Large wooden jerkbaits were even more popular than they are today. Application: Topwaters and larger crankbaits and swimbaits. A top choice for many straight retrieve topwater lures. It’s a winner in every respect. Its shortness made it easy to work big jerkbaits with a simple wrist action. On longer rods this is a must especially when using very heavy lures. Probably the best musky rod for the money. The main rod guides are Kigan Master Hand 3D with aluminum oxide rings and black frames. A catfish rod is not the same as a musky rod since they are usually fiberglass. Best musky rod for bucktails: St. Croix Rod’s premier Fresh Water Casting Rod. Whereas a slow rod action will start to bend much closer to the handle. This is where modern technology came into play challenging rod makers to develop the right taper, yet maintain the rigid stiffness so critical to a good jerkbait action. And, while a 7-footer might be OK, experience has proven that a model that is at least 7 1/2 feet is even better. Open up any mail order musky catalog today and see for yourself how popular this lure remains. In most cases, this was the only rod that was offered in stores. If it ain’t broke don’t fix it! Lets take a look at just what kind of tackle you can use. They did not deliver enough horsepower when needed on the hookset. 2. Usually they will break down to less than 7 feet in these cases. One kick from that massive tail is enough to make a regular baitcasting setup almost bend in two. A faster action will also allow you to whip the lure out giving a better casting performance. Today’s superior rod building techniques have once again solved this problem delivering a blank that is so perfectly suited for this specific application that I find myself using this rod probably more than any other. If I could only pick one brand from which to buy a musky rod it would have to be St Croix. Abu Garcia Veritas Toro The Veritas Toro is probably Agu Garcia's most popular Musky rod. We have many pro musky guides telling us that this is the best musky reel for burning bucktails. Having a longer split handle gives you a much better mechanical advantage as you can use the extra long handle as a better lever. The additional six inches or so really makes a difference on casts with marginal weight lures. This right action or “power” as some rod manufacturers prefer to call it, is now called “extra fast.”. That’s how much I think of this particular rod action. It's much easier to land a larger fish on a long rod than on a shorter one. Heavy powerful fish require a rod with a lot of back bone. However, I like these rod lengths and actions just as I described them. It is a no frills well built alternative to the St Croix rod above and is usually priced in and around the same level. The handle is high density EVA and the guides are stainless steel with Zirconium inserts. At a minimum you will want to choose a rod that has a heavy power rating at the lightest. While that same sport shop would offer a wide variety of lengths and actions in spinning or fly casting tackle, the “musky rod” was just that — one single rod. The reel has elegant looks. This Accudepth rods from Daiwa are surprisingly cheap considering how well made and durable they are. In that case you might have a 6'6"-7' jerkbait rod, an 8'-9' bucktail rod etc. It is designed to withstand the stresses of musky fishing from the bottom up. 6-foot-9 Heavy When you want the best musky reel for burning bucktails you tend to look for reels that are specifically meant for the intention. It is one of my all-time favorite musky rods for tight wrist action snaps on minnowbaits and traditional jerkbaits, as well as the longer sweep-like pull that is preferred with many of the new glide baits. New for 2021 Bucktails Crankbaits Jerkbaits MTO Custom Colors Plastics, ... 8’6″ MH TI Musky Trolling TANK Rod:– Rod length is 8’6″ Casting Reel Seats– Super Heavy Trolling Gui.. $149.99 . However they are often an element that are overlooked. In order to keep a line taut and a good rod bend during battle, too much pressure is often exerted on the fish. However, if you really only had one rod you may want to consider the 7'6" as a compromise. Another reason was the retail industry itself wasn’t up to speed on musky fishing the way it is today. , Best Rod And Reel Combo For Musky Fishing With Larger Baits, Best Musky Rod And Reel Combo For Bucktails And Topwater Baits. This is especially true with bucktails, some cranks, and most other techniques. Make no mistake about it bigger fish require a rod blank that has a lot of backbone. The rod is not designed for musky lures. On longer muskie fishing poles however you will almost always find a split handle. Rod weight slows down response and deadens sensitivity and promotes angler fatigue. A good muskie trolling rod needs to be able to handle constant strain on it. Still, the No. Usually they can be found in specialist tackle shops that cater to muskie fishing or occasionally in online stores. Today’s best musky rod manufacturers have delivered on the demand and offer longer blanks that preform like a short 6-footer during the casting and jerking process, yet they bend correctly during battle. The only problem with a cork handle is that it does tend to have some durability issues especially as it gets older. A solid performer that is significantly cheaper than some other models on the market and they come with a 5 year warranty. 7-foot-0 or 7-foot-2 Medium Heavy 1 musky producer overall is probably the bucktail spinner or an in-line spinner in some form. The real On top of our list of best Musky Reels is the Shimano Tranx Low Profile Baitcasting Reel which is an excellent musky reel from Shimano. The Helios listed here from Okuma is a 7'6" rod with a heavy power rating. If you are looking for the best musky reel for bucktails, the Revo Toro Beast is what you want. At the same time, it should also be less rigid, less stout than the previously discussed 6-foot-9, whose stoutness is primarily needed to work jerkbait-style lures. Hope these tips and baits help you catch more FISH!! It is designed to withstand the stresses of musky fishing … But, man is this a good crankbait stick. Abu Garcia Jordan Lee Low Profile is the best musky rod and reel combo for musky fishing thanks to its 7-feet rod, medium-heavy power, smooth retrieval, and big line capacity. Sometimes the bigger fish can take almost an hour to land without snapping any of your gear. It’s definitely not a substitute for the 6-9 for jerkbait fishing, but if push came to shove, it could do the job. Like I said, I find myself using this rod more than any other, and like this action so much I actually keep two of these on my bow deck at all times — one rigged with an in-line spinner and the other with a spinnerbait. Surprisingly even a small difference of six inches to a foot can have a dramatic influence over not only how the rod feels but also how much backbone it has and just how good the casting performance will be. But how do you know which one is going to be the most suitable for you? Bucktails Sort by Price, low to high Price, high to low Title, A-Z Title, Z-A Date, old to new Date, new to old Best Selling Showing 1 - 40 of 232 results Solid, 174-pound test wire with a ball bearing swivel, 12 inches long — If you’re leery of the potential for a bite-off with fluorocarbon, this leader style can be used for all the lure types mentioned above. Thorne Bros Custom Rod & Tackle. Rod Review Spinnerbaits catch everything from bass to pike to muskies on any given outing, and more musky anglers are adding this fish catcher to their arsenal every year. The entire rod weighs around 10 oz making it one of the lightest musky rods available in the market. Rich Belanger and Joe Bucher discuss the evolution of Musky bait sizes and how they are swinging back to a smaller size. Some of the brands will have their longer rods as telescopic or collapsible. They say a craftsman is only as good as his tools. So why the one rod? A fast action means that the bend in the rod will happen much further up the rod blank. The three must-have rods as I see them. Cork is a well proven material on fishing rods and it also can add to the look of the rod significantly. Trolling rods for musky can be on the shorter end of this range whereas a baitcasting rod for musky would be in the higher end of the range. If the rod doesn’t set the hook solidly, a bigger fish will surely expel the hook in short order. The TRX500PG is a real power house with it's 4.6:1 gear ratio offering a lot more torque, that extra power does result in a loss of retrieval speed as you would expect down to 30" per crank The gear will usually fall somewhere in the following ranges depending on the lure being used: Muskie rods will usually be between 7.5 and 9 feet in length of course if you are trolling you may have a larger rod depending on your boat setup. A longer rod is also a powerful tool for setting the hook and keeping muskies pinned to the lure during the battle. It can be quite good when using natural bait fish on a rig. Subject: RE: Overall Best Musky Rod my favorite all-purpose rod is an 8' Shimano Calcutta Inshore with the handle extended. In my opinion, this is the least critical of the three must-have rods. While a 6-footer might indeed work a jerkbait well, it can’t keep the line tight, and therefore the fish on after the strike. Baitcasting - used to make pin point accurate castings of lures that vary in size,weight and diving depth. A heavy power rating is the order of the day. If you live in muskie territory and are planning a big fishing trip,consider filling your tackle box with these seven top muskie baits and lures. In fact, the 7 1/2-foot medium heavy makes casting the famed bucktail spinner a true pleasure. The following choices are musky rods with the options for the various lures, line strengths, and anglers’ preferences. A longer pole will also help to a lot of the energy out of the fish as you are playing then as the long pole will help to absorb some of the power as the fish run away from you. Moreover, the meager gear ratio of 4.6:1 makes the Tranx an ideal reel for musky fishing. A super extra-fast action rod that delivers on all fronts. If you have quick, jumpy, boxer-like reflexes, you’re going miss way too many muskies with a 6-9 heavy but will not happen as often with a slower-tapered medium heavy rod. Be aware that some of these longer rods unless they are in a two piece can be a pain to transport around and to store in your garage. The only major drawback to the brand is that availability can sometimes be a issue. A cousin to the popular bucktail spinner is, of course, the safety pin-style spinnerbait. This all has to be done without adding unnecessary weight near the middle and tip of the rod which creates casting fatigue and robs hookset speed. Well, for one, the rod industry certainly wasn’t going out of its way to produce a selection of rods to cover the wide range of lure weights and techniques. Rod action is one of those things that is sometimes misunderstood by quite a few people. Plus the rod is getting over-stressed also. This rods are specifically built for throwing large muskie lures in the 2-8 ounce range and are suitable for line ratings in the 60-130lbs range. ... double #10 and #13 bucktails, ... TI Musky Telescopic Rod Blanks $ 100.00 – $ 350.00; TI Solid 1pc Musky and Pike Rods Casting and Spinning Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. I never leave the dock without them. Shorter rods with a light power rating will quite simply not be up to the job and some in fact may even snap resulting in a lost fish and lure. While a heavy bass rod will land a musky, the lure rating is too low. You will see me fishing with this rod for muskies on my TV show more than any other. With that in mind, I thought it was high time I discussed three must-have rods which have made my total musky fishing experience much more pleasurable, as I’m sure it will for you, as well. But, there are some other advantages to this rod that may not seem as obvious but are just as important. Speaking of topwater lures, a rod that is a bit slower on the hookset is preferred here. This includes a great selection of rods. They are also a lot less absorbent than a cork handle so they can be a little easier to keep clean. To go with this 21st Century selection of rods, reels are better than ever, and the lines we fish for muskies today are so superior to the products offered just 10 years ago that as a whole, the rod, reel and line are perhaps three of the most technologically-advanced items available. Conversely, real tall anglers might want these actions a bit longer. Great for working deep divers over rock humps and along weed edges. One can now literally buy a rod to fit every lure weight, and further refine his or her choice to fit individual height. If you fish out of a small boat, or are of smaller stature, slightly shorter rod actions might be more to your liking. If you stick to any of the big name brands you will mostly find that they use a good reel seat. It is a no frills well built alternative to the St Croix rod above and is usually priced in and around the same level. The two biggest that come to mind are a lack of hookset sweep at longer distances, and a lack of overall rod bend during fish battle. Certainly there are more places to fish for muskies today, but the tackle is far better now. Short-Line Success: Easy Setup, Big Results. This gives the rod a lot more backbone and means you can firmly set the hook in a muskies tough mouth. It is amazing how much more accurate a heavy, stiff extra-fast action rod is over longer models with more bend. The right 7-6 blank has to be designed uniquely so it will maintain a rigid stiffness in the lower 65 to 75 percent at least, with 75 to 85 percent being more ideal. Choosing the best musky rod for your setup depends on just how exactly you intend on fishing. They use a good crankbait stick priced accordingly the Daiwa reels are perfect for saltwater freshwater... 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