This musky reel is highly recommended in most muskie Facebook groups and also most muskie forums. They are also a lot less absorbent than a cork handle so they can be a little easier to keep clean. When the muskies follow, no matter if they are nose to the bait, or lazily following behind, I speed up. The same could be said for a musky fisherman and his rods. They also perform far better on short line hits at boatside. Baitcasting - used to make pin point accurate castings of lures that vary in size,weight and diving depth. With the Legend Tournament being the higher end rods and are priced accordingly. The first, of course, is to consider how the rod will cast and work a lure. You are here At the end of the day targeting large musky requires specialist gear that is up to the job of handling these powerful fish. Application: bucktails, spinnerbaits, small to medium crankbaits Quick Tip: I find muskies tend to follow double bucktails more than anything else I throw. Saying that you might only want a rod that is to be used for muskie that are all under 15 lbs or there about. New technology along with the growing interest in musky fishing has spawned an industry today that now features musky rods with lengths, components and actions that rival a tournament bass angler’s repertoire. Hope these tips and baits help you catch more FISH!! You are welcome to check it out for yourself at anytime. Usually they will break down to less than 7 feet in these cases. This right action or “power” as some rod manufacturers prefer to call it, is now called “extra fast.”. Application: Topwaters and larger crankbaits and swimbaits. But, the short rod also had some noticeable drawbacks. This includes a great selection of rods. After they hit the water, a slow steady retrieve with perhaps an occasional stop-go crank action will usually attract some musky movement. There is some what of a sweet spot somewhere in the middle. Explaining when I choose to use each one and why! Spinning - spinning is probably the least used of any configuration when fishing for muskie. In most cases, this was the only rod that was offered in stores. If you are planning on tossing large bucktails over a great distance then you will definitely need a baitcasting reel in the 400 size maybe even going as high as a 500. They say a craftsman is only as good as his tools. New for 2021 Bucktails Crankbaits Jerkbaits MTO Custom Colors Plastics, ... 8’6″ MH TI Musky Trolling TANK Rod:– Rod length is 8’6″ Casting Reel Seats– Super Heavy Trolling Gui.. $149.99 . it does just about everything well, it's very lightweight, and carries a lifetime warranty. Choosing the best musky rod for your setup depends on just how exactly you intend on fishing. It takes a big rod to throw these lugs. At a minimum you will want to choose a rod that has a heavy power rating at the lightest. Rod Review The end result is a collection of outfits that enables today’s musky angler to perform at a much higher level. Probably the best musky rod for the money. This is all well and good, and you should decide this based on your height and any personal preferences. Mepps makes bucktails that easily cover a wide range of depths. Although the Tackle Industries brand(shown lower down) is certainly a top contender they are however pretty hard to come by and your local tackle shop may not have them available. Skip to content. Trolling is the best way to target larger muskie that are living down in the depths in larger lakes. If you live in muskie territory and are planning a big fishing trip,consider filling your tackle box with these seven top muskie baits and lures. And, these rods are built with the very best components right down to custom-designed rod blanks, as well as specialized reel seats. If it ain’t broke don’t fix it! Location: Northern Illinois I think if you muskie fish for a while you will end up with more than one rod. Short-Line Success: Easy Setup, Big Results. Trolling rods for musky can be on the shorter end of this range whereas a baitcasting rod for musky would be in the higher end of the range. Abu Garcia C3 Musky Reel – Best Musky Reel with a Carbon Matrix drag system This is the third Abu Garcia model on this list. St Croix offer two musky specific rods the Mojo Musky and the Legend Tournament Musky rods. I never leave the dock without them. Open up any mail order musky catalog today and see for yourself how popular this lure remains. The additional six inches or so really makes a difference on casts with marginal weight lures. With a slower rod action you need to work a load harder to whip the lure out to it's maximum distance. On longer rods this is a must especially when using very heavy lures. Not everyone is going to be casting big lures in pursuit of specimen muskie. Whereas a slow rod action will start to bend much closer to the handle. Although most fishermen won't have heard of Tackle Industries before venturing into the wonderful world of Muskie fishing, they have built a solid reputation as the go to musky specialist rod range. This Accudepth rods from Daiwa are surprisingly cheap considering how well made and durable they are. When you choose a rod for any style of fishing, try to think of it from two perspectives. Lake Ontario Outdoors is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon. The reel has elegant looks. As with the bucktail rod, 6½ or 7 feet is a good nominal length but the rod should be a medium weight rod. The rod is not designed for musky lures. Tie on your favorite topwater bait to two these two different rod actions and see for yourself. I am in Wisconsin and I catch more Muskie off my bass rod and reel than when I am tossing big bull dogs or cowgirls. The additional length combined with the action will result in a slower response on the hookset. At lot of guys will opt for an extra heavy power rating especially when casting really heavy lures. For the majority of musky fishermen a 300 or 400 sized reel is ideal. Gear up with your desired musky rod and venture into the fishing world and yes, musky fishing is exciting. In fact, the 7 1/2-foot medium heavy makes casting the famed bucktail spinner a true pleasure. Both of these factors usually meant a high number of lost fish after the strike — it is very hard to keep the line tight with a short stiff rod. Larger 3- to 6-ounce lures usually have larger treble hooks, as well. Built using the now legendary St Croix SCII graphite blend they are extremely durable and some with two coats of Flex-Coat slow cure finish. My personal favorite in this category has always been St. Croix’s Premier 7-2 medium heavy. Which means your rod needs to be able to handle a lot of pressure on it for an extended time period. Surprisingly even a small difference of six inches to a foot can have a dramatic influence over not only how the rod feels but also how much backbone it has and just how good the casting performance will be. It was also fairly easy to heave heavyweight plugs with little effort. You actually do not want to be that fast on the hookset on any topwater strike. “I pair that reel with a 9-foot Fenwick Techna Extra Extra Heavy rod. Conversely, real tall anglers might want these actions a bit longer. Rod weight slows down response and deadens sensitivity and promotes angler fatigue. , Best Rod And Reel Combo For Musky Fishing With Larger Baits, Best Musky Rod And Reel Combo For Bucktails And Topwater Baits. You’ll be amazed at how much more accurate the heavy extra-fast action model is. In that case you might have a 6'6"-7' jerkbait rod, an 8'-9' bucktail rod etc. But how do you know which one is going to be the most suitable for you? Of course, you can always add more to accommodate special situations, but these three will more than do the job for you for most musky hunts. I hope I have helped you make rod choice a bit easier for future musky trips. Saint Michael, MN. Smaller spinning rods and baitcasting rods can sometimes have a single piece handle usually in cork. We pass on our margins & savings on to our retailers and customers! Today’s best musky rod manufacturers have delivered on the demand and offer longer blanks that preform like a short 6-footer during the casting and jerking process, yet they bend correctly during battle. The short 6-footer had its advantages. A longer rod is also a powerful tool for setting the hook and keeping muskies pinned to the lure during the battle. That’s how much I think of this particular rod action. Another reason was the retail industry itself wasn’t up to speed on musky fishing the way it is today. Fishing off raised casting platforms, common to most of the better musky boats today, might also dictate a slightly longer rod, particularly if you are taller. If you are trying to “thread the needle” and drop a lure into open holes and pockets in slop, or are attempting to pitch a jerkbait accurately to muskies hunkered tight to brush, cribs or other woody cover, this is the rod for you. 2. When you whip it forward all that stored energy will transfer into the forwards increasing the speed of the lure just as you release it. This rods are specifically built for throwing large muskie lures in the 2-8 ounce range and are suitable for line ratings in the 60-130lbs range. The gear will usually fall somewhere in the following ranges depending on the lure being used: Muskie rods will usually be between 7.5 and 9 feet in length of course if you are trolling you may have a larger rod depending on your boat setup. The other big drawback to the short traditional 6-footer occurred at boatside when a figure-8 procedure was needed. The only problem with a cork handle is that it does tend to have some durability issues especially as it gets older. I prefer to use this leader with all large bucktails (size 9 blades and larger), crankbaits and minnowbaits measuring eight inches and longer, and soft plastics. This is especially true with bucktails, some cranks, and most other techniques. The TRX500PG is a real power house with it's 4.6:1 gear ratio offering a lot more torque, that extra power does result in a loss of retrieval speed as you would expect down to 30" per crank However, the fact remains, you need this specific rod action to accommodate the rest of the lures in your tackle box not already discussed. Lets take a look at just what kind of tackle you can use. But, man is this a good crankbait stick. Looks wise they really stand out from the crowd with a very striking purple finish on both the blank and the decals. 7-foot-6 Medium Heavy Fighting a large muskie for a long time will put a huge amount of stress one your rod. If the rod doesn’t set the hook solidly, a bigger fish will surely expel the hook in short order. A good action to use is going to be fast. As soon as you got 35 miles outside of an area containing musky waters, the sport shops simply didn’t take stocking musky tackle with any priority. With that in mind, I thought it was high time I discussed three must-have rods which have made my total musky fishing experience much more pleasurable, as I’m sure it will for you, as well. Copyright text 2019 by Lake Ontario Outdoors. Rich Belanger and Joe Bucher discuss the evolution of Musky bait sizes and how they are swinging back to a smaller size. The SHIMANO Calcutta B Round Reel is the ultimate fishing reel for the powerful and heavy musky. 1 musky producer overall is probably the bucktail spinner or an in-line spinner in some form. This is all easily done with the 7-6 medium heavy. So there you have it. Sorry, comments are closed for this post. Instead, it has to have a bit more backbone with less tip action to handle the sheer weight of these larger lures. The two biggest that come to mind are a lack of hookset sweep at longer distances, and a lack of overall rod bend during fish battle. Great for working deep divers over rock humps and along weed edges. And, a short rod with a fast action comparable to all the good 6-footers of recent past, kept extra weight out of the entire rod design making it easy to fish for long periods of time. We have many pro musky guides telling us that this is the best musky reel for burning bucktails. If that is the case then a slightly smaller rod might be suitable. On top of our list of best Musky Reels is the Shimano Tranx Low Profile Baitcasting Reel which is an excellent musky reel from Shimano. A longer rod length also gives you a lot more control once you hook into a large muskie. Get the best bass rod and musky rod from TI. They also perform far better on short line hits at boatside. Altogether a well built rod that is aimed at inshore casting or musky these rods are real workhorses and can take quite a beating. Typically, I prefer to fish bucktails in water that is at least 60 degrees, but I’ve caught muskies on them throughout the season. This gives the rod a lot more backbone and means you can firmly set the hook in a muskies tough mouth. At the same time, it should also be less rigid, less stout than the previously discussed 6-foot-9, whose stoutness is primarily needed to work jerkbait-style lures. However, I like these rod lengths and actions just as I described them. That being said it is still possible to land a monstrous muskie on a short rod. While a soft, slow action rod will certainly stay bent during battle and do an acceptable job of fighting a fish once hooked, if it doesn’t generate the proper energy needed to drive the hook home, it will all be for naught. The Daiwa reels are perfect for saltwater and freshwater applications. Both of these ever-popular lures are best fished on a longer rod that has some tip bend. Large wooden jerkbaits were even more popular than they are today. Lots of backbone and yet still has a pretty decent amount of sensitivity. Most of the time I have these three must-have rods all up on the deck — right alongside me at all times. With a fast action you end up loading the top section of the rod more unlike a slow action where the rod will start to bend closer to the reel seat. To go with this 21st Century selection of rods, reels are better than ever, and the lines we fish for muskies today are so superior to the products offered just 10 years ago that as a whole, the rod, reel and line are perhaps three of the most technologically-advanced items available. Add a raised casting platform, common to most boats sold today, and the problem is compounded. It is a no frills well built alternative to the St Croix rod above and is usually priced in and around the same level. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. It's a pretty light rod so if you are covering a lot of ground all day whilst casting from the shore on a smaller lake then it can be a lot less tiring than some thing a bit more beefy. As a general rule of thumb a longer rod will cast further and will also be more accurate than a shorter one. Great for trolling deep divers along rock walls in the fall, too. In this case, an angler of shorter stature might opt for a 6 1/2-footer, while a tall one might want something larger than the suggested 7-0 or 7-2. The Mepps Musky Killer Bucktail is our number one choice for best musky bucktails. One final advantage of the 7-foot-6 medium heavy is at the boat in the figure-8. The three must-have rods are always within grasp rigged with a favorite bait to handle any situation I might encounter on that day of musky hunting. Rods of this length are far superior to shorter versions when attempting to make a large figure-8 effectively on a following fish. Our fishing community has caught more muskies on the Mepps Musky Killer Bucktail then most other lures combined. Like I said, I find myself using this rod more than any other, and like this action so much I actually keep two of these on my bow deck at all times — one rigged with an in-line spinner and the other with a spinnerbait. The longer split handle allows you to control the back swing of your cast a lot easier. This is where modern technology came into play challenging rod makers to develop the right taper, yet maintain the rigid stiffness so critical to a good jerkbait action. Cork handles are still pretty common on a lot of high quality rods. Rods less than 6 1/2 feet are simply too short for effective figure-8ing. For most applications a good fishing rod for muskie will generally fall into the range of between 7.5 feet and 9 feet in length. But it is the best value for the money you spend.Another musky rod from St. Croix making its way into our list is the Legend Tournament musky casting rod. The range features rods from 7'2" up to 8'6"' in length and a variety of power and actions available. The Helios listed here from Okuma is a 7'6" rod with a heavy power rating. Choosing The Best Musky Reels For Money. Having a longer split handle gives you a much better mechanical advantage as you can use the extra long handle as a better lever. A fast rod action means that the rod will start to bend much higher up on the blank. Some of the brands will have their longer rods as telescopic or collapsible. St Croix Triumph Musky Rod. The 6-foot-9 heavy we just talked about would be a poor choice for this group of lures mostly from a casting point of view. That is my best all-around rod and reel.” The St Croix Triumph is a good rod for musky. Fast on the market and they 've been discontinued slows down response deadens... 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