Product Reviews for Musky Fishing

[Mike Hulbert]

Winter has definately settled in and I thought this would be a good time for all of us to dicuss, post and educate people on the MANY MANY different products out there for musky fishing. There is a lot of choices out there when it comes to baits, rods, reels, line, sunglasses, release tools, cameras, rain gear, terminal tackle, etc...the list can go on and on...

So I thought it would be cool and educational for all of us to post some of our favorite gear and why...and on the flip side discuss some other products we weren't to happy with.

Remember this can be ANYTHING musky related....so if you have something good to share, please do. If you have a question about a certain product please log in and ask, as I am sure there will be somebody or several people with info for you to share. I personally feel the best info is true and honesty info, so feel feel to highly praise a product or discuss why you didn't like or wouldn't recommend a product. We can all learn a thing or two from this...so I will start.

Knipex has become the staple hook cutters in Musky fishing and for good reason, they rock. About 4 years ago, I tried a new type of hook cutters and actually perfer them over my Knipex. I still carry two pair of Knipex cutters in my boat but my Felco C7 cutters work the best in my opinion. Easy to use, spring handles and they cut 7 and 8-O hooks like butter. Like I said, I carry 2 pair of Knipex with me and 2 pair of these Felco's as well, and everytime I have to cut hooks, I am grabbing the Felco's over the Knipex. I have both the Felco C7's and the Felco C3.

There is also alot of questions out there about polarized sunglasses. I have tried about 4 zillion pair in my life from cheap $10.00 ones to the pair I use today, the Oceanwaves in Backwater Green lenses. I feel these glasses out perform any other glasses I have used and I have had them now for at least 4 seasons. They are great in low light as well as bright sunny days. Again, they are not the cheapest pair out there, but with sunglasses I have learned that you get what you pay for.

So there are my first two reviews...hook cutters and sunglasses...both VERY imporant when it comes to musky fishing...so what products do you like or would you recommend or what products would you tell people to stay away from? Remember, this can be anything musky related. I also want to add that any product that I recommend or endorse doesn't mean I am sponsered by them. It simply means, that product works! IE: I am not sponsered by Oceanwaves nor Felco...they are just awesome products that I would highly recommend.

[Mike Hulbert]

Oh now come on...you mean to tell me some of you don't have anything good or bad to say about anything???? Nothing to help the fellow musky guy out?? Well then, I guess I'll add another and hope some of you chime in.

When it comes to reels I again have used pretty much everything that is out here...some of it is junk some is not...I perfer the Calcutta TE 400 with a power handle on it. The Caluctta 400 B's aren't a bad reel either, but it's not the same as it's big brother the TE. With many reels I have serious anti-reverse issues and I have found that the TE and B's will hold up longer than any other reel I use. Not only will the anti reverse hold up longer, but so will the gears and other small pieces that break on a consistant basis. I have ohter reels as back ups as my Calcutta's do break down from time to time, but I pefer the Calcutta TE 400 over any other reel that I have used for everyday fishing.

Trolling Motors....
I have had a Minn Kota Terrova since they first came out and I couldn't be happier. I used to use the Power Drives and would go through foot pedals about every 30 to 40 days on the water on average. They just didn't hold up...I remember one year I went through 13 pedals....not a happy person! I have not yet gone through one Terrova pedal, and I have used it for two seasons. I am glad they beefed up the pedals and made them more friendly to those of us that fish alot. The new pedal is very easy to opperate and even for a electric steer trolling motor, the response time isn't to bad...nothing can match the response time of a cable driven trolling motor....but I HATE the big bulky pedals and being stuck fishing out of the front of a boat. If you are in need of a new trolling motor, I would definatley look into a Terrova. Skip right past the newer Power Drives and opt for the Terrova...they are great and super easy to use!

[Ifishtolive]

Well if your looking at nets and wanting to save money you can't. I bought a Frabill Muskie/Salmon from Cabela's. You get the good hoop, but the net bag and handle suck. I ended up buying the $70 dollar 42" deep knotless-tangle free in June. Lesson learned, cough up the $134-170 for a Frabill upfront that is money for properly landing muskies you have to spend!

Buddy Ellenburg

Take a kid fishing they'll have a lifetime of memories!!

[Mike Hulbert]

Thanks Buddy! That's exactally what I was looking for!

I also use Frabill nets. I perfer the Frabill Big Kahuna. The hoop size and bag size are huge...which in my opinion is perfect. I have used Beckman's and Frabill's Big Game but I perfer the Big Kahuna. Both Frabill and Beckman make great nets, I just perfer the larger loops of the Frabill nets. When a fish rolls in the net and you have the smaller mesh like on the Beckman, it can be an annoying and frustrating experience trying to untangle a 7-O hook from the smaller net mesh.

The one thing to remember is to use a dipped bag which comes standard on Frabill's Big Game and Big Kahuna as well as Beckman's musky nets. Regular nylon nets will cause serious problems to both you and the fish you intend to release!

[Ifishtolive]

I also learned an extremely a$$ kicking lesson DO NOT buy Matzuo 4/0 red trebles from Bass Pro Shops for musky I lost my largest fish this year 45-48 Fattie on a bent hook at boatside heading to the net! That was a basll buster! On the subject of reels I did find on ffo-tackle.com (one of my favarite places to buy reels) they have last years models of Revo Premiers and STX reels in righties and lefties (for us weirdos) for 151.00 on the STX's. I bought 2, one for my Musky Armor and one for a Pro Edge. These are just for everything but Pounders and 10's. I 'm having trouble with my hands and need the smaller profile reels. If I was throwing 10's alot more I'd get a Toro, but I'll use my Trion for another year and see how productive the 10's are this year! Those STX reels cast as freakin' mile and are super smooth perfect fro the shadillac and my hell hounds and mag dawgs and new top waters. I ended up getting a TI Medusa Globe in Glow Loon and a Leviathan in Orange Tiger, they look really awsome and I just ordered several Dominatrix'es and a couple dbl 13 Booty Tails, If get a Boomer and maybe a Shadillac in the Carp I think I about set for open water!


Buddy Ellenburg

Take a kid fishing they'll have a lifetime of memories!

[imob34]

I've always used abu's C3 reels, but this year i found out the anti-reverse will fail everytime your out in the rain. the reels must be stripped down, dried, and lubed after every wet trip which becomes a pain when you get home late and would like to be on the lake before sun up the next morning. They are not bad reels for the price but this year i'll be purchasing a new set of reels once i decide on the model i want.

Last year a purchased a couple of the P-Line pliers w/ cutters on the side. They attach to your belt which has been a plus, i never have to look for pliers no matter whos boat i'm in and the cutters did fine each time i needed to cut a hook. They also cut braid no problem. The only model i've seen around here has the browning logo on it but i believe they are the same

I fish alone about 1/2 of the time and find netting difficult at times so last fall i purchased the Bulldog net. The 6' handle has really made reaching fish easier I also wrap my net handles with baseball bat grip tape to give my one had on it the best grip possible

Also became a big fan of chatterbaits last year, nothing out there creates near the vibration they put out. I observed shad swiming along side them on more than one occasion. Live decoys have to be a good thing don't they

[Marc Reynolds]

I fished the entire year using mainly a Penn International 975. This is a good reel for big rubber, slow rolling double 10's and top water. I thought this was going to be a better reel for getting cowgirls to move a little laster, but its not. It works great at night when you are bringing the big blades back to the boat nice and slow, but in the heat of the summer when I wanted to burn some 10's it just didn't get going fast enough. It took a lot of work to burn the big blades and I could easily tell that it wasnt meant to reel that fast.

Later in the year, I picked up a Diawa Saltist 20 for 170 bucks. I had heard a few different thoughts on these, but picked one up anyway. I used it quite a bit in August and the beginning of September and I really like it for the double 10's. It is ridiculously easy to pull the 10's around at slow and medium speeds and i thought it worked good for bringing in the 10's fast. I really liked this reel for the 10's and DC-9's. For 170 bucks I thought it has been a great deal. Now im just waiting for Patrick Chewing to bring me my new 9 footer to put the Saltist on.

I didnt try too much of anything else that was new. I picked up some Spanky double 10's and liked those and I let a buddy of mine use a custom DCG and he put 3 in the boat in one weekend using that bait. I got to net em at least.

[Mike Hulbert]

Those Penn 975's are definately good reels...bulletproof no, but I haven't found a reel yet that is. You should be happy with that reel for a long time. Perfect for slow rolling big bucktails and pumping dawgs and pounders.

The Saltist is also a good reel for burning, I perfer the Trinidad, but those also come with a $410 price tag...OUCH.

And like I told you before Marc...I'll have a 9 footer for you at the MN show in April...you can stop worrying about that!

[js5]

Does anyone have the Shimano Calcutta 700 TE? I've been thinking about getting that reel. Thanks, Jeff Strough

[Mike Hulbert]

I have had both, a regular Calcutta 700 and a Calcutta 700 TE...I got rid of them both and have opted for the Trinidad 16n and Trinidad 14.

They are great reels, but I thought if I was going to be using something that big, I wanted more bang for my buck...and the large Trinidad's is what I felt best suited my needs.

Like I said the 700 TE's are great reels...solid as a rock. If you get one I am sure you will really like it.

[tomcat]

Does anyone have the Shimano Calcutta 700 TE? I've been thinking about getting that reel. Thanks, Jeff Strough

good morning Jeff. i have Calcutta 700 TE. i like the reel, alot. however, it's heavier or weights more than the 400 model, if that is what you are use to. it requires a bit of fore-arm or wrist to keep the reel/rod upright, but that's true of all bigger reels though. I have had zero issues with my 700 TE, but i do not use it all the time. it's GREAT for big #13 bladed bucktails, cowgirls, hard pulling cranks..ect.. i have it on my "pounder" rod and the reel casts like a dream. i can truely launch big baits with this reel.
good cranking power, very smooth and very reliable. i have not had my break yet (my only reel to never break). Shimano offers first class customers service for thier TE customers. if you have a problem with a TE, i believe they ship it back to you within 48 hours of recieving it.
the handle on the reel is very comfortable. i have use it for 10 hours in a row without putting it down, so it's not too heavy to use all day.
there is a little "switch" on the side that is your spool release. no thumb-bar, not push button like Abu's..but the little switch is NO big deal. easy to cast.

I also have a Calcutta 700..i REALLY like the TE much much better. even if you buy a used one, Shimano will stand behind the reel you bought.
i don't use it every time i fish, but when i do, it's MONEY in the Bank.

[Marc Reynolds]

I am just giving you shit there Patrick Chewing. I know you'll have it for me. I also like those Trinidads as well, but I can't afford $400 on a reel with the amount of money their paying us public school teachers.

i need to find a set gig!!

[jkahler]

Diawa Luna and the St Croix counterpart would be awesome if the anti reverse issues would be addressed. Almost lost a fish while netting it because of that.

Picked up a Musky Innovations rod and it's been great so far.

Stealth leaders are good. It was my first season of using flouro leaders and I was impressed. It was nice to not have to bend a leader back into shape or waste time swapping out a new one after catching a fish.

I still can't buy a fish on a Jake...

Rad dog spinnerbaits need to be made better. Lost a fish trolling one in the propwash. Lure broke in half and stayed with the fish. Not cool. Bought 2 more replacements and one broke in the same place while trolling after about 2 hours. Both broke where it loops, and they were both looped differently. My drag was not too tight when the first one broke.

Any big spinnerbaits with 10 blades that can be trolled at 4mph without rolling or breaking? I did okay with the Cyco spinner from Musky Mayhem, but it rolls once in a while. Maybe more weight like 3oz would help.

[Mike Hulbert]

I 100% agree with you about the Daiwa Luna's. I have 4 of them and when they are new or "fixed" they are pretty dang nice...cast great...smooth...but jeeze I am blow out the anit reverse on one of those reels in ONE day. I have done it MANY times.... I just sent my 4 in to get fixed and I will be selling those and running all Shimano in 2010. I am so tired of getting a reel fixed only to have it break with 4 hours of using it...and with the price tag that Luna's come with, I would expect a better product.

[rustyman]

JUNK: toolshop brand of bolt cutters, jaws bend on bigger hooks. I had to cut a bunch of hooks on St. Clair for pike mainly so I know.
Any kind of tackle from Gander that are guide series except 8.6ft Rods. Had problems with leaders when first started out, lost expensive baits.
Abu garcia reels except the record, I love the record for the money.
Ace bait gliders, grubby joes, and watch out for cheap ebay walk the dog topwaters that just pull the dog.

GOOD: I can't say enough good things about my boat, 2007 Lowe 17.5 Stinger. Wide beam, good storage, decent motor for price, I can draft super shallow water, took boat on St. Clair in 2.5 ft. waves and never took on water. Paid around 12,400 new from Moores in Ligonier. Stealth 50 pound, never had a break, keep your line guides checked with Q tip and line changed. I have a love the stringease quick change but keep an eye if it gets to easy to slide a bait on, change it.

[imob34]

i am thinking about trying shimano torium to burn in bucktails. The smallest model weighs 15.7 oz. and picks up 3' of line per crank. Does anyone have any thoughts on using a reel without a levelwind for casting?

[Mike Hulbert]

I have never used the Torium, only the Trinidad's....but if you are concerned with not having a level wind it isn't a big deal. You will get used to it pretty quickly. If you want a high speed reel for burning and want a level wind, check out the Daiwa Saltist. I have used both the 30 and the 40.

http://www.thornebros.com/muskie/reels/daiwa/saltist_levelwind.html

[Scuba117]

I am looking into buying a Saltist 40 level wind. How does this reel hold up? I have read that some people dont like it because it is harder to use with smaller lures, is there any truth to that? Any info would be great before I make the purchase. Thanks.

[biddler2]

I got a new boat boat last year and upgraded my electronics to the HDS-7 units and they were great, plus got a terrova. Looking at getting the i-pilot for next year.

[Mike Hulbert]

The Saltist is a great reel and I am sure you won't have problems with it.

These baits are made for sale water applications....so they also can be used in musky fishing...but with bigger baits. I would only think about using the Saltist with big bucktails, big rubber baits like Mag Dawgs and Pounders and a few crankbaits....not really anything small.

[Marc Reynolds]

Mike is right on about the Saltist 40. If you are looking at throwing more medium sized bucktails like llungen #8's or #9's or double showgirls and up to Double 10's, you should look at the Saltist 20. The 20 picks up 36 inches of line per crank of the reel. So it is still fast and it only costs 170 bucks, or you could go with the 30 size saltist for 180. The 30 sized Saltist has the same size diameter spool as the 20(So it picks up the same amount of line), but it has a wider spool so it holds more line. I have the 20 and love it for Llungen #9's, DC-9's and junior and regular Double cowgirls. The 40 is mainly going to be for your Double 10's and 13's and mega suzie sized baits.

One thing about the 40 if you have not seen it is that it is huge. If you plan on palming this reel, I hope you have Patrick Ewing sized hands or your going to need to learn to hold the fore grip. I have also heard that this reel backlashes some if you fill the spool close to full. Talking with Pat at Thorne Bros last summer, he said if you get the 40, only fill it up about half way and it will reduce the backlashes(with a half spooled sized 40 it will pick up about 40 inches of line). And he said learn to use a lot of thumb when casting to help with the back lashes.

These reels have had pretty good reports after one year of hard use, especially for under 200 bucks loaded with line. Ive had no problems with mine and I love it for blades.

[AWH]

I didn't get a ton of time with them, but I became a big fan of Musky Armor's Krave after I had a chance to get my hands on one last fall. Great bait and built like a tank! Stay tuned for the Krave Jr to be released in a couple of months. This one is looking real good too.

Aaron

[js5]

Hello,
Does anyone use fish scents or fish attractant on musky soft plastics, or use it regularly on any musky lure?
Thanks, Jeff Strough

[J Routt]

Wish I could chime in with something new, but I've haven't really used much of anything new for the last two years, especially bait wise.

I'm typically an Abu fan, but did blow up three Record 60's this year. I'll get them rebuilt, but I will not rely on them at all next year. Again, not new news. Most people already know that.

I will have to say I like Mike's new rods though. I loved my custom Thorne Bros rod A LOT, so I figured Mike's rod would be my "backup" rod. I was wrong, my Thorne is my second rod.

[Mike Hulbert]

Jeff,

I don't use any scents on any of my baits...seems like a waste of time to me. When a musky eats a bait, it is usually a pretty vicious strike so I don't put to much thought into them "smelling" a bait. Plus I think that the scent would wear off pretty quickly even on soft plastics.

[js5]

Hello, Mike, Thanks a lot for the input! Have you or anyone else ever used Vicious Braided Line? If so, how is it? Thanks again, Jeff

[rayscott425]

Hey Mike, I was watching muskyhunter and Jim Saric said the Abu Garcia revo winch was a great reel for big bucktails. Do you have any input on these reels?? Also will you have any of your new rods at the Ohio Musky show? Are all of these rods 9 ft?

[Mike Hulbert]

I have never used Vicious line before so I can't comment on it...sorry.

As far as the Abu Revo goes I would stay away from it...not the best reel out there for that application and Abu's are not really known for their lasting power and their ability to handle abuse. I wouldn't suggest those reels for double 10's...but again that is just my opinion.

And yes I will have my 9 foot rods at the Ohio Musky Show, and yes all my rods are 9 ft.

[Ifishtolive]

When you guys say "blow up" a reel what does that mean? I know it is usually the AR but what does the reel act like after this happens? I have an Abu 5600 CB and when you give the handle one quick snap the spool just free spins. Is this 'Blown". Also what percentage of muskie's have you caught Burning blades. I'm thinking about a Saltist 20. Is it a high percentage catch rate or another tool in the arsenal? Mike if you have any connections or talks with Diawa tell them they need these reels in Lefty's, I'd already own one!

Buddy Ellenburg

Take a kid fishing they'll have a lifetime of memories!

[Mike Hulbert]

Buddy,

When I say I "blow up" a reel it usually means one of a few things...

1. Blow out the Anti Reverse
2. Totally trash the gears so the reel won't physically work
3. Trash gears so you can't move the handle

Anti Reverse issues are a huge problem in my boat, but the Shimano TE's and B's hold up the best. I can and have smoked the anti reverse on the Daiwa Luna's in literally a few hours of fishing them.....brand new right out of the box. Same goes for many Abu products as well.

[crittergitter]

Ok, I am not really a jerkbait guy. However, I got "hooked" at the 08 Musky Show by the new glitzy Savage Gear Freestylers. I got a small and a large. They were selling well and lots of people were "raving" about them. Well, in two seasons I havent raised a fish on one. Maybe they are good baits, and I just can't work them properly. Though, I sure don't see much "chatter" about them on any boards.

[Ifishtolive]

Hey I don't know if any you guys are i the same boat but I was needing to upgrade electronics this year but money is tight. Cabela's has X96's in the bargain cave so I bought 2 and I bought a new Endura Outback hand held gps color, (I already have a I-finder Pro) and 2 new Navionics chips, and the ram micro mounts. Now it may not seem like much but compared to the Eagle Fisheasy 240's I had it is a huge improvement and all of that was less than one HDS-5. The color would be nice but I'm sure I'll survive without it! I compared the screens the other day, the X96 is almost double what I'm used to, can't wait to use' em! Let's go Fish!!

Buddy Ellenburg

Take a kid fishing they'll have a lifetime of memories!

[Mike Hulbert]

As far as line goes, I have been using Cortland Spectron for several years now and loved it. Then they came out with Bronzeback and I spooled up half my reels with Bronzeback and half with Spectron.

Since then Cortland has stopped making Green Spectron, so I have switched to using 80 lb Bronzeback for 100% of my reels. This line picks up less water than another other line I have used, retains its color and isn't stiff like some of the other lines out there. I would highly recommend it if you are looking for some new line for 2010.

[hawkguy111]

What about electronics?
Hummingbird or Lowerance,
Side scan or no side scan.
I'm in the market weighing heavy on hummingbird cause I get a good deal from a friend, plus I hear Lowerance is having problems with the latest model.

which model number do you recommend?

[biddler2]

I played around a little bit with the I-pilot this weekend and was impressed. I didn't try any complex tracks but the cruise control, advanced autopilot(GPS based not compass) worked great. Plus having the co-pilot features will make it easier later this summer when the family is in the boat with me.

[Mike Hulbert]

I don't have any experience with Hummingbird, I have only ran Lowrance products and love them. I have had small units all the way up to the 110, 111, 112 and 113. I really enjoy the ease of using the Lowrance products as well as what they are able to show me in the water.

As far as the i-finder goes, I have never used one, nor do I think I will. I have GPS on my Lowrance so I can easily follow a trail if I need to. Also I NEVER keep my trolling motor on constant so that feature plus many others would be worthless to me. With trolling motors I like them as simple as possible, no universal sonar, no auto pilot as I have NEVER had a good experience with an AP..., I want my trolling motor to turn right, turn left and for the prop to spin..that's it. :)

[rustyman]

I bought a few ACE baits at the chicago show and used two of them for the first time this weekend and I'm really unhappy with the baits. They were the one ones that look like bulldawgs but are made from wood with a big grub tail. They also like to spin upside down the last ten feet when you rip it up at the boat before going into your eights. Its a good concept but the design needs some help I think.