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Posts: 13
| Hey guys and gals, Im new here and just wanted to get some opinions/insight on what to do. Im from PA and normally I dont do much more than the normal trout/bass fishing. However, a friend of mine has been talking about muskie fishing. I have always wanted to go after the big guys(muskies) but never knew where, or what tackle I would need.
This being said. I have just purchased a medium/heavy uglystick and was wondering if this was a good choice for what Im planning on doing. I haven't decided on a real yet, but I was going do some research first and decide from there. What should I be looking for as a beginner muskie fisherman going on his first fish. What should I be using for my rod and reel combo?
Thanks in advance guys. I apologize if this is extremely newbish, but thats what I am when it comes to fishing for muskie/big fish
Edited by JustinfromPA 7/24/2007 10:07 AM
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Posts: 282
Location: north west wisconsin | www.muskyshop.com
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Posts: 7113
Location: Northwest Chicago Burbs | Justin,
Take a look at some of the entries from this contest http://muskie.outdoorsfirst.com/board/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=28...
Might be a good guide for how to maximize your spending....which can get pretty excessive pretty quick! |
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Posts: 39
| Justin,
Its possible that the tip section of the Ugly Stik will not be stiff enough to give you a good hookset. Also, the rod may not be heavy enough to cast musky baits and or fight your fish. I like St Croix Premier rods (and I have a 6'9" for jerkbaits and an 8'0" for bucktails and topwater baits) If you have a shop near you that specializes in musky tackle or you have someone that you can talk to in depth about gear that would be helpful for you. For the Reel I use a Garcia Ambassadeur 5500. Hope this helps. |
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Posts: 80
| Justin, an excellent choice would be a Pete Maina combo from Bass Pro Shops great setup for the money. If you have a little more dough I would suggest a St. Croix in 7'6" and a Garcia 6500c3 simmilar to what the gentleman above stated.
good luck. |
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Posts: 66
Location: Tomahawk, WI | Throw a 5500 c3 on that ugly stick and use it for bass. Then get yourself an adequate musky combo. To add to the Pete Maina combo and St. Croix recommendation, I would also recommend the Daiwa Heartland rods available at the www.muskyshop.com. I have a 7' MH Heartland with a 6500 c3 and it is a very comfortable inexpensive combo. Throw some 65 or 80 lb. spiderwire on there and you'll have a good, affordable starter musky rig. Should be right around $175 for the whole thing.
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Posts: 1310
Location: Washington, PA | If you're looking for local advice on tackle, I'd go check out tackle unlimited on Rte. 51 in Elizabeth, or if you can find the right person in the fishing section of the local Gander mountains they might be able to help you out. If you're looking for some local fishing advice, hit me with a pm. |
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Posts: 13
| Thanks a bunch guys for your help. What I might do is just return the rod and look over what they have. I have Cabelas about a half hour from me so fishing supply should be a problem. Thanks for all of the recommendations. I am however sort of on a budget. My wife and I just got back from punta cana on our honeymoon so we have to watch our spending for the next month or so. We went deep sea fishing while we were down there and caught a couple mahi mahi and a 180lb white marlin. Fun times.
http://img516.imageshack.us/img516/5706/1001115an4.jpg
Edited by JustinfromPA 7/31/2007 8:40 AM
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Posts: 73
Location: Indiana |
Come on guys... Now what is the most important equipment to have when musky fishing??? Release tools!!!
Get a decent net. You don't have to get a stowmaster net for 180 bucks. But a nice decent frabil net will work perfect. Try to avoid the nets they sell at Walmart.
Get a decent pair of long needle nose pliers. Not just needle nose pliers...but looooooong nose needle nose ones. Means fewer teeth in your fingers
Get a set of regular needle nose pliers.
Get some hookouts. Don't get the short ones. Get the longer ones. Again. Those #*^@ teeth hurt. Get multiple sets. These sink.
Get some jaw spreaders. These sink too. They're cheap. Get a couple of em'
Get some bolt cutters. Because you WILL want to cut the hooks...hopefully a lot if you catch a lot of fish. Everyone likes the knipex or however you spell them. They are great...and fairly expensive. There are cheaper versions available that I think work pretty well. 12 bucks at Home Depot (Go Smoke, Go). Just make sure you get the bolt cutters rather than wire cutters or cable cutters. These are hand held bolt cutters that are 10-12 inches long.
Am I missing anything?
Heavy Line. Good quality leaders. Baits that fish want to eat.
That should do it.
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Posts: 52
| I have two fish eagle 2 (7'6" MH) from cabelas and they are decent sticks. Alot of times they pair the 6600 C3 with the fish eagle and sell the combo for ~130-140$. thats a good deal. |
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Posts: 8863
| Can't believe nobody suggested to browse the buy/sell/trade forums here...
Justin -- musky guys go through gear like #*#* through a goose. Tons of combos, rods, reels, etc are sold on Muskiefirst at a fraction of what they cost new, and most times the only thing wrong with any of it is that the person selling it has way too much stuff. Right now there are probably half a dozen rods and reels, perfect for what you need. Quality used equipment will outlast and outperform new cheap equipment. |
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