Musky "starter" Rig

[river rat 83]

I am done tinkering around with my bass / walleye rigs trying to use them for musky and am getting a new rig. I am looking at the following:

BPS XTREME 7'10" H rated for 3/8 - 3oz lures

Shimano 401 Cardiff Baitcaster (no comparison to Calcutta TE but cheaper!)

** I am a St. Croix guy but can't spend the $$ right now. I think this is a decent combo to get without breaking the bank, any thoughts, recommendations etc are much appreciated!

I plan to get a few lures around this weight class but I'm wondering how it will act if I throw a 5-6 oz lure or bigger. I'm sure it depends on the blank etc as to how it will load up. At this point, I'm a student of the game and this website is a great resource.

Many thanks

--JEFF

[allegheny river kid]

Speaking as a fan of the cardiff reels..I like them, although they are nothing like my calcutta reel they are nice and fairly inexpensive...My advice is to learn how to tear them down and lube them(i really like quantum hott sauce grease and oil)..I try to hit them 3 to 4 times a year with a cleaning and lube(depending on how much time you put on them)..I'm not familar with the rod but am a huge fan of st croix rods. You will appreciate the longer length. A heavy action rod is a good choice is you only chose to have one rig, you can throw jerkbaits,crankbaits, heavier bucktails and fish regular shallow bulldawgs..hope this helped a little...

P.S. I'm not sure what that rod your looking at costs, but you maybe able to find a used st croix or another brand on the net that will throw a wider range of bait sizes..Used tackle generally saves you tons of money. I sent you a pm with a link to a website i like to checkout used tackle

[Red Childress]

If looking for somthing that is non-St. Croix and low cost being of high importance, I have heard good things about the Maina series rods and reels.

[toothyfishman]

2 of my friends bought the Mania rod/reel combos and both like them with no problems, they are little heavy but if you only have them and nothing to compare too...........they be just fine and not break the bank.

I had one friend helping me with a snag and handed him my rod and he was like wow.....I wished you'd not done that! Then we were comparing.

It's not a big difference in weight so don't let this scare you off.

Both have had good luck with them.

[joel]

bought a mania rod n reel combo for my first muskie setup and i can honestly say they are a good buy. also bought another mania reel for another setup.

[river rat24]

I just purchased my 3rd big fish rig through a company called tackle direct, on the web. They are a company I discovered on a trip to ocean city. Checking out their sales and closeouts may be a good place to find a fairly low priced rig that is still quality stuff. I found a 7 1/2' st croix heavy action rod with an abu garcia ambassadeur high capacity reel for under $250. Not a bad setup for the budget minded in my opinion.

[muskie24/7]

I bought my first Pete Maina Combo 10 yrs. ago and I still use it once in awhile to this day! They are well worth the money!

Brian

[1roofmusky]

I know people that have burned up the Maina reels and they'll exchange them right over the counter! Usually no questions asked!