A gathering of Muskie fishing information and lore.
The Reel
Reel choice is actually pretty simple. You need a high quality baitcaster
that can withstand hours of casting heavy lures each day, as well as hold
an ample amount of large diameter line. For trolling you need a sturdy
reel with a quality drag system. Drag is important for both your casting
and trolling reels, and casting performance is an important quaility in
your casting reels. Ball bearings rather than bushings are prefered for
casting reels; these reels see a lot of hard use in a day of muskie fishing.
You can't go wrong with an Abu Garcia 5500-C3 or 6500-C3 for casting reels.
Yes, you can spend a lot more than the 60 to 70 dollars these reels cost,
but I don't feel you get that much more out of the reels that are 200+
dollars. For trolling the Penn 9M or 209 are great choices, these run around
50 dollars and will last you a lifetime. Other good choices for casting
reels are the Quantum Iron series, and the Quantum 1420.
Last modified: Jan 18, 2000 by Dean Jansa
jansad@sgi.com