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| Hi I'm looking at a few trolling rods for muskie fishing and have been considering the following:
St Croix Premiere Glass/Graphite combo rod
Shimano Compre 7'6 XH
Shimano Talora (not sure which model)
Just wondering if you have some insight on what you like using and can hold up to high speed trolling of big baits.
thank you. |
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| Tackle Industries will have a new trolling rod out in a few weeks. Sounds like a real good rod too. 8' with metal guides and a 14" EVA handle. They said they will possibly have them at the Milwaukee show this year.
Looks like they already have them listed on the site. LOL I also see an 8' hot pink musky rod listed now. Awsome!
http://www.tackleindustries.com/muskypikerods.html |
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| They have some nice rods, I'm in Canada though so shipping is involved and adds to the price. Hoping there are some more available alternatives; |
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Posts: 147
Location: Chesterton, Indiana | I use the St. Croix Premier Glass and have had no problems with it. I like the rod. |
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Posts: 512
Location: Appleton | I've used Black River trolling rods for 3 yrs now and love them. I also used the new rod from Custom X last fall and liked that as well. Both great companies to deal with. |
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Posts: 774
Location: South East Wisconsin | Black River for me great rod! Great guy (Jason) to deal with. |
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Posts: 906
Location: Canada | I am currently using a pair of 8' Heavy Okuma EVX Musky Trolling rods, bought them both from J&B's Fishing Depot in Toronto.
Another great option is the Tackle Industries rods, I have trolled with my 9' XXH telescopic rod. |
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Posts: 439
Location: Lake of the Woods, Morson, Ontario | I really like the 2 piece fenwick elite tech 8'6 trolling rods as a reasonably priced unit at around $100. They handle 14" Jakes and 13" believers without a problem.
I still have a couple as back up but have gone to the cadillac of trolling rods the last 2 trolling seasons; Thorne Bros Custom Trolling 8'6 and 9'. If you want the sweetest trolling rods you can get your hands on, give them a call. |
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Posts: 614
Location: Michigan | Get some big catfish rods from Wal-mart for like $30 and you won't be disappointed. |
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Posts: 48
Location: PA | I was planning on getting a Shimano TDR 8' heavy rod for this year. What size lures will this rod handle? |
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Posts: 906
Location: Canada | I've got a bunch if friends that use those ^^ |
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i will suggest you to dont pay more than 100$.
try to stay away from 2 piece rod,same thing for the one with trigger.if you want something that will sit like a charm on the down-east try to find a shimano technium,that one come with a life time guarantee,no trigger,one piece and a lots of power.the rod can be hard to find because it's a canadian shimano exclusive. this one have been created especialy for giant white sturgeon of fraser river.
but like jasonvkop have telling you a catfish rod will do the job done try to get something that is not too soft and not too short,and once again 1 piece,when you have a 2 piece you dont want to put your tip or half the rod pointed down into the water.
good luck
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Posts: 1348
Location: Pewaukee, WI | Another fan of Black River rods! Jason will listen to what you are looking for and will come through with exactly what you want. |
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| Musky 1,
We make the Custom X Rods here in the USA. We will be in Milwaukee, Michigan, Madison, and Minnesota. Stop by our booth for more info or go to our website at www.customxlures.com. Our rods will last you a lifetime with some of the best components in the industry. |
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Posts: 311
Location: Ontario | Like pepsi said, going custom or fancy on a trolling rod isn't necessary. Spend the money on the reel. It will get rattled to hell and get a workout winching in baits.
What is your concept of "big baits" and "high speeds?" For some guys this means a Pearson spinnerbait or six inch Bagley at 3.5mph. Step up to, 5, 6 and 6.5+mph with baits like Plows, Frankies, BWBs, larger blades etc and you're looking at a whole other ballgame in terms of stress on your rod, reel, leader, line and rod holder. A wknd of 5mph with a little 10in jntd Beleiver or Perchbait will cave in the foregrip badly on some rods and shake the bolts right out of a cheap or poorly-maintained reel. In cold weather, any and all of the weak spots will be exposed even quicker.
In less than about 15fow up into where structure breaks the surface I like baits tracking in line with the boat for sharp turns etc. I want the baits tight to the boat so that where I drive with short lines, I know the lures will follow. Rods are angled down off the transom and gunnels and 6.5 to 7' long. In deeper water with wire line I use similar lengths because again, I want the baits following me tightly in the sonar cone to make it over humps and bumps as I graph them. In open water, the rods are longer and I spread things out more with 8'6 to 9'ers. Shortline rods are typically heavier for ripping weeds and following the boat, open water or deep structure rods have more bounce and are longer. Trolling varies a lot regionally and the best thing I can suggest is see how the guys set up where you're fishing and start with that. Lure size and pull determines the rod a lot, too. Guys using Woodies etc over shallow flats on LSC will be set up a lot differently than guys grinding shoals on Shield water down 20-25' with big-lipped lures. |
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| Whats wrong with two piece rods? |
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| Black River Rods are definitely worth checking out, they've been great for me. http://blackriverrods.com/ The Live/Troll model has plenty of backbone to pull large cranks or set hooks on a sucker rig. It's paired with just the right action on the tip so that you can "read" your lures while trolling and also have some forgiveness when fighting a fish at boatside. It's a quality rod at a value price. Dealer list is available on the website, including some who sell online. |
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Posts: 947
| Custom X makes a great trolling rod. Musky Innovations livebait/trolling rod is another real good one.
The don't troll with your 2 piece rod in the water is B.S I have 2 - 2 piece 10' long rods i troll half in the water all the time and have caught big fish on no problem.
Jeff Hanson
madisonmuskyguide.com |
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| Anyone ever troll with Okuma 9'3" for extended periods of time. Just wondering how they have held up? I would think fine, but I have not used them trolling for long periods. I like the length and am thinking of going this route for the season. |
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Posts: 238
| 54 is giant to me ive never caught one
pepsiboy you must have caught alot of them??
i use 2 piece trolling rods and never had a problem.
Ugly stick makes a good trolling rod also and they are fairly cheep |
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Posts: 84
| Any suggestions for a 9 to10ft, 2 piece fibergalss rod, to handle large baits...big plows, bigger 14" baits etc with some tip flexibilty and a moderate/slower action?
Rods to handle those often have an action that is too stiff. Storage is the reason for the 2 piece rod. |
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Posts: 4343
Location: Smith Creek | Surf rod Old Guy, Surf rod. |
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| for the purpose of trolling, which Tackle industry rod power would be best for the bigger baits and moving fast? MH or XH |
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Posts: 2276
Location: SE, WI. | I've fished 2 piece rods for years. Have tons of ski's on my 2 piece mania rods, 9' from bass pro shops. And all my trolling is done with the rods down in the water. Great rod and has the perfect action to handle most of your trolling applications. When they first came out you could buy this rod for about $79. They are $119 now. |
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Posts: 311
Location: Ontario | musky1, what is your idea of a "big bait?" Again, for some guys it's a lure like a ten inch Jake or something. For others its a lot bigger and harder pulling. Somebody on here was selling Deep Threats for a song after they arrived at his door and were way bigger than he expected. Other than the 20in model, Deep Threats to some guys are an average-sized lure, me included.
I have a pair of the 9' 36oz Tackle Industries rods and they have a softer tip and softer overall action than a comparable rod, such as MI's 9' 40oz rod. For baits as small as Super Shad Raps, Outkasts, Pikies, 10in Jakes/Beleivers all the way up to 10in Frankies, 10in Hookers, Plows etc they are excellent. How fast you troll is a major issue too. A Plow at 3mph works a rod a lot less than it does at double that speed. The length and softer overall action of the TI rod in 36oz xxh is great for a range of trolling baits at normal speeds 3-6mph. I haven't tested it hard yet at hi speeds with big diggers but it should be fine. Its a great rod for the 7-10inch baits most guys commonly use. For large baits walking over rocky structure at lower speed, their soft action will be great. |
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Posts: 48
Location: PA | musky1 - 2/1/2012 9:25 AM
for the purpose of trolling, which Tackle industry rod power would be best for the bigger baits and moving fast? MH or XH
Tackle Industries has an 8' trolling rod coming out. |
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Posts: 225
Location: Ontario, Canada | Rapala's R-Type trolling rods are nice for the money. |
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Posts: 4053
Location: Land of the Musky | 50+ - 2/2/2012 7:45 PM
musky1 - 2/1/2012 9:25 AM
for the purpose of trolling, which Tackle industry rod power would be best for the bigger baits and moving fast? MH or XH
Tackle Industries has an 8' trolling rod coming out.
Actually tomorrow it will be out. Pictures to come soon. |
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Posts: 15
Location: East Central WI | Take a look at Ugly Sticks. They come in sizes from about 6' to 10" and maybe more. The Big Water Trolling rods series. They are $45 to $65 depending on length, built like tanks (Howald Process) and will handle whatever you want to pull. They have a 5 yr warranty. I use them on Lake Michigan for salmon and rig them with dispy divers, put inline boards on them and use leadcore and copper too. Whatever brand you chose, I would suggest it have at least some fiberglass in it, and either foam grips or the newer stuff, it is black, but harder than foam, I don't know what it is called. But it comes out of a rod holder easier than foam because it is a little harder. Cork will eventually get beat up in your rod hoders. I also own some Shimano TDR's ($30 each) and they have held up very well to 10+ years of trolling on the Lake Mich. Got a 53" muskie trolling with a TDR 3 years ago. I have a few of the Cabela's Depthmaster rods too ($40 +/- ) and they are great for salmon, but might not have quite enough backbone for trolling skis's. Some are telescopic, some are 2 piece. I would regard all of these as dedicated trolling rods though. You could probably get double duty out of some of the other ones mentioned earlier. |
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Posts: 682
Location: Sycamore, IL | ranger6 - 1/31/2012 10:21 AM
Anyone ever troll with Okuma 9'3" for extended periods of time. Just wondering how they have held up? I would think fine, but I have not used them trolling for long periods. I like the length and am thinking of going this route for the season.
Ranger6- I trolled with an Okuma 9'3" heavy most of last year. Had great action, good length to get a wider spread and handled a range of bait sizes well(although I do not troll anything over 10"). The only down side is that the cork got pretty beat up on the foregrip from my downeaster rod holder. I originally bought the rod as a caster but found it too whippy and heavy...I am glad that it now has a purpose! I also, use 8'6" TDR's and they have been fine as down rods. They are much cheaper...hope this helps!
Matt |
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Posts: 833
| If you want quality over everything else, I would strongly consider looking at the custom trolling rod that Thorne Brothers offers. It will cost more than the options listed here, but it an awesome stick for the application. You get what you pay for. Pair it with a Tekota and you will have an excellent set up for trolling and sucker fishing. |
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Posts: 865
| The Okuma EVX 9'3" Telescopic rod makes one great trolling rod, It has plenty of backbone and will troll just about anything you want to tie on. Have even thrown Big Blades with it, and it makes an effortless Deep figure 8. Seems like you got a lot of good rod suggestions truth is they will all probably work just fine....Now it's up to you to make the right decision ..It's pretty easy, Eeany Meany Miney Moe............................................................................................good luck Mike Sr |
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| As far as troling rods I like the cat rods like someone else posted. I use some older St. Croix ones that are blue. Also have had good luck with the 2 piece ugly stiks
-J |
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Posts: 4053
Location: Land of the Musky | If you are at the Milwaukee, Michigan or Madison show stop by the TI booth and take a look at our new trolling rods. I will also have a few at these shows with different color guides on them. Just wanted to see what they would look like for future ref. I have, now I will sell them  You can take a look on http://www.tackleindustries.com and see the specifications.
James
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Posts: 84
| I think the link in the body of theTI message is wrong;
www.tackleindustreis.com
should be
www.tackleindustries.com ...this will get you to the good stuff there. |
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| JBush - 2/2/2012 6:13 PM
musky1, what is your idea of a "big bait?" a range of trolling baits at normal speeds 3-6mph. I
Yes jakes and believers and depths raider up to 6mph would be biggest I plan to fish on lakes I go to |
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Posts: 311
Location: Ontario | Believers will need more babying at 6mph and you may have to tune them or lay off that kind of speed to keep them running but Jakes and Depthraiders can handle it easily. The 36oz rod is ideal for those baits at that speed range IMO. You will come across Believers that can handle 6mph-range and if you do, hang onto them. They pull a lot harder than a Jake will, especially the jointed ones. Good luck. |
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Posts: 201
| I have 2 Daiwa Wilderness 9 foot Trolling rods in Medium Action. Am I too assume that they are going to be too light to troll musky with? I use them for planer boards for walleye and they are great for that. Anybody ever use any of the Wilderness series or are they just too light?
Edit:
I plan on trolling up to maybe 5 mph and using lures like shallow invaders, Super Shad Raps, and 7 1/2 Grandmas. Not real big lures put they will have some pull. I have Okuma Magda 20d line counter reels for the rods. I won't be using big lures or high speed because I have a Lund Predator witht he sportrak and i don't think they will be able to handle alot of torque. Probably only do it twice a year anyway for musky. |
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Posts: 833
| If you are worried about durability, the Thorne Custom will handle trolling a Supermodel bucktail at 5+ MPH. You get what you pay for. |
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Musky Trolling rods - suggestions please