Muskie Line

[LittleMan]

Can anyone tell me the best lb line to use for muskie?

Thanks,
Matt

[Marrble Eyes]

I don't know about best but I used 40 lb. Ripcord braided line from Cabelas last summer. It worked out okay. Use a flexible Rod with it though. Something has to give in the setup...

[Downrod]

It depends. Are you trolling? Casting?

I troll with 40 lb maxima ultra green. I also use 60 lb. maxima leaders.
I do not cast for muskies but I would imagine that you could go quite a bit lighter. I would still use a heavier leader.

[PIKE]

I know a lot of guys use 80lb Power Pro or similar braids. I use the 40lb (I think) and have been satified. Last year I started making my own leaders out of flourocarbon and have not had any problems as of yet. Good luck.

Pike

[Beave]

A lot will depend on where and how you're fishing.

If you're trolling LSC or a big lake without a lot of structure you can go smaller. The fish have some room to run and you can go with a lighter drag setting.

If you're fishing a river or a small lake with structure you need heavier line and tighter drags. The small lake I grew up on happens to be one of our areas few muskie plant lakes. 80lb superline seems to be the line of choice for the guys I've talked to. They're worried about fish getting wrapped into docks and structure though so they need to be able to immediately start fighting.

Interestingly enough, in warm water lakes after one good run there's not enough oxygen and the few muskie I've caught get "winded" very quickly. Since I don't target them specifically most of the muskie I've caught in my days are "oh crap" fish we catch while pan fishing off the dock. First you catch a bluegill or crappie, and while you're reeling it in a torpedo comes out of the weeds and everything goes nuts. When I was a kid I caught a Tiger muskie that ran about 45" on the cheapest Zebco rod/reel setup you could buy. Last summer I watched a 10 year neighbor kid old haul in a 48" muskie on a 6lb test ultralight bluegill setup. The fish was almost as big as he was. You should've seen him grinning.

[Tbonefishin]

80 lb Power Pro

[brooksie]

80# Berkley Whiplash

[ESOX]

Depends upon the application. I'll use anywhere from 30#-80# Power Pro on my casting setups. A rod rated for a 1 oz bait with a smaller reel gets the 30# on up to a rod rated for 6 oz. lures spooled with 80#. As far as trolling, Last year I figured out I could read the baits a lot better on the board and long rods with Power Pro, and run 50-65# on them with 5-6' of 80-100# floro for leaders. Still run 50# mono on the down and wash rods, as the stretch of mono is necessary for shock absorbtion and also gives better hook up ratio on the short lines.

[PIKE]

Esox,
How do you connect your flouro leaders leaders. I have heard of people using a uni-knot (and other similar ways of connecting lines). I have been using a barrel swivel and a polamar knot just because I feel more compfortable with the knot strength. However when doing it this way, I end up using a shorter leader.

Pike

[ESOX]

I use a ball bearing barrel swivel. Sampo only.Those bargain brands are no bargain. I use an improved clinch knot on the braid, a clinch knot on the floro with a couple half hitches above the knot for security. Not pretty, but effective. That heavy floro is a bear to work with, especially in the cold.