Musky casting reels

[Nalod]

I have decided to finally try out a baitcaster reel for musky casting. Does anyone have a favorite reel that I should take a look at?

--Joe

[solgrande]

I prefer my shimano corvaulas on an 8`one piece gander im8..I also use an h20(2nd) and a catala(my 3rd rod).This keeps me in an affordable price range without taking out a loan .I will be buying another corvaulas for next year( very happy with it).

Good luck

Bob S

[old man]

i have a couple shimano calcutta 250's that are almost as old as i am. they're about 160 bucks and you can't hurt 'em. this year i splurged for a te1000 at $400. it's no better. i also have a big ambassaduer somethin that i got at wal-mart for $56. it's big and heavy and has no thumb bar but it holds a mile of line and works great.

[THE TRADESMEN]

I read some good reviews on the Abu Garica C3 6500 series reels a couple years ago and bought one. I have been very happy with it. It casts very well, built well w/large aluminum spool.I did have the chance to use Solgrandes Corvalis and it worked as good and it has a thumb bar as opposed to the side button. I may go to the Corvalis just for the convenice of the tumb bar. But again very good reviews on the Abu and I am very happy with it other than the side button spool release. Good Luck finding the "one"

[Nalod]

Thanks everyone. It really sounds like shimano is the way to go...and costs between the different shimano models does not really make a difference. I will also keep in mind about a thumb bar when looking at all the reels.

thank you again for your input!

--Joe

[NitroMusky]

I like to palm the reel so I use a shimano curado 300. its pricey but so well designed that you can cast a mile and never worry about a backlash-I love it. not heavy so it won't wear ya out and 5:1 will pull everything well except the biggest of DCGs. thinking about the garcia toro winch 4:1 to complement it.

[ Post made via Mobile Device ]

[jeb1340]

I can't say enough good things about the Abu's. I have never caught a muskie on one but have caught northerns, steelhead, salmon and walleye on them. The C3 does not have a thumb bar but the C4 does and it's only about $15 more. I think the 6600 series would be what you would want and they run about $105. Just another option.

[muskymaniac]

The Curado in 300 size is my pick for light duty baits, lightweight but extra large gears that hold up well. Best overall reel for me is the Shimano Calcutta 400TE. If your on a budget, the Pete Mania reels and Okuma make very reliable reels for around 100 bucks. But if I had it to do over, I would stick with the Curado 300 and Shimano Calcutta 400TE. I have a Daiwa Luna 300 and St. Croix AC250 and they are also excellent high end reels, but I like the Shimanos for musky. For bass I tend to like daiwa over shimano. But it's personal preference. I think a high end rod like a Thorne Bros Custom on St. Croix legend blank is more important than the very best reel.

[THE TRADESMEN]

Welcome to LOU Muskie Maniac! Always glad to see another musky guy. Where are you from, would you be able to make waneta lake on Sunday for the closer?

[Nalod]

Thanks to everyone for their advice. Ironically, I ended up getting an early Christmas present before I headed out for a day of casting with Chad at Chautauqua last weekend. The gift was a Pete Mania reel already spooled with 80lb power pro. I have to say that it was the easiest day casting for musky that I have ever had.

I still prefer my trolling...but it is great to know that when the fish are shallow, I now have no problem targeting them by casting.

--Joe

[muskymaniac]

Thanks Gustofson for the Welcome. I'm from Auburn....used to fish Waneta but haven't fished it in probably 5 or 6 years. I do fish Chautaugua 2 weeks a year every fall. I hope to get back to Waneta and Lamoka...nice little lakes. I ice fished them quite a bit years back too. I don't often get to fish weekdays so weekends on Waneta can be a pain in the summer with jets skis and recreational boats. I fish for everything but once muskies get in your blood it's addicting. Once you think you have them figured out...they will humiliate you. You can PM me if you want any info....I'm pretty careful about posting too much info on boards, especially about musky. I've seen some irresponsible people take info and hurt some small lakes. Anotherwards, they are given spots and techniques and go out and tell everyone of there buddies and your peaceful lake becomes overpressured. Worst yet some will kill them for ego shots and bring em home to show all their friends. Some of those guys will be out fishing for them without a proper net, hook cutters and proper release tools. In hot weather especially, extra time out of the water spells dead musky. They are too precious of a resource to kill. Most musky guys are great guys and care about all this stuff. Unfortunately there are also some people who just don't care. I was fortunate to have an older guy show me Chautaugua personally and teach me the right way. He knows his stuff...grew up on the lake and has caught hundreds of them. He water releases fish that are 50 inches...won't even put them in the net unless absolutely neccessary. I have purchased a hat cam so I can do the same thing. Larry Jones is a good guy and he'll steer you right...he does a lot of good things with his tournament and his board. Take care.

[THE TRADESMEN]

I agree with you on most everything MM. We do however share our info here regularly with the risks you have described. However we strongly promote Musky preservation and proper release techniques. This way we have the opportunity to help each other possibly catch the fish of a lifetime and at the same time educate those who are not aware of the delicate nature of our favorite fish! So again and now even more glad you came to LOU! Maybe will will see you at our next tourney on chatauqua or even on the ICE we are also pretty serious ice people. Good Luck and Tight Lines!