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Posts: 4
| hi everyone i am new to this fourm and also new to muskie fishing. i have planed to go to andy myers lodge this fall to do some muskie fishing.and just want to know what reel to get. i want something very durable and can take a beating also i reel with my LEFT hand and it is a lot harder to find left hand reels. my buddy is big into muskie fishing and told me i should get something that can handle 80 lb test beacause that what i will be using. is this true ?
Thanks
GJ |
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Posts: 80
| For the money it is hard to beat an Abu Garcia the model or models you should look at are 6501 c3 which would be a good all around choice or if you are looking for something to throw some really big stuff then go with a lefty in the 7000 series. If money is not an object get a Shimano Calcutta TE in the lefty or a Diawa Luna in the left hand model I have also heard some good stuff about the Okuma Induron, but have no personal experience with that reel. They are all good reels but like anything good they need to be maintained. Good luck and good fishing |
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Posts: 4
| what pound test do you use for big muskies ? |
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Posts: 2865
Location: Brookfield, WI | If you're going to Eagle and AML, you might want to get a reel with a power handle like an Abu 7000 or a Record. I was a newbie last year and went to AML at the end of August. ALL we threw were big double bladed bucktails, and we burned them.
The power handles help cut down on the wear and tear, and I was still falling apart by the third day. It's a lot of work throwing those things. I used an 8' medium heavy rod (Pro Edge Custom), Abu Record and Shimano Calcutta 400B reels, and 80 lb. Power Pro. The rod really loaded up nice once I figured out what I was doing.
By the way, guides make a big difference on Eagle. We were new, and had trouble locating fish the days we didn't fish with them. The cool thing is as a rookie, you have a chance to land a once in a lifetime fish on that water. I hooked one, but lost it.
Slamr's wife Crash is going to go catch it for me next week.
Kevin
Salmon |
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Posts: 2754
Location: Mauston, Wisconsin | Hi, I'll play something of heretic here. I'm assuming you already fish, just not muskies. If you have good graphite bass rod and baitcaster with 17lb mono you can catch muskies. However, I 'd respool it with 65lb power pro.
The reason a lot of us use 65-100lb line is to get the fish to the net quicker and help eliminate breakoff's, i.e., you don't want to wear the fish totally out fighting it, and it's usually a disaster to have a big fish break off with a lure & bunch of trebles stuck in it's yap!
I personnaly use 65lb power pro on all my reels. It has the same line diameter as 17lb mono. I've had guy's (self proclaimed experts) tell me that my Shimano Curado 200 bass reels wouldn't handle throwing muskie lures or even muskies themselves. 11 years later, I know they were flat out wrong.
Yes, I also now have some "real" muskie gear, including custom rods, etc. The Calcutta 400TE & Luna 300's are both very good reels. It's very easy to put +$500 into a muskie rod & reel combo.
If you are familiar with bait caster's, and have an "educated thumb", the ABU reels are great reels for the money. However, if you haven't use'd one before, I'd recommend a little more modern design like a Shimano Curado, Shimano Calcutta 400TE, Diawa Luna 300, or something similar. These newer reels have magnetic breaking systems, etc. They will make your trip much more enjoyable as you won't be spending a major amount of time picking out backlash's.
The key is setting the reel up for each lure, very easy to do if you read the instructions. My grandchildren (7, 8, 12) all fish with my Curado's and they very seldom get backlash's.
I hate to say it. But, if your first muskie expedition is to Andy Meyers Lodge you are probably doomed! You'll probably be plotting next year's trip on the way home. A box of "Depends" might be good thing to take with!
Have fun!
Al
Edited by ESOX Maniac 8/3/2007 2:29 PM
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Posts: 2083
| MuskieHunter3 - 8/3/2007 11:01 AM
what pound test do you use for big muskies ?
Superbraids (PP,spiderwire, TUF line....) have the qualities muskie fisherman prefer -near zero strech, low memory, casts a mile, and on and on. The reason you should choose a minimum of 65 pound test superbraid on baitcasting gear - is because of the thin line diameter, less than 65Lbs digs into the spool.
If you want to throw smaller (less than 1.5 oz) presentation on spinning gear 20-30 lbs fireline works well and you can whip a big muskie just as fast.
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Posts: 199
Location: Nebraska | You didn't mention needing a rod, but if you are looking, I would suggest looking at the Shimano Compre. I just bought my first one in 8' MH and got to use it this week. I like the rod for the $. It was $109.00. They have a lifetime over-the-counter warantee. I don't think that they are just a good "first" rod, either.
Edited by Stein 8/3/2007 1:04 PM
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Posts: 4
| could the Diawa Luna handle 65-80 pound test ? and dose the abu 7000 really back lash that much. my buddy that i will go with is a big muskie fisherman and has a few 7000 and loves them because of the low gear ratio and says it dosnt wear you out from 4 days of heavy throwing. |
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Posts: 1
| When it comes to backlashes, there are techniques to be learned when it comes to throwing a baitcaster. I can't think of the perfect comparison but I can tell you "practice makes perfect". I don't care who you are, you get a backlash every now and then. The first person that replies and say they don't get them is a liar
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Only sound advice I can give is don't try to throw the lure a mile when you're first starting out and do a BIG figure eight on EVERY cast. What I mean with the figure eight comment is make it an eight and don't just flip the lure back and forth, the fish has to be able to follow it to hit it!
Good luck on whatever you choose and welcome to the fellowship!
Edited by Eddie Haskell 8/3/2007 10:52 PM
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