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Posts: 6
| I tried searching for such a thread, but I was not able to find one. Perhaps one does not exist, or I lack the ability to find one. Any how, I started fishing for muskies this year. I do have some proper gears for summer and fall. However, it would appear that I may not have the correct set up for spring? I have a Shimano 400B Calcutta, a Abu Garcia Revo Toro 60 5:4:1, and a Daiwa Saltist 30. Rods are all 8 ft or longer. As I understand it, though muskies can be caught with larger lures in spring, it would be in my best interest to down size in lure size...and that means even down to bass size lures. That being the case, I would assume that I also must down size in my set ups in order to work the lures effectively. Say, if I use braided lines, nothing over 50 lbs? May I ask if using bass reels and rods are sufficient? Or should I go with something heavier such as steelhead/salmon casting rods with either a bass reel or something larger such as a Revo 50 winch? Any thoughts on spring gears will be greatly appreciated. |
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Posts: 2
| For a rod use a H action flippin stick. ( a bass rod) and yes either a toro 50 or curdo 200. I have a 7'6" flippin stick with a abu garcia 5400 c4 and love that combo for smaller lures. If you go with a regular bass casting reel the drag may not be strong enough. You want one with a good drag. The 3 I mentioned have seemed to last longer than a conventional bass reel.
Hope this helps.
Matt p |
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| Well bass guys are slowly starting to wake up to longer rods. There are a few that are 7'10" to 8' on the market or going to be coming onto the market. Yes, these are generally used for flipping/pitching.
If you can find a used Bass Pro Nitro in a 7'10" H or XH get one. They were discontinued a few years ago, but they're really strong rods. They have quality guides and long split-grip handles.
I'd match it up with a regular bass-sized reel. The quality of bass reels have gotten amazing in the last few years and I trust them for most muskies. I would stick with either a Shimano Curado or a Revo of some sort. With these you can play around with which gear ratio you prefer, but I tend to lean towards a 6:4.1. You can also pick a reel that fits your price range a little better. A Revo S is a great reel for throwing baits in the spring. |
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Location: SE Wisconsin | I use Calcutta 400B's all season long and I love them. Sure the bass guys catch a lot of musky by mistake, but they lose more than they catch and that's a fact - just ask them why they "dislike" musky so much  I never downsize my line to anything less than I would normally use and I do just fine and put more musky in my boat in the spring than the bass guys... There are finicky musky out there, sure, but that doesn't mean you have to completely change your setup to catch them. Your gear is fine; your rods, reels and line... no need to downsize and go flourocarbon through and through.
I use flouro leaders for most of my applications, but I think we give these fish a tad too much credit for smarts. Get in the boat with a guy using lighter tackle, like bass gear, and see if he/she is putting more fish in the boat and having more action all together than you - I don't think that will be the case |
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Posts: 1184
Location: Iowa Great Lakes | Like Sam I change nothing, not even bait size and do ok... |
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Posts: 1887
Location: syracuse indiana | like sam and shawn i also use the same equipment all year too. bill |
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Posts: 581
Location: deephaven mn | I agree that same equipment is good for all seasons. I do however use small baits at times during all seasons.
So i think what you are asking is what equipment is best for using smaller baits, like jigs, small bucktails and small cranks.
keep in mind just because your throwing small baits it doesn't mean your going to catch small fish. A fifty pounder will eat
a 1/4 oz. jig! I am sure there is some good bass equipment out there that works fine. I prefer to use an 8 foot long medium/
or medium light buck tail rod ( depending on manufacturer) and a smaller low profile reel, a revo, a curado or a quatum PT
and no lighter line that 65lb braid
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Posts: 426
Location: Perryville, MO | Most methods I employ in the Spring work just fine on a normal summer set-up. However, I'd ask what kind of water you fish? There are some advantages to using a bass style (swimbait or flipping stick) set-up when fishing a Southern reservior with small rattlebaits. Some guys just use their regular summer stuff (80lbs. test) but others (I tend to agree) argue that downsizing the rod, reel, and line allows the bait to work more efficiently. |
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| Not to be arbitrary, but for the sake of historical accuracy, Dee Thomas, the guy who is credited with the introduction of flippin' to the bass arena was using rods in excess of eight feet for bass back in the early 70's when most musky guys were using five and a half footers. In fact rods over 8' were made illegal in competition.
Back in in 1974-76 while at Burger Bros Sporting goods in Mpls I constructed many 8' plus musky sticks including several 8'6" versions for the late Hugh Becker.
We also marketed the very first graphite musky rod, which we had made for us by lamiglas. Guess what? It was seven and a half feet long!
So, I have to ask in regards to your statement in pertaining to who is slowly waking up, "who may still be asleep?" 
L Dahlberg |
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