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Posts: 10
| Ok, I recently switched to a baitcaster. I really like it a lot better than my old spinning rod. But, when I used the spinning rod i had a better feel as far as hook setting and I didn't lose too many fish once I hooked into them. So far in the past week I've hooked up with 5 muskie and am yet to land one. I feel like the drag setting is awkward and I cant seem to get enough pressure on the fish without feeling like the line might be too taught. Basically the fish just spits the lure. I use 30 lb braided and a leader and I'm throwing shallow running grandma lures... Any suggestions on timing and/or drag setting for a better hookup?
Sorry if this is elementary stuff, its my first year chasing the big boys! |
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Posts: 2089
| Go with 80lb braid, lock your drag down and GIVE 'EM THE BUSINESS. Line too taught? No such thing. Manhandle the slimy beast. 40lbers? That's another story. Be agressive and let your equipment do the work. Make sure terminal tackle is up to the challenge as well. Steve |
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Posts: 10
| ty for the advice! Sounds like the fish has no chance haha. By the way, do you run a guide service? |
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Posts: 94
Location: Perham, MN | Tighten that drag down! But, if you can see the fish is barely skin hooked or if you hook up near the boat and want to giver her a little line i like to free spool |
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Posts: 10
| Zman - 8/21/2008 10:04 PM
Tighten that drag down! But, if you can see the fish is barely skin hooked or if you hook up near the boat and want to giver her a little line i like to free spool
even with 30lb braided? I mean its pretty strong line... |
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Posts: 94
Location: Perham, MN | No. I would go with the 80lb braid. Stren Superbraid or Powerpro are my faves |
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| Tell us what rod and reel you're using... 30lb braid is way too light for most, if not all, muskie applications. |
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Posts: 10
| medium heavy 7ft with a quantum baitcaster 6.5/1 i believe |
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Posts: 337
Location: Central WI | I used 30lb line when I first started muskie fishing and I thought that was plenty strong enough, until a 35" fish ended up with a jackpot and about 20ft of line snapped off in his mouth. 30lb just doesn't seem to hold up for muskie fishing and frays real easily. I even broke lures off when casting. Like everyone else has said 80lb is a good minimum. Make sure to buy good leaders too. |
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Posts: 445
Location: Duluth, MN | I think almost everyone here started out with a heavy bass type setup like you have now and then you start throwing muskie sized lures like Double Cowgirls,Mag Dawgs and such and your arms are tired within 30 minutes. It's not cheap but it's time to move up if your really serious. 7 to 8' Heavy action rod. Gander makes a good starter rod reasonably priced. 80lb braid like everyone else said. 100 to 130 lb fluro leaders...i like Stealth leaders. Lock down the drag as tight as it will go set the hook as hard as you can and hang on!!! |
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Posts: 611
Location: WI | 80lb is better for the fish too. You don't have to fight the fish nearly as much. |
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Posts: 90
Location: ne53 | Try sharpening your hooks if you have not yet done so.
Edited by jpine 8/22/2008 9:56 AM
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Posts: 137
| Two things, one, it will definitely take getting used to if you are going from spinning to casting reels for the first time. Just like the differences in casting, there will be some ackwardness on the way you hold and retrieve the reel and rod. And you definitely will have to crank a lot faster to pick up line to catch up to a fish that comes at the boat than with a spinning reel, even if you are using a baitcaster that has a high gear ratio. Just give it time and you will get the hang of it. There is a difference too, in the way you feel the lure through the reel and rod, but this is something that you will get used to as well, and will find that you have as much, if not more, sensitivity with the fish and the lure. I also agree that once you get a hold of a real muskie setup, you will find that it is a lot easier to hook up with and land fish. 80lb braid and above is plenty thin for this sport and much easier to work with too.
The other thing you should keep in mind is that even with the right setup, you still are going to lose some fish. Muskies have hard bony mouths and are masters of throwing baits, which is why they are one of the hardest fish to land. Just keep trying and in a few years, you will wonder why you ever used anything else than a baitcaster for muskie fishing. |
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| I hired a guide when I was first starting out 15 years ago and that greatly shortened my learning curve. I wrote down dozens of questions on paper and asked them to the guide while fishing. He was more than happy to answer the questions that I asked and then some. I fished with him for three straight days and I learned the proper ways to figure 8, cast, retrieve, and so on. |
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Hook Setting