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I will be coming up to the Wild Eagle on Labor day weekend to fish with my boys. I am looking forward to catching the frying pan fishies, but am also excited to cast for the mighty musky. I am not an experienced Musky angler and want to get the right gear to get into Musky fishing. I have an AbuGarcia C3 reel that I want to match to the right entry level rod. I have a budget range of $50 - $80. What Rod manufacturer and model do you recommend?
Todd from Naperville
Todd, your price range is a bit limiting but not impossible. Here are the rods I would consider in that range:
Shimano Convergence series: around $70.00
Daiwa Heartland series: also around $70.00
If you could see your way to spend and extra few bucks and get up to about $100 that would open up a few more rods for you and I would strongly consider the St. Croix Triumph series in that range.
I still have a few rods that were used from last years guiding that are in excellent shape and available if you're interested. These are Fig Rig Tooth Tamers that sold for $170.00 new but I'm clearing out the closet so I'm looking to get $80 for those.
Thank you Pete. What Rod Length and Weight (MH or H) would you recommend for an all-around rod. I understand that it will not be able to do-it all and just need a rod that will through most of the gear a beginner will throw.
Thanks again,
Todd
Todd, I sent you a PM last night, You might check out your mail. Not to take food off Pete's table, You might also check out Rollie and Helens when you get into town, Your stay could coincide with a sale otherwise what I shared in my PM or what Pete is offering would be a good choice as well.
Pete works at Rollie and Helen's and that is the info he was giving you.
Even a muskie rig that you'll use once a year is worth putting a couple hundred bucks into... 100-120 for a good 7 1/2 foot, heavy action rod, (many good brands out there, I'd pop for a St Croix Premier series) another 80-100 for a decent Abu 6500C, and 20 bucks for line, a leader etc.
This will be a rig that can toss everything from #5 Mepps to Mantas. Good all around rod/reel that can be adapted to many different fishing applications... catfishing, sturgeon, light salt water, great lakes trolling, etc.
That's my two cents on a first muskie rig... If you hate muskie fishing you can always sell it... to me.
Jim is right. I work at R&H so if you stop by I'll be happy to show you a selection of rods that will fit the bill. Regarding rod actions you need to know that there is no "standard" in the rod industry. A heavy action rod from one company may feel more like a medium heavy in another. I tend to agree with Matt that more often than not I'll opt for a heavy action to get a wider range of lures into play. However, some guys just don't like the feel of that and a medium heavy might be more up your alley. I'd go for a minimum length of 7' and usually 7'6" is a pretty good route for an all around rod. Also remember that the lure ratings on rods are subjective. The manufacturer rates the rod at what they feel is the best lure weights for the action. You can certainly throw a light lure with a rod that's rated for heavier baits but most likely your casting distance with that rod will be diminished somewhat. You can also push things on the upper end a bit and throw somewhat heavier baits with a rod that is rated below the level of some lures. However don't go too overboard on that. You don't want to snap a rod that's rated up to 3oz. lures when you're trying to chuck a Pounder Bulldawg out there. Think in terms of standard lures you're likely to be throwing 90% of the time. For most of us that's probably bucktails, surface baits, standard crankbaits, and some jerkbaits. A lot of those will be covered in a med/hvy to hvy action rod.
I know a lot of this sounds confusing but as you know there's no perfect rod that will do everything but remember up until just a short time ago most of us went fishing and caught plenty of fish with just one rod. The revolution in lure selections over the years has dictated that some specialty rods come into play. If you're a casual musky fisherman going a few times a year don't get caught into the trap of thinking that the only lure that's catching fish is the hot ticket you just saw on some TV show or read about in a magazine article.
do you have any rod for resale left? if so what and how do we go about purchasing. looking for a back up. like making long casts. could be interested in a used reel also. also any tips for lac vieux dessert around labor day? going to visit my mother in lando and try my luck.
When I first started out musky fishing I went out and bought myself a Gander Mountain Guide Series rod. It was fairly inexpensive and worked very well. The rod I bought was a little short compaired to what I use now, but it was a good starter rod and didn't put a hole in my wallet. As a matter of fact I still have that rod and I still use it on occassion. Otherwise I let me friends and clients use it if they are new to musky fishing.