![]() Serious musky anglers go with heavy braided line and a steel or heavy fluorocarbon leader. Lightening up your line will also make it easier to cast lighter lures greater distances. I’ve landed loads of 40-plus-pound striped bass on it, and they fight a lot harder than muskies. If you want to spool that heavy, go for it, however, it’s my belief that 30- to 40-pound braid is sufficient in most cases. It’s great for throwing extra-large lures, and it certainly creates a better insurance policy when a true goliath is on the line. Most of the serious muskie anglers I know spool their reels with 50- to 65-pound braided line. This is, in my opinion, a good middle-of-the-road length and weight that will cover the bases for boat- and shore-based pursuits and a wide variety of lure styles. Your budget is a big factor, but regardless of how much you want to spend, I’d recommend a baitcasting rod in the 7’6” to 8-foot range in heavy power. There are loads of rods on the market specifically for muskie fishing, and some of them will cost you a pretty penny. A proper rod is going to help in this process. Given that they’re almost exclusively targeted for sport and not food, it’s common to see anglers muscle them to the net quickly to reduce the amount of stress on the fish. Finally, for the sake of a clean, healthy release, you want to minimize the fight time with a muskie. Muskies also have hard jaws and lots of teeth, so a forceful hookset is usually required to make sure your lure stays pinned, and achieving this would be difficult using a rod without enough backbone. For starters, you’re going to want to cast larger, heavier lures during a dedicated muskie hunt, and to deliver them properly you’ll want a stout rod. I’ve seen lots of large muskies caught on light rods and reels more suited to bass and walleyes, but I don’t recommend it for several reason. Courtesy of What Kind of Gear Do I Need for Muskie Fishing? Why Are Muskies So Hard to Catch? Muskie guide Steven Paul releases a nice fish. After you do that, I take no responsibility for the amount of muskie tackle you buy and time you spend pursuing them. It’s a rabbit hole of epic proportion, but before you dive in, here’s my honest, no-nonsense advice for testing the muskie waters and getting that first one under your belt. Mountains of content have been created by muskie nuts all over the country. If that’s you, I’m more than qualified to help, because like you, I dabble in muskies, which requires a different mindset than becoming utterly devoted to them. Or perhaps they exist on local waters you frequent for other species but you can’t seem to get your hands on the elusive ‘skie. Maybe you’d just like to land your first one. Maybe you’re thinking about giving them a shot. If you’re reading this, I have to assume that you’re not ready to jump into full-on muskie fishing torture. I have the utmost respect for those willing to work giant lures until their wrists ache, and even when they fail to catch fish, get up and do it all again the next day. But over the last 20 years, I’ve spent time on the water with many anglers who live for that punishment. I’m so into variety that I have a hard time passing on trout, stripers, smallmouths, tuna, and many other fish I love to spend hours casting for a muskie and (probably) not catching one. Part of the reason I haven’t caught more is simply because I have fishing A.D.D. To date, I have six muskies to my credit, which by muskie-zealot standards isn’t that great of an achievement. That doesn’t mean, however, that I don’t have a deep appreciation for them as a target, and that I wasn’t over the moon every single time I put one in the net. If anything, muskies are the bane of my existence as a fisherman. Learn more ›įull disclosure: I am not an expert muskie angler. We may earn revenue from the products available on this page and participate in affiliate programs.
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