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11/20/2021 11:49PM  
Hello everyone. Last summer I lucked into an incredible deal at an estate sale near our place in Ely. It was a large double sided tackle box full of Muskie and pike lures. I also bought an Abu Garcia 5500C baitcaster reel.
I’ve never fished for muskies but love fishing for pike whenever I’m back in MN. I’m looking for advice on buying a rod that will work well with the reel and the lures I mentioned.
Unfortunately I bought those lures and reel the same morning I flew back home to Alaska and I opted to leave them at my cabin so I’m not sure what these lures weigh nor do I have experience throwing lures this large. I’m hoping some of you folks might recognize some of these lures and have the experience to suggest a suitable rod. Thanks.
Al
 
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11/21/2021 05:05AM  
looks like there might be 1 lure over 3oz in your collection . weight of yours lures will dictate your rod choice . with the lures i see a modest rod rated 1-3oz lures can get the job done. 7' minimum. a person can spend a lot of money on musky rods i found some shimanos at fleet farm for like $45 in that 1-3oz lure rating which work awesome for what i throw.
for line #50 power pro will be a good choice.
 
11/21/2021 01:57PM  
Thanks Shock, much appreciated!
 
Savage Voyageur
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11/22/2021 01:55PM  
I would suggest looking at the Predator Musky rod from Bass Pro. It is a 7’6” rod will handle 20-50 pound line, and 3/4oz to 4oz lures. It’s a medium heavy action rod. I would also suggest getting a 100# Fluorocarbon leader. It’s around a $100. I bought one last spring and caught some fish on it, worked great. At the time there was very little stock in stores and I was lucky I found this one. I paired this rod with a Abu Garcia Revo Toro Beast 60. It casts like a dream. Put some mono backing line on your reel first, then put some Power Pro Spectra 50# line on.
 
11/24/2021 07:10AM  
Great advice from SV too , the rod sounds perfect for a modest musky Fisherman.
 
11/24/2021 02:05PM  
Thanks for the help guys. I thinks you’ve got me pointed in the right direction. I like the idea of focusing on the “Musky Lite” range of equipment, seems like it’ll work for the lures from the estate sale along with some of the larger plastics I’ve already been trying to throw. Can’t see myself getting many opportunities to specifically target muskies in the next few years but hopefully more pike fishing. Your suggestions got me rolling with my research, it’s quite the rabbit hole to go down. I’m pleasantly surprised at the number of low to moderately priced rods including the ones you guys mentioned on up to even the St Croix Musky Mojo line.

SV’s ABU Toro Beast sounds like a really solid reel. I’ve also read good things about the Daiwa Lexa WN300 as a slightly smaller reel but still suitable for larger lures. Maybe I’ll give the old Abu 5500C a shot.

I’d really like to get my hands on some of these before buying anything but that’s a challenge living where I do in Alaska. I’m hoping I can find some 2pc options to make it easier to travel with.

Thanks again for the suggestions. It’s supposed to be -30F here this weekend so it might be a good time to continue diving down that rabbit hole.
 
Savage Voyageur
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11/24/2021 05:54PM  
I just looked up where Healy Alaska is located. Wow that must be incredible to live there. Such a Beautiful state you live in. Stay warm up there.

I really love that Abu Garcia Revo Toro Beast. It comes in two speeds 4.9-1 and 6.2-1. It will handle a double #10 blade or a huge Medusa.

If you are still looking for another reel also look at a Shimano Tranx 400 reel. There are so many options for us Pike and Muskie hunters nowadays.

If I might make a suggestion to you. What ever you decide make sure your rod and reel set up is big enough for the biggest fish you might think you will encounter. It does you no good to hook a giant Pike or Muskie and loose it because your equipment is sub par. You also want to boat that giant fish fast and release it fast too. With a smaller rod and reel you will need to play the fish a lot longer to boat it and stress it out or possibly kill it.
 
11/25/2021 03:45PM  
Thanks SV
All good advice and your last paragraph is especially spot on.
 
Savage Voyageur
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12/30/2021 10:09AM  
Email sent to you on 12-21-2021. Let me know if didn’t get it or you have questions.
 
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