Vilas15

No reason to mess with any of those other Daiwas. Lexa is the best option, though not as tough as a tranx from some issues Ive seen online. Vertical jigging is a lot different than casting baits weighing a couple ounces. Much easier long distance casting on a baitcaster. Also considering youre casting to targets and sometimes need to stop the bait short of shore/weeds/wood. Big blades like a double 10 cowgirl pull harder than any large deep crankbait, literally impossible to fish on spinning gear. Theres a reason 99% of musky guys use baitcasters.

Then don't pull so hard, or set the drag lower. You'll be fine with 3'.

High of 45 next week at the cabin. It's prime musky time right now. Then post turnover is prime walleye time. I bass fish in the spring ?, but theres always a chance at a big bass dragging big redtail minnows for walleyes.

Best options: Shimano Tranx 300, 400 Daiwa Lexa WN or HD 300, 400 Abu Garcia Maxtoro (budget option) Abu Garcia Revo Toro Beast Abu Garcia Revo Toro S Round reels (not sure if they have a synchronized levelwind): Shimano Cardiff Shimano Calcutta B or D, 300 or 400 size. Okuma and Lews also have a 300 size that may aimed more at bass swimbaits but could get it done with lighter musky baits. I fish a Lexa 400 for big baits and an Abu C3 ambassadeur for smaller baits. If I get another reel I'd go with Tranx 300, everyone seems to love them.

Are you asking? I know for lakers it's of no concern since they can vent their swim bladders.

All solid suggestions here so I don't have much to add. I fish a Lexa 400 in PWR gear ratio since I fish double 10 bucktails. You won't need that and would be fine with a faster ratio and a 300 size reel. I see the bull shad is 1.9 oz so nothing too massive.

https://www.muskyshop.com/nets/frabill-power-catch-8425-big-game-net/ Got to use mine last weekend. Not cheap but worked unbelieveably well. Its basically a livewell off the side of the boat. 39" fish in the water the whole time. Bass and walleye get the frabill conservation series rubber coated. Very happy with that as well.

Works fine for me but I don't fish thick weeds, mostly open water.

Same here Im not getting my head underwater to grab hooks with my hand. And if its it a spot that i can reach with my head above water then i can reel down to it and poke it off with the end of the rod without getting out of the boat. Just saw a local news story about a guy who drowned in a pond trying to save his RC boat that starting sinking. Not worth it even for something much more expensive than a lure.

Id be hesitant to do a deposit. So then the question would be how confident are you all the buyers will still really be interested? The market is hot right now and ive sold quite a few items for fishing and golf. Although septembers got some great musky fishing...

If I get a running start I could jump across some streams I trout fish. Rivers big enough to warrant a boat in the midwest (at least in WI) are too warm to support trout, they prefer the smaller spring creeks. No mountain snowmelt here like out west. Regarding the boat, the motor sounds like a perfect fit. I was wondering how you'd shuttle but avoiding it entirely is probably the way to go.

They fought the fish for 2 hours and took it straight to a taxidermist. Yes you can catch monsters on light line by being careful with the drag. Worth it for a catch of a lifetime for someone who doesn't fish muskies? Yes. If you intentionally target them with that kind of gear you will kill fish, and not be able to throw bigger baits that are a better option most of the time. You'll also get bit off: "This year, we got bit off probably 10 times" - from a story about that michigan fish. They do not fight like saltwater fish, no denying that. However they have big teeth requiring heavy duty leaders. Heavy rods are stiffer and don't flex when trying to figure 8 a hard pulling bait at the boat. The heavy duty reels are required to pull baits like double 10 bucktails at high speeds, and heavy line is required for big baits. I broke 80 lb sufix 832 when I backlashed and watched my 12 oz bulldawg sail into the sunset. Every piece is heavy duty for a reason if you really spend any time fishing for musky. For anyone looking to get into musky fishing there are certain concessions you can make since the stuff is not cheap, but are you going to be worried you half-assed your gear when you hook into the fish of a lifetime?

I wouldn't use that word since you're unlikely to get much of that money back at all if you were to sell it. Everything on that list other than the bilge pump and repairing seats is what I'd consider an "upgrade" over something you've already got. Everyone will tell you to fish it for a year or two before making any drastic changes. Save the money up for your glass boat if that's your plan. It's fun to do upgrades but are any of those really going to catch you more fish? Maybe the spot-lock trolling motor and that's it. If you put more money into the boat than what you bought it for I'd say that's a pretty dumb idea. Coulda just boat a boat twice as nice to start with. Save the money. Edit: Dont put a 150 on a boat rated for 135. If you injure someone in an accident you're screwed.

It should work. I use a C3 6500 which really just gets you more line capacity. Theyve got a slow retrieve rate so with the even narrower spool you'll want to crank fast especially at the beginning of your retrieve. If anything you may want a heavier rod. Not sure what size baits youre going to use but a heavier rod would give you a better figure 8 and allow you to control the fish better/better hook sets. Beefier gear all around lessens the time to get the fish in the net making it less likely theyll come unhooked or also die from exhaustion in hot water after a long fight.

I usually hear about one attack a year. There was one last year i saw definitely from an otter, even though it was claimed to be a musky. It was clearly a bite from two big fangs, not a ton of smaller sharp teeth, and they never actually saw the fish. Big pike occasional bite trolling motors or outboards. If anybody is worried about musky attacks in their lake, just let me come fish it and I'll prove there's none in there!

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Species_made_extinct_by_human_activities It's crazy how many species are just "ill-adapted" to modern firearms, habitat destruction, chemical pollution.

Interesting. I suppose its basically aggressiveness and willingness to take risks. Either you pick your battles or just eat everything you can. It would take at least a few years for multiple generations to be artificially selected for in a pond, so it would be most vulnerable if it's a secret spot and word gets out quick. Humans have wiped entire species off the planet. I think we can catch all the bass in a small pond.

Any theories about bass learning to avoid lures (and that trait being genetic ?) is thrown out when you consider areas that are vulnerable to being fished out likely have plenty of people using live bait. To think humans can't overfish even a small pond is asinine and the only reason we have such strong populations in most areas of the US is due to regs and catch & release ethics. Millions of walleye are stocked just to make sure theres enough for people to catch them since 90% of anglers keep any legal size fish they catch (and some illegal). Plenty of people can share stories of ponds that are decimated when they're discovered by the bucket brigade.

Fish can't become wary and react to fishing pressure if theyre kept the very first time theyre caught. Fishing gets harder after lots of catch and release, but how's a fish suppose to recognize a bait without ever being caught?

Literally every time I go fishing.

Glass, composite, or graphite?

Ok. If that's the case then go ahead and grab a 5 ratio! I tend to just fish the same speed no matter the conditions which is slower than maybe I should be. I feel I don't get the reaction strikes from fishing fast erratic baits.

You'll be fine with any cranking rod 6'6"+ and a 6.3 ratio. Those baits don't pull hard like 20' divers so you'll have no problem. Who said reeling fast doesn't work with cranks? If you mean it can be tough to do with deep divers id agree. But if youre just saying it wont catch fish then id have to disagree.

For a 16' aluminum you should be able to get by with just about any truck or true SUV. Maybe even some crossovers but I'm not familiar enough with them.

Governor Dodge has two different lakes. Camping as well. There's always Devils Lake which I believe has been even busier than usual if that's possible. Those are both electric only I believe. You may have trouble finding open spots at any of the large well known state parks (aka the ones I'm aware of and recommending) but good luck. There's a lot of camping way up north that is more spread out to smaller campgrounds but that's much further than the lower half.