Northwest Fishing Reports

Actually getting a setup going now for Muskie and am looking for some advice and input for the reel selection. I was thinking about a round baitcaster, maybe an ABU, but am open to both low profile and standard round reels. What has worked and what has not.

Chris

Shimano Curado 300DSV, Shimano Calcutta 400B, Quantum energy PT E-760PT if stock grease is pulled and reworked with light light oil:cheers:
Any of these reels should be fine and the 400b might be a bit large on those logs:bom:

First of all, if you have several rods, I suggest using the same reel on all of them. There are many good reasons for standardizing your reels. The "feel" and handling of your reel won't change when you switch rods; they're easier to maintain and field-repair if they're all the same; one set of spare parts will work on any of your reels; you can cannibalize parts off one to fix another one.

That said, I like the Abu 5000 series because they're inexpensive, durable, and you can often repair them yourself in the field if you brought a few spare parts and the nut wrench/screwdriver tool they gave you with the reel.

Also, being right-handed, I prefer to use left-handed reels (like professional bass fishermen do) so I don't have to change hands on the rod at the end of the cast. It takes a little getting used to, but once you're comfortable with it, you have much better control over the rod and reel at the moment a fish is most likely to hit your lure.

Chris
What brand do you trust to be good?
Do you prefer Right or Left hand reels?
How do you hold the reel when casting and retreiving?
Everyone makes pretty much bullet proof equipment now. The price can be the hardest part to decide on.
What feels right is a good indication what will work for you. I look for a dependable drag system.
Bill

I have at least 15= 5000 AB line up will sell very cheap$$ light years slow and drag systems pre Johnson#-o :colors:
Do they work yes is there tons much better Halibut yes!:cheers: Just say Curado:chef:

Hi Chris,
I agree with Swede. The curado & calcutta are outstanding. But a bit pricey. I've got a couple Corvaluss'. And they work fine by me. 1 Diawa Millionaire 300A, and 2 Abu 5500 series too!Paid around 50 to 70 bucks for each. Rods..check out BPS. They've got some good prices on some XH musky rods for 30 bucks. Excellent rods though. Just picked up a very nice Diawa 7 ft Musky rod rated up to 5 oz to throw the big stuff for 85 at the Sportsmans Show. I have never fell in love with A Musky rod till I had the Diawa in hand...Also saw a couple St.Crouix Triumph Musky rods at a nearby store that I started drooling on. At a 120 per I quickly stopped the slobbering. But not a bad price nun the less. Get something you feel comfortable buying. And get some leaders too. If you swing buy our meeting on the 10th of March. I'll give you a few excellent Flourcarbon leaders I got from Charlie in Wisconsin. Best Leaders Made...let me know man. And maybe we can hook up on Tapps? Get back to me...Todd

2000Sub

I'd lean toward a round reel just for the simple fact that they hold more line. Holding more line is not really the goal here but you do need it to hold enough 'heavy' line. I use both 65# and 80# Power Pro line and the low profile baitcasters just don't have the capacity.
Keep in mind that at the end of a long cast with 65# Power Pro, your spool diameter would be greatly reduced and your retrieve speed would suffer drastically and that can be bad if you hook a musky at the start of the retrieve on a long cast. Been there.
I'd stay with the 250 size reels for all your general musky fishin needs with 50 - 65# line but step up to a 300 size reel for 80 - 100# line.
Another thing a good musky reel needs is a good quality drag system and the smaller baitcasters just don't have the diameter for large enough drag washers or enough of them to stay smooth under heavy tension or hold up very long.
Since it sounds like you're going to have just one musky set-up to start off with, I'd put a 250 size reel on it with 65# Power Pro. Oh yeah, don't forget the leader. Check out Charlier on Ebay for the best flourocarbon leaders made. He also makes wire leaders.
The last thing I'll say about a good quality musky reel: It's like anything else, you get what you pay for.

I have several abu C4 6600 Series (the blue one) and a couple of Penn international 975. The abu is about $100 bucks a pop. These have been excellent reels and have taken quite a bit of abuse right in stride. The one draw back is you can get arm pump pretty quick when you are burn big baits. This is why I picked up some Penn reels ($275ish retail... I got mine on ebay for $180). It does not have the quick trigger (like the abu) for quick casting ease however you could burn baits sun up to sun down with very little fatigue. This can come in handy as you are working your way up to 10,000 casts...

If you getting just one rod I would get something in the 7.6 to 8ft range. Med/heavy action.

Good luck.
T

Hey Chris, come to the Chapter 57 meeting this Thursday night and you can talk to a bunch of muskie fishermen/women all in one room to get a bunch of different ideas. We'd love to see you there.
Rosann

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think your going to need a reel with superb cast control that will enable you to pitch a really light bait. If your on a budget, you can get the price down by sacrificing cast control and refinement. I love the Curados and Calcuttas, but I think in this case it would be a nice to have but not necessary. The Abus and the Shimano Cardiffs should handle the job just fine and you can get them for under $100.00 a piece.

Great info from everyone...

Heres my .02... I have a few differant rods and reels and all seem to do just fine. If you have the cash and want
to go with the Shimanos,then by all means go for it. I have a couple of Abu's and they seem to work pretty well
and are cheaper. I had a Pflueger a few years back that was freakin awesome(can't remember the exact model)
that I took on several pike trips. This thing could take a shotgun blast... I'm not sure what happened to it but I've moved several times since then and it would appear to be MIA.

Next time I see you at Tapps I can loan you some gear and see if you like 'em

Well, thanks for the help and thoughts guys. I only have the itch right now, so 1 setup will be the way that I am going. I have purchased a Cabela's XMLti rod that was on clearance. Until I get a fish or three under my belt, I will only be a one trick pony. The rod I went with is the 6' 8" with the 1-3oz rating. Don't get me wrong, I want a bunch of setups, but time will tell. I like the shimano's, but own none and ahve thought of the curdado or Citica. I really enjoy my Quantam Energy PT baitcaster and would love to get a few more, I just missed a great deal on Lefty's from 08'. But I can not lie, well actually I can, but the prices of the ABU's are affordable. Choices, choices, choices.....

kevinb wrote: Next time I see you at Tapps I can loan you some gear and see if you like 'em

I'll hold you to that, count on it! I will trade you some loaner gear for a backseat!

2000subaru wrote:

kevinb wrote: Next time I see you at Tapps I can loan you some gear and see if you like 'em

I'll hold you to that, count on it! I will trade you some loaner gear for a backseat!

Sounds good to me:salut:

I went with a Calcutta 251!

2000subaru wrote:I went with a Calcutta 251!

Nice!
My next Tapps trip,I might have to pull the 'Ole KB pirate move:pirat: and board your vessel
and give that thing a wurl.

Arghh...just leave my booty alone!

2000subaru wrote:Arghh...just leave my booty alone!

Oh man,now what can I do?!#-o

Glad you found a reel you liked. Good luck tmuskie hunting this year.

Nice to hear your stepping up this year Subaru!! So what kind/size net did you get to land that "fish or three" Tigers, that your gonna put under your belt this spring? By the way, I really don't recommend putting any Tiger under your belt... Have you seen the teeth on those things? LOL!!!!