet... DO NOT GO PAST the reccomended lure weight rating or it's probably a gonner. it's probably a medium heavy power if it's IM6 and says muskie. but maybe heavy power. both are ok. length is??... 7'0 .. 7'6''? thats a good starter. i use 7'2'' because it matches my boat height. for lures just close your eyes and start grabbing stuff. ( preferably lures in packageing if you know what i mean, ouch ) that's what i did and broke the habit before i went bankrupt. reel? spend $350.00 SMRP or stay home IMO. and a hundred bucks for a box aint enough, go for 150. then spend 200 on another rod. 170 for the net. 150 release tools.... good luck newbie

[TylerS]

Thanks for all the replies. That's pretty much what I expected. I guess since I found such a bargain on the rod I can splurge a bit an the reel...maybe not "Torsa" splurge (I have to think, do I really need to, as Larry Dahlberg says, "haul a tree trunk"...) but a step up from a Corvalus? We shall see...

[10,000 Casts]

Rod length depends on a lot of things. Your height, your boat, if you want to fit it in a rod locker, what you want to throw, how you want to throw it ect. 7' is considered a bit short but it will work. The more you fish the more you will appreciate a longer rod for deeper and easier figure 8's, casting distance ect. $30 is cheap... Like mentioned above, if you throw baits over what the rod is rated for, it will more than likely be a goner. Usaully, a good starter rod is $80. I like over the counter warranties. They can come in handy for a number of reasons. But the length and the quality will always depend on how much you fish. The more you fish, the more you should spend on quality and comfort imo.

It will make a good cat rod some day.