Musky Rods Compared

Why Does Musky Fishing Require a Specialty Rod?

The Muskellunge, or musky, lives primarily in the northeastern United States and Canada, although you can also find them in the Mississippi River Basin and artificially stocked in both Georgia and South Carolina. More elusive than similar species like northern pike, muskies tend to stick to clear lakes with lots of vegetation where they may eat shad, carp, or even smaller muskies.

Since adult muskies grow to be a good size and have no natural predators besides humans, they tend to be exploratory when they’re on the hunt and give musky rods a whooping. The best musky rod should be powerful to hold them off and launch large lures but also flexible enough to do a figure 8 and cast to the vegetation where muskies like to hide in wait for food.

What Makes a Good Musky Rod?

Fishing Environment & Water Clarity

Muskies live in freshwater environments, and they prefer very clear water with plenty of vegetation. The most effective musky rod will be able to cast large lures and rip them through weeds and other underwater plants to draw muskies out. Muskies might coexist with northern pike, but they spawn later in the year than pike do. That means you’re less likely to get a bite from a musky from mid- to late spring.

Rod Type & Material

Rod Length

The right length of a musky rod will vary with the particular bait and tactics you’re using to fish. If you’re going to be trolling, you should probably use a shorter musky rod. If you have a baitcasting reel on your musky rod, you should take a longer rod that will help you cast your lure farther.

So, what is the best musky rod length for all-purpose musky fishing? Stick between 7.5 feet and 9 feet unless you’re going to be throwing huge lures and going after huge muskies exclusively.

Action

Power/Weight

The best rod weight for musky fishing is probably somewhere just over a pound. It should be lightweight enough to transport but heavy enough to help you give some resistance in case the musky is very active.

The best musky rod will have either a heavy or an extra-heavy power rating. That’s simply because musky are sometimes huge, and they can be challenging to manage. If you want to turn one back toward the boat, your musky rod will need a lot of power.

Rod Handles

Musky rod handles are generally made of either cork or foam. In addition to providing comfort during long days on the water, the handle of a musky rod should provide ample room for you to place your hands to get good leverage during a fight with a musky.

That means you should be looking for a long handle, and if it’s split so you can really wrench your target above the surface, then that’s even better. Just keep in mind that both sections of a split handle should be long enough to give you plenty of different hand placement options.

Line & Lure Weight

When you go musky fishing, you have to match the hatch, as they say, by choosing lures that look like the most recent hatch. Ask around at the local bait shop if you can’t figure out what the hatch is. You should also match your catch when you’re selecting your line.

If you’re chasing small to medium-sized musky, there's no reason to have above 30-pound test. However, if you want a chance at the larger targets, you might want to get an even thicker line. Make sure to get more line if you’re going to try trolling.

Price & Warranty

There are inexpensive musky rods, and there are some that might cost as much as $700. You can always find some kind of musky rod to fit your budget, but just like with other types of fishing rods, you'll find that the costlier rods have more features, better blank construction, and longer warranties most of the time.

That being said, sometimes the cheap ones get the job done and buying a whole new cheap one after a while might be less expensive than the postage you would have paid to send in your rod to get fixed under warranty.

1. St. Croix Premier Musky

2. Redington Predator 1191-4

The balance on this musky fly rod is perfect for comfortable fishing all day long, and it has some of the best castability on the market. Not only can you cast your flies a mile with this rod thanks to its length, but it also loads well and feels almost uniquely built to handle the fly casting double haul, a necessary skill if you want to cast the big flies muskies love to attack.

The Redington Predator is built for freshwater and saltwater alike. The blank is very lightweight for such a castable rod, but it’s also incredibly durable. There’s a reinforced butt section and a split cork handle to help haul those really huge muskies out of the water.

The fast action is great for a clean hook set in the harder jaws of muskies, but just like you have to have the skill to double haul to make full use, you have to have a good grasp on fly fishing technique to take full advantage of the rod’s fast action.

Not only are the line guides strong enough to hold off fighting musky, but they also have really nice ceramic inserts that give this rod frankly excellent line control. That’s very important in a musky fly rod. The rod length is the perfect middle ground for both long roll casts with a double haul and short casts to the vegetation and cover where musky like to hide, plus it’s backed with a lifetime warranty.

3. Okuma EVX Musky Rod

4. Shimano Sojourn

Shimano is rarely the best choice for people who don't have much money to spend, but that's very much the case with the Sojourn musky rod. It’s the perfect length for casting, including flipping and pitching.

While it doesn’t have the longer length of the more specialized musky rods out there, that makes it more versatile when it comes to musky fishing. The blank is relatively lightweight and durable enough to handle sudden attacks from muskies or just being dropped on the deck from time to time.

Although this rod wasn’t built for saltwater, it still works just fine and won’t take any corrosion damage as long as you remember to rinse it off after each use. Like other Shimano musky rods, they’ve built the Sojourn with way more cork in the handle than most other brands do.

The cork handle is full-style, rather than being split. There’s also a trigger for additional grip when you have a fish on. That handle also allows for a better grip if you’re trying to cast larger musky lures.

The reel seat on this musky rod is just as strong as it is on the rest of the Shimano musky rods, which is to say that it will hold a baitcaster very snugly. It’s only protected by a limited one year warranty, but that’s at least long enough to know if you’re going to like the rod or not.

5. Kunnan IM7

If you haven’t heard of Kunnan Performance Rods before, there's no need to worry. This musky rod has a ton of backbone, and the carbon fiber in the blank makes it lightweight enough to be much more portable than other musky rods with the same power. Look out when you first start breaking this rod in because it makes a bit of a cracking noise for the first little while, but it goes away before long.

You might be surprised to find out that this rod has such low ratings for both line and lure weight, but it’s actually advantageous to have extra-heavy power in a rod that can handle lures and line weights common for medium-heavy or heavy musky rods. The hybrid match between moderate lures and lines and the powerful backbone of an extra-heavy rod let you hit way above this rod’s weight class.

The IM7 also ties with the St. Croix musky rod that is our top pick for the shortest musky rod in this review. It can still cast pretty far, but it’s also great for precision casts to try and drag muskies out from wherever in the water they're hiding. Holding this musky rod is comfortable enough, and the reel seat holds on to the reel tightly. This is certainly one of the best all-around musky rods for the stunningly low price you pay.

How to Set Up a Musky Fishing Rod

Using a baitcaster will reduce hand fatigue and enable you to use braid, which is an advantage with tough musky. You can use 30 - 50 lb braid, although monster hunters use up to 80-pound test for muskies. It’s also wise to attach a leader, as much as 20 feet, if you're able.

When you put a line on your musky rod, use lighter line for backing. Try about 20 pounds. Wrap that on first and then reverse the reel, so your main line is on, then attach the leader. The best baits for musky fishing are cranks and bucktails.

Musky Fishing Tips for Beginners

People Also Ask (FAQs)

Why is musky referred to as ‘the fish of ten thousand casts’?

What are the best musky fishing rod brands?

St. Croix musky rods have always been a favorite since they came out, but some anglers prefer a mojo musky rod. Okuma musky rods are also very high-quality but can be a bit expensive, while Shimano musky rods can be top-of-the-line or budget musky rods. There are a multitude of other smaller companies as well, but these are the main four.

What water temperature do musky spawn?

Musky like to spawn in water that’s somewhere between 50 and 60°F. They feed voraciously in preparation for the spawn and to prepare for the more lethargic winter months, so fishing for musky is probably in the autumn between September and October. There is also the possibility of catching musky in early spring and rarely in winter, but autumn is the best time.

Where is the best musky fishing?

Musky anglers are continually debating where musky fishing is most fun, but for our money, it’s in the lakes of Northern Wisconsin. Green Bay has some legendary musky fishing opportunities, and Big St. Germain is also tons of fun. You can also find musky across the northeast, in the Mississippi river basin, and stocked in rivers in places in the southeast.

How long can a muskie live?

What’s the difference between 12 wt, 11 wt, and 10wt musky rod?

The line rating for a musky fly rod is formatted as either 12wt, 11wt, 10wt, or some lower number. These figures match certain fly fishing lines, and just as you might take a higher-pound test for larger targets, you would also want to take a higher weight musky fly rod if you want to catch larger musky. The line also propels the lure in fly fishing, so heavier weights are sometimes used to cast further.

Where is the best place to find quality musky fishing rods?

There are so many different manufacturers of musky fishing rods that it can be hard to find the best models and compare prices, performance, and warranty information. Many top musky rod manufacturers use Amazon to sell their rods or have authorized dealers who have shops on Amazon. That’s the best way to find a musky rod and compare different deals.

Conclusion