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Posts: 334
Location: Madison, WI | So I did some searching and found some info but im still up in the air. Im looking into picking up another rod/reel for sucker fishing. I know sucker fishing is pretty straight forward but I dont want to buy junk. Currently my sucker setup is 6'6" Shimano Compre with a Abu SSC3 reel. Having only used it one time last fall, i was fairly happy with my $100 purchase. I keep hearing that those reels are junk and wont last even under sucker fishing conditions and that I should go with a glass rod. The searching also kept me wondering.
So what is everyone's opinion on an inexpensive (non line counter) reel with a line alarm?? Im thinking of getting a longer rod too and Id like to keep costs under $150. Glass or Graphite?? I wont be trolling just sitting still or drifting with it if that helps. Thanks folks. |
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Posts: 281
| Check out Custom X Glass Rods- They are killer and Chuck is a great guy to work with.... |
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Posts: 265
Location: Manitowish Waters WI | Glass is very nice, I recently bought a fenwick elite tech glass for last fall, I love it. I don't know if it's necessary though. I've caught many muskies on graphite way into late fall and have never had a rod break on hook set. I think you'll find it's preference on this form. A graphite with a slow moderate action is comparable to glass rod. If your looking for cheap I hear a lot about the ugly sticks but have never tried one. |
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Posts: 334
Location: Madison, WI | Thanks for the info, from my past experiance glass bends alot more than graphite is that why people like them?? I mean I caught a mid 40's for my first muskie last fall on my compre and it just seemed like it needed to be longer but i was (and still am) a noobie so who knows. When the fish was fighting it seemed like I needed length to help in the fight and hookset. Any truth to this or am I delusional. My casting rods are 8' and 8'6", i was thinking of going atleast 7'6" on my new sucker rod. |
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Posts: 4343
Location: Smith Creek | My hook up percentages are the same whether I'm using an 8 foot glass/carbon blend or a 5'6" all glass, or a 7' high mod carbon. They all have a place in my boat depending on how I happen to be fishing and how many suckos I'm running. I would upgrade the reel to something that won't torque on hooksets (solid aluminum frame). I've had more reels fail on hooksets than rods. Handlining muskies isn't as fun as you would think. |
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Posts: 726
Location: Eau Claire, WI | Even if you won't be trolling, I would reconsider the non line counter reel decision.
You can buy line counter reels fairly cheap and I really like the counter for consistency in presentation... I use sealines and tekotas but you can go cheaper and still get the job done reliably.
If you don't want a line counter reel, think about adding a line counter to the rig (if you don't already do that).
Jono
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Posts: 334
Location: Madison, WI | Flambeauski is there one particular reel you would recomend? Id like to keep costs to under $150 total for rod and reel combined. As far as line counter, the only reason I said non line counter is because the lake i mainly fish is a pretty consistent 10-12' so guessing depth is as easy as looking down.
At this point I think ill look into getting a gander mountain advantage muskie rod, for only $40 ive yet to find something comparable. I have the same rods for river fishing for walleyes and they have been great for almost 5 years with no problems. These are just big boy versions and cant differ all that much. Atleast I hope not. |
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Posts: 4343
Location: Smith Creek | I have retired calcutta 400b's on mine, but I know guys who use the BPS muskie reels too. If I had $150 to spend I'd spend $100 on a used reel and $50 on a glass rod. |
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Posts: 334
Location: Madison, WI | Do calcuttas have line alarms on them?? I know most abu's do but im not sure of other brands. I like your idea of $100 on reel and $50 on rod. Thats about what my plan was, $100 on an abu and $40 on gander rod then 10 left over for a sucker harness |
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Posts: 4343
Location: Smith Creek | They do. Catalas and Cardiffs do as well. |
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Sucker Setup