Out of all the tackle recommendations for musky fishing, this is one of the best vids I’ve seen. Too many people are told that they have to buy a Shimano tranxx and a St Croix to musky fish. Great stuff if you can afford it but not necessary. Great video, ya got another sub.
hey sam,really digging the series bud-I primarily target bass;then Walleye and Sauger in the winter,but didcatch my ONLY Muskie finally by mistake walleye fishing this past feb.Now I know why you guys go after this species cuz I only got maybe a 24inch-30inch fish and he cleared the water twice & I landed it on 10lb Mono in 35 degree water..What a fight!!-so I own the Dobyns Fury swimbait/umbrella rig rod with an Alijos 300 on top.The rod is a 795,so7ft9,5power-rated from1-5oz baits ;but Dobyns over-r8s their rod strength.this can get me by until I learn more,huh?
I'm just getting more interested in musky fishing and this was a nice presentation of the basics. And it's nice to see that I'm not alone when it comes to wanting to enjoy fishing without the cost of my equipment equaling the cost of a small house. When it comes to reels, though, I thought I'd point out that for normal use there's really no reason for most musky fishermen to prefer the Ambassadeur 6500 C3 over the 5500 C3. The first thing to consider is that the gears and drag are exactly the same on both reels. The 6500 has a wider spool, but the 5500 already has enough line capacity that even when using 80# braid there will be a perfectly acceptable amount of decrease in effective spool diameter after making a very long cast (in fact, the line capacity of the 5500 is about the same as many of the highly popular and super-expensive reels that most musky fishermen use). It's true that the 6500 gives just a little more "reserve capacity" which means you can lose more line due to snags or wear and tear before you must fill your reel again, but given your acceptance of the line capacity of that smaller ABU reel for handling lighter lures, I doubt if that that's your reason for thinking you'd rather have the 6500 if you were to do it all over again. The 6500 is noticeably bulkier and and a little bit heavier than the 5500 which is quite a downside for all-day casting comfort, so with identical drive trains and (likely) no reason for needing extra line capacity, I'd say that the 5500 wins this comparison. All that said, the 6500 has a clicker and the 5500 does not, so if you do much fishing for muskies with live bait AND multiple rods, that's a situation where the 6500 could be the better choice.
@@sgangling Actually, I have plenty of experience with both of these reels with more standard lines, but I did more research into the line capacity when these extra heavy-duty lines are used, and was surprised at how little of that kind of line most reels can hold, so the decrease in spool diameter after a really long cast would be noticeable. For comparisons, though, it turns out that the 5500 has roughly the same line capacity as a Shimano Tranx 300, and the 6500 has roughly the same line capacity as a Tranx 400 (those two Shimano reels are very popular with musky chasers). Hope that puts it in perspective, now that I've already opened this can of worms!
Really great video!! I like how you cover low to medium end with purpose + the $$ combined. With that said around 15:00, I have thoughts to share---- I own a St. Croix Legend Elite (3/4-3, 8' 6") & Tournament Edition (6-12 oz & also 8' 6"). Both feel like up sized bass rods- there is close to no loading of the rod when casting. When a musky shakes its head, the rod needs to give so line stays tight. I don't see how ANY fast taper will handle that well; I'm not a fan of either St. Croix model. Both handle any twitching very poorly but I haven't been able to put my finger on "why" just yet. Power rips & power twitches forces the rods into a bend that well before the bait even begins to move...that's the load up & I really don't like it. However, I also picked up 3 Chaos Tackle 20/20 rods (7' 10" Assault Stick, 9' Swat + a 10' Shock & Awe) @ a musky show after speaking with Rick. The Assault Stick & SWAT are beyond amazing to cast & twitch with. Both 20/20s load up with a cast, out cast the pricier St. Croix with less effort because of the loading slingshot physics & have enough backbone overall to not lose any rod energy on harsh rips & twitches. Croix suck with rips & twitches. It's a nearly instant improvement with Chaos Tackle's. TBH, the 10' has not been used yet so no opinion there. Save the money on St. Croix because I made a really expensive pair of mistakes. For leaders, I used to buy premade but now make my own- way way way cheaper & pretty simple to do. Polomar knots won't work for 150# fluro leaders. Super expensive unless I'm tying my own. I won't go below 150# & it's a single fish leader. I'm in the middle of putting split rings on my baits, and ending the leader with a welded ring...totally eliminates any snap bending mentioned @21:12. Super good job on this video!!!
Mad props to you man. Most youtubers don’t offer affordable options in there videos and don’t link their gear. This video was super informative and I could be likely to buy some of the gear you linked below. Thank you!
Awesome! Glad you enjoyed the video and it was helpful. I only scratched the surface as there's other options out there but this is a good starting point for someone looking for some affordable options
I just started bought a cheaper rod and reel after a day of throwing baits. I went and upgraded to a bigger setup. Don't skip on rod and reel my thought.
I started seriously musky fishing last summer in eastern pa. Now I have two st croix mojo musky rods, both on lexa hd reels. Spooled with 80lb suffix 832. Nice assortment of musky lures. Also, a big musky net that is a little too heavy for me when solo fishing. Now if only I could catch one. 😂🤞
You were dead on with the heavy net. I have been using the drifter xl, but in the fall, I grabbed a drifter large net, so much lighter than the xl for solo trips
13 fishing Defy Black 8'-6" Swimbait rod in XH is $90. And a Kast King Kapstan Elite 300 is $130 or Penn Squall 300LP is $180. Best budget set up youll find.
It doesnt have to be a muskie specific rod from an expensive muskie shop to make a good rod. The Penn Squall 300 has plenty of drag to handle big fish. Add a power handle if you like. 65lb braid with an 80lb mono leader.... and be done
This gave me hope that I can use my same Abu Ambassador 6500 reel for catfish for Muskie fishing. That one less thing to buy…again. I do wonder though I have a 7’6” med-heavy catfish rod and wonder if that would be sufficient for Muskie? I would be fishing with bucktails and glide baits most to keep it simple and affordable to start with.
You can certainly give it a try. If it's too whippy you will need to get a MH or Heavy fast Musky specific rod. A more powerful rod allows you to control the fight more and reduces the fight time so you arent putting unnecessary stress on the fish. Musky are definitely sensitive fish and if you don't have the proper tools and handling techniques it can lead to delayed mortality. I do have another video on tools and techniques for how to properly handle and release Musky. That would be a good starting point. Good luck on the water!
Those Gags/Spreaders are really bad for fish care. They damage their jaws. They can even go through the roof of their mouth in the wrong hands. They stopped selling them in the tackle shops here in Ireland in the 80's.
I rarely use them but there are some sticky situations where it's the only way to pry a fishes mouth open to allow you to do proper hook removal. It's either kill the fish or remove the bait.
@@sgangling If you take the fish out of the net and lift its jaw from underneath it will open its jaw. No need for a gag. That's how we do it. Anyway. Happy Hunting.
What would you recommend for a heavy pulling bait reel (double 10 bucktails etc.)? Right now I’m looking at the Diawa lexa TW 400P-P, lexa HD 400PWR-P, the Okuma Komodo SS KDS-436P, shimano tranx 500, and the Diawa Prorex 400P-P. I would prefer a solid line pickup (in terms of spool size) and a gear ratio of 5.3:1 5.1:1 4.3:1 or 4.1:1
The best rods are st Croix and Chaos tackle. What rod will depend on what application you will be using it for. Bucktails? Rubber? Jerkbaits? If it's jerkbaits or rubber I would go heavy or XH. Bucktails I like MH. Can't go wrong with the chaos tackle 20/20 or the Musky MOJO rods
Hi brotha just found your channel .. I live in Toronto Canada and I’m looking to buy my first musky rod and can’t decide .. am leaning towards the mojo musky but the $400 dollars is what’s holding me back . Is there a mojo rod whihc is a little cheaper than that in the same line. Planning to pair it with my daiwa lexa HD 300 . It’s my first time buying. Baitcaster since I’m transitioning from spinning reel . Please help
@@owenhaynes5968 Love the Lews 300. Great little downsizer reel. It could pair up with the 7'6 easily. Keep in mind though that these Field and stream rods are very stiff like pool sticks. If you are throwing smaller baits 1-3 oz I would reccomend something with more give so that you have more leverage on the cast and feel and control with working the bait
Sounds like you're a Pike fisherman. I have nothing against SG or Westin but those are primarily pike rods. SG has a Musky specific line but people have complained about them easily damaging and breaking. Westin is almost primarily pike and neither has the ability to throw pounders with 130lbs braid all day. That's why I wouldn't suggest either for heavy duty Musky fishing
Out of all the tackle recommendations for musky fishing, this is one of the best vids I’ve seen. Too many people are told that they have to buy a Shimano tranxx and a St Croix to musky fish. Great stuff if you can afford it but not necessary. Great video, ya got another sub.
Thank you!
This is what I was looking for nice blog
Awesome! Thanks for watching!
Really enjoyed this as I am pretty new to the musky world.
Awesome! I'm glad to hear. Hope you land a lot of fish!
hey sam,really digging the series bud-I primarily target bass;then Walleye and Sauger in the winter,but didcatch my ONLY Muskie finally by mistake walleye fishing this past feb.Now I know why you guys go after this species cuz I only got maybe a 24inch-30inch fish and he cleared the water twice & I landed it on 10lb Mono in 35 degree water..What a fight!!-so I own the Dobyns Fury swimbait/umbrella rig rod with an Alijos 300 on top.The rod is a 795,so7ft9,5power-rated from1-5oz baits ;but Dobyns over-r8s their rod strength.this can get me by until I learn more,huh?
I'm just getting more interested in musky fishing and this was a nice presentation of the basics. And it's nice to see that I'm not alone when it comes to wanting to enjoy fishing without the cost of my equipment equaling the cost of a small house. When it comes to reels, though, I thought I'd point out that for normal use there's really no reason for most musky fishermen to prefer the Ambassadeur 6500 C3 over the 5500 C3. The first thing to consider is that the gears and drag are exactly the same on both reels. The 6500 has a wider spool, but the 5500 already has enough line capacity that even when using 80# braid there will be a perfectly acceptable amount of decrease in effective spool diameter after making a very long cast (in fact, the line capacity of the 5500 is about the same as many of the highly popular and super-expensive reels that most musky fishermen use). It's true that the 6500 gives just a little more "reserve capacity" which means you can lose more line due to snags or wear and tear before you must fill your reel again, but given your acceptance of the line capacity of that smaller ABU reel for handling lighter lures, I doubt if that that's your reason for thinking you'd rather have the 6500 if you were to do it all over again. The 6500 is noticeably bulkier and and a little bit heavier than the 5500 which is quite a downside for all-day casting comfort, so with identical drive trains and (likely) no reason for needing extra line capacity, I'd say that the 5500 wins this comparison. All that said, the 6500 has a clicker and the 5500 does not, so if you do much fishing for muskies with live bait AND multiple rods, that's a situation where the 6500 could be the better choice.
Thanks for watching Eric. Great insight.
@@sgangling Actually, I have plenty of experience with both of these reels with more standard lines, but I did more research into the line capacity when these extra heavy-duty lines are used, and was surprised at how little of that kind of line most reels can hold, so the decrease in spool diameter after a really long cast would be noticeable. For comparisons, though, it turns out that the 5500 has roughly the same line capacity as a Shimano Tranx 300, and the 6500 has roughly the same line capacity as a Tranx 400 (those two Shimano reels are very popular with musky chasers). Hope that puts it in perspective, now that I've already opened this can of worms!
Really great video!! I like how you cover low to medium end with purpose + the $$ combined.
With that said around 15:00, I have thoughts to share---- I own a St. Croix Legend Elite (3/4-3, 8' 6") & Tournament Edition (6-12 oz & also 8' 6"). Both feel like up sized bass rods- there is close to no loading of the rod when casting. When a musky shakes its head, the rod needs to give so line stays tight. I don't see how ANY fast taper will handle that well; I'm not a fan of either St. Croix model. Both handle any twitching very poorly but I haven't been able to put my finger on "why" just yet. Power rips & power twitches forces the rods into a bend that well before the bait even begins to move...that's the load up & I really don't like it.
However, I also picked up 3 Chaos Tackle 20/20 rods (7' 10" Assault Stick, 9' Swat + a 10' Shock & Awe) @ a musky show after speaking with Rick. The Assault Stick & SWAT are beyond amazing to cast & twitch with. Both 20/20s load up with a cast, out cast the pricier St. Croix with less effort because of the loading slingshot physics & have enough backbone overall to not lose any rod energy on harsh rips & twitches. Croix suck with rips & twitches. It's a nearly instant improvement with Chaos Tackle's. TBH, the 10' has not been used yet so no opinion there. Save the money on St. Croix because I made a really expensive pair of mistakes.
For leaders, I used to buy premade but now make my own- way way way cheaper & pretty simple to do. Polomar knots won't work for 150# fluro leaders. Super expensive unless I'm tying my own. I won't go below 150# & it's a single fish leader. I'm in the middle of putting split rings on my baits, and ending the leader with a welded ring...totally eliminates any snap bending mentioned @21:12.
Super good job on this video!!!
Mad props to you man. Most youtubers don’t offer affordable options in there videos and don’t link their gear. This video was super informative and I could be likely to buy some of the gear you linked below. Thank you!
Awesome! Glad you enjoyed the video and it was helpful. I only scratched the surface as there's other options out there but this is a good starting point for someone looking for some affordable options
A $200 St Croix rod isnt a low budget option.
My favorite reel abu garcia abassadeur for Trolling and casting and a got this for 4 year
I just started bought a cheaper rod and reel after a day of throwing baits. I went and upgraded to a bigger setup. Don't skip on rod and reel my thought.
I started seriously musky fishing last summer in eastern pa. Now I have two st croix mojo musky rods, both on lexa hd reels. Spooled with 80lb suffix 832. Nice assortment of musky lures. Also, a big musky net that is a little too heavy for me when solo fishing. Now if only I could catch one. 😂🤞
Awesome man! Sounds like you are all set up for success.
@@sgangling well I have the correct setups at least. Finding time to get out on the water is the tricky thing 😁
@@pdfahie Yeah tell me about it. Good luck!
@@sgangling you also, look forward to your videos
You were dead on with the heavy net. I have been using the drifter xl, but in the fall, I grabbed a drifter large net, so much lighter than the xl for solo trips
Nice job ! well informed!
Thanks Brian! Good luck!
Looks good thanks for sharing this
Thanks for watching!
I have Okuma Komodo SS 463 reel and okuma Psycho stick 9’6” extra heavy fast action.
Because my boat is small (18'6") I need a compact net and although expensive I chose the STOWMASTER
13 fishing Defy Black 8'-6" Swimbait rod in XH is $90. And a Kast King Kapstan Elite 300 is $130 or Penn Squall 300LP is $180. Best budget set up youll find.
It doesnt have to be a muskie specific rod from an expensive muskie shop to make a good rod. The Penn Squall 300 has plenty of drag to handle big fish. Add a power handle if you like. 65lb braid with an 80lb mono leader.... and be done
I am thinking one of my spinning surf rod and reel combos should do the job as well. 8ft or 9ft length.
This gave me hope that I can use my same Abu Ambassador 6500 reel for catfish for Muskie fishing. That one less thing to buy…again. I do wonder though I have a 7’6” med-heavy catfish rod and wonder if that would be sufficient for Muskie? I would be fishing with bucktails and glide baits most to keep it simple and affordable to start with.
You can certainly give it a try. If it's too whippy you will need to get a MH or Heavy fast Musky specific rod. A more powerful rod allows you to control the fight more and reduces the fight time so you arent putting unnecessary stress on the fish. Musky are definitely sensitive fish and if you don't have the proper tools and handling techniques it can lead to delayed mortality. I do have another video on tools and techniques for how to properly handle and release Musky. That would be a good starting point. Good luck on the water!
The rod wont work.
I just got am 8' xh Shimano for $49, an 8'6 xxh for ,$74 and piscifun 300 alijoz reels are $79 with 100 yards capacity of 80lb braid
Those Gags/Spreaders are really bad for fish care. They damage their jaws. They can even go through the roof of their mouth in the wrong hands. They stopped selling them in the tackle shops here in Ireland in the 80's.
I rarely use them but there are some sticky situations where it's the only way to pry a fishes mouth open to allow you to do proper hook removal. It's either kill the fish or remove the bait.
@@sgangling If you take the fish out of the net and lift its jaw from underneath it will open its jaw. No need for a gag. That's how we do it.
Anyway. Happy Hunting.
@@awilderireland For sure....tight lines!
Is there a website we're u you can buy used musky baits? what's your go to bait
Not a website I'm aware of but your best bet is some of these FaceBook pages like Musky Flee Market
I have a new trolling motor it's not good enough in the work shop more than on the boat
What would you recommend for a heavy pulling bait reel (double 10 bucktails etc.)? Right now I’m looking at the Diawa lexa TW 400P-P, lexa HD 400PWR-P, the Okuma Komodo SS KDS-436P, shimano tranx 500, and the Diawa Prorex 400P-P. I would prefer a solid line pickup (in terms of spool size) and a gear ratio of 5.3:1 5.1:1 4.3:1 or 4.1:1
I have a abu garcia ambassador c4 6600 with a power handle
What rod would you match up to the revo 4x
The best rods are st Croix and Chaos tackle. What rod will depend on what application you will be using it for. Bucktails? Rubber? Jerkbaits? If it's jerkbaits or rubber I would go heavy or XH. Bucktails I like MH. Can't go wrong with the chaos tackle 20/20 or the Musky MOJO rods
I've got 2of bass pro musky rods 49$ each
Hi brotha just found your channel .. I live in Toronto Canada and I’m looking to buy my first musky rod and can’t decide .. am leaning towards the mojo musky but the $400 dollars is what’s holding me back . Is there a mojo rod whihc is a little cheaper than that in the same line. Planning to pair it with my daiwa lexa HD 300 . It’s my first time buying. Baitcaster since I’m transitioning from spinning reel . Please help
It doesnt matter what you buy.
Im catching ALL THE FISH this year. 😎
What’s the lure weight rating on the 7’6 field and stream rod?
For the 8 ft. 6-12oz. For the 7'6 2-8oz
@@sgangling do you think that the 7’6 model would pair up well with a lews super duty 300?
@@owenhaynes5968 Love the Lews 300. Great little downsizer reel. It could pair up with the 7'6 easily. Keep in mind though that these Field and stream rods are very stiff like pool sticks. If you are throwing smaller baits 1-3 oz I would reccomend something with more give so that you have more leverage on the cast and feel and control with working the bait
"Saint cfoix makes best rods" obviously you've never tried SG or Westin
Sounds like you're a Pike fisherman. I have nothing against SG or Westin but those are primarily pike rods. SG has a Musky specific line but people have complained about them easily damaging and breaking. Westin is almost primarily pike and neither has the ability to throw pounders with 130lbs braid all day. That's why I wouldn't suggest either for heavy duty Musky fishing
@@sgangling oh, thought that casting weight of 200g~ would've sufficed for muskies. My bad.