The Demise Of A Bass Fisherman?

[Incognito]

     Well, to begin, it all started a few weeks ago.  I went fishing and hooked into some nice pike that I failed to land.  I was devastated.  To see a fish on my line of that caliber is making me rethink bass fishing.  I still enjoy catching bass, but pike, man they fight.   Daydreaming about pike fishing only makes me want to catch them more.  I've even woke up to myself dreaming about pike fishing.  I think I may be forming an obsession for pike...

     So, the reason I'm posting is to receive some help.  Seeing that I'm so intrigued about pike, I need a decent rod and reel.  I just don't know where to start, though.  I have a budget of $200 for the rod and reel together.  Unfortunately, I only buy new.  I know $200 doesn't sound like a lot to seasoned veterans, but I'm only 18.  I generally only fish from shore and I do have a row boat I'll take out.  I know it's a stretch to ask for a rod that can handle any type of pike and musky lure, but I'm asking it anyways, sorry.  One rod and reel for all pike and musky setups is a must for me at the moment.

    Any information and setups is greatly appreciated.  I look forward to your responses and your opinions.  Thank you.

[Scott F]

Are you going to be fishing for pike or musky?If you've got bass tackle, you're all set for pike. If you will be fishing in Wisconsin, there are few pike in the state that will put any strain on any tackle you've been using for bass. Pike can get very large, but most of those are in Canada. Pike are more prone to eat much smaller lures than musky so bass tackle works fine. Muskies are another story.  $200 will get you a heavy action budget rod and reel, but you'll still need to get line, leaders and musky lures. You'll need at least another $100 to get started.

[Incognito]

     Thanks for the information!  I'd like to fish musky, but, let's be honest here, the fish of ten thousand casts is very deterring.  The lake I'll be fishing in for pike, and maybe musky, are known to get huge....My grandpa has five mounted pikes all over the 42 inch mark.  My dad found a dead muskie back by our property and i believe it was pushing the 50" mark.  No joke.  When it's done getting mounted I'll try to post a pic.

[SirSnookalot]

I admire your new found passion, no one lands every fish every time so stick with it.  I like catching the biggest, baddest fish available to me, small fish are fun but larger fish are more than just fun.  I agree with with Scott, I'd be targeting pike more than muskie for a few reasons.  They are more plentiful and the tackle required is not as substantial, $200 is going to come very close to cover expenses to at least get you started.  A 10, 20# or larger fish that does not inhale baits hitting a moving lure, a sensitive rod is your last concern, you get a strike and there is no doubt about it.  I'm not going to suggest a specific brand but for multi species I'd be using a mh rod with wide lure range, one of my favorites is a mh 1/2- 2 1/2 oz rod, I can go a little lower or little higher if I choose to.

[Bluebasser86]

You don't have to be married to one species of fish. I'll fish for anything that bites and will often fish for whatever is biting best even if I started out targeting a different fish. Pike are great fun and I'd fish for them too if we had any around here. 

[Incognito]

     Thanks for all the posts, fellas.  I still plan to bass fish, but pike will take top priority.  Seeing that I would like to catch an occasional musky as well, would any of you suggest small musky lures?  The way I see it is the bait would be somewhat large for a pike and small for a musky.  In theory I'd catch both, right?  I do have this 9 inch orange crankbait I got for three dollars, and I've caught little 27" pike on it.  

[Jolly Green]

I'm primarily a shore fisherman as well, and the "big stick" I carry when specifically targeting pike is an Abu Vendetta, 7' MH/F spinning rod with a 35 sized Pflueger President strung with 20# braid with a 6" wire leader.  I've not hooked into anything over 30" but I wouldn't worry if I did, there's plenty of rod power in reserve, and even though the reel's drag isn't the greatest it does the job fine.  The whole setup cost me $100 brand new thanks to my local Walmart's aggressive approach to clearance. 

 

Rod just needs to be sturdy, the reel you're after has a decent drag and a retrieve on the speedy side; pike are often suckers for fast-moving bait.  Speaking of which, it's no real secret but I'll say it anyway: a chrome Rat-L-Trap is so effective for pike it almost isn't fair.  Spinnerbaits, inline spinners, and buzzbaits work well too.  Throw big ol' Jakes and Bulldawgs if you wish, but be careful... muskie fever is usually a life-long affliction.

 

Good luck!

[Incognito]

    Thanks, I've heard of the Abu Vendettas.  The only problem I see with the rod is that they are not cork handles.  I'm a cork guy until I die.  I'll check into the Rat-L-Trap because I've never heard of it.  If it's a pike catcher I'll need it.

[Scott F]

Muskies are funny. Even the biggest fish will eat crappie minnows, 18 inch suckers or 24 inch walleyes. Guys who are serious about muskies usually are looking for the 50 inchers and use big, big baits. There are however, guys who like to catch muskies that like to catch numbers of fish. Those guys use smaller baits that will also work well for pike.  In-line spinners like #5 Mepps, or the Mepps Musky Killer can be thrown easily on bass tackle. Safety pin style spinner baits are killers for pike. If you are fishing in heavy cabbage weeds, and you should be, a Johnson Silver Minnow with a 3 or 4 inch white twister tail as a trailer is a must have. A few other good musky baits on the smaller side (for musky baits) are Rapala Super Shad Raps, #13 Rapala X-Raps, and a harder to find bait I like, the Salmo Perch.  Be sure to get some steel leaders so when you do get a bite, you won't get bit off. Jaw spreaders, long needle nose pliers and a good net are also required. Watch out for those teeth!

[Smallmouth Hunter]

Wait till you go saltwater fishing for big ol jack crevalles, redfish, snook, etc.. You will really rethink bass fishing.

[Jolly Green]

    Thanks, I've heard of the Abu Vendettas.  The only problem I see with the rod is that they are not cork handles.  I'm a cork guy until I die.  I'll check into the Rat-L-Trap because I've never heard of it.  If it's a pike catcher I'll need it.

 

I mentioned the specifics of my setup more to illustrate the point that you don't need anything super special to chase pike; you should have no problem finding a suitable rod with cork handles in your budget, and as has been mentioned, your bass tackle may be just fine for pike.  If you do decide to buy a rod, get one that's as long as is practical for you (for casting range and fish control) and be careful that you don't buy a "boat rod", one that's designed mainly for trolling and is not optimal for casting.

 

Rat-L-Traps are lipless crankbaits, and bass love them too.  Search the site for countless threads and articles on the subject; they are a versatile bait and a lot of fun to fish.

[Incognito]

   Thanks for all the information!!!!  I'm growing closer to my goal with every comment and all I can say is thank you!!! Weeheewwww!!!

    I do need a new reel for sure, though, because my six year old Abu Garica Blackmax has antireverse problems....Cleaned it and still can go backwards.....Haha

[SirSnookalot]

Wait till you go saltwater fishing for big ol jack crevalles, redfish, snook, etc.. You will really rethink bass fishing.

You have to accept each type of fishing for what it is, both are fun and both can have it's challenges.  As a fisherman that does both everyday, I have real good idea of the differences as well as the common ground.  IMO if I were to pick a difference and that is based on where I fish, bass are just about always in the general area, they may not be cooperative.  Inshore fishing is usually whether the fish are around or not, they follow bait and may be miles away.  You could never tell a small mouth or muskie fisherman there is anything more potent, a striper fisherman will make the same claim.  I say catch them all, then decide which you like the best, I've got my picks.

[Ratherbfishing]

Possibly the biggest pain with catching pike is getting them (and the now tangled lure) out of the net.  There is no reason I can think of why you can't move back and forth between pike and bass (and many areas will have both species).  I'm sure you've already experienced the wisdom of using steel leaders in areas where there are both species.

 

While it was in Canada's Lake of the Woods and not Wisconsin, both smallies and Pike had a big thing for large 1 ounce rat-l-traps (or even the 1.5 ounce).  It is generally wise to use larger/more durable baits-especially if you fish spinnerbaits a lot.  A big pike will demolish a typical bass-sized spinnerbait.

 

As has already been mentioned, medium-heavy and heavy bass gear is generally sufficient for most pike.  Pike (and musky) will often follow a bait a considerable ways before it decides to strike so a long rod (around 7.5 feet) and a smooth reel can go a long way (pun intended) to making distance casts.

[tipptruck1]

When I go out. I catch a mix basket of both pike, Muskie, and small mouth. Never once felt like my gear was stressed. That includes a hand full of muskie over 45in. They were all caught on 12lb mono with a MH rod and a curado. Other then the frayed line about 2 feet up from the lure. The line was good. If my gear can handle a 20-30 lb muskie. Not saying I would want to do it all the time. But for the few times a year it happens. It is fun. So you should be ok with a 5-10lb pike

[Incognito]

     So, with all the help from you guys, I think I may be getting a "bass" heavy action rod around 8', or a Gander Mountain Classic Muskie Rod that's 8', heavy action.  The reel I'm looking at is the Abu Garcia C3-6500 and I think I'll slap on 50-80lb PowerPro line.  I want resilient tackle in case I hook into "Nessy."  HaHa

[tomustang]

Big difference with a bass heavy rod and a musky heavy rod. Would not start on braid because of line shock and the little abrasion resistance from rocks or teeth. 20lb trilene big game should be a good start

[Incognito]

     I've always loved braid, though.  Switched to mono this year and I prefer the feel of braid.  But, thanks for your opinion.   Are muskie rods just that much stronger?

[lmoore]

The quickest way I've found to get pike going is fish for bass with a lure you only have 1 of and don't tie a leader on. 

[tipptruck1]

Big difference with a bass heavy rod and a musky heavy rod. Would not start on braid because of line shock and the little abrasion resistance from rocks or teeth. 20lb trilene big game should be a good start

Totally, My HH bass flipping rod were the blank meets the the front grip. Is smaller then any muskie rod I have seen, or owned. Even a MH muskie rod is bigger then a heavy bass rod. You can use a heavy bass rod. But there would be to munch flex in a bass rod. When using 2oz plus muskie baits. A heavy action or med-heavy muskie rod would be better. As for braid. That is all I use on my muskie gear. As long as you use a leader. You will be ok.

[Incognito]

     Thanks for the information guys!  It's very much appreciated.   So, from what I'm hearing is that a muskie rod is the better choice?  If so, med-heavy would be more versatile for for smaller muskie lures? Keep in mind my main goal is numbers, not size.  The way I see it is that  I'll eventually hook into a lunker.  I just want a good rod that can be used for pike and the occasional muskie.  

[Jolly Green]

     So, with all the help from you guys, I think I may be getting a "bass" heavy action rod around 8', or a Gander Mountain Classic Muskie Rod that's 8', heavy action.  The reel I'm looking at is the Abu Garcia C3-6500 and I think I'll slap on 50-80lb PowerPro line.  I want resilient tackle in case I hook into "Nessy."  HaHa

 

As far as line capacity goes, the 5500 size is plenty for your purposes.  The 6500 has a bait clicker, which is nice if you're ever going to use it for trolling or if you ever take up catfishing, but otherwise it's a useless switch that makes palming the reel a little uncomfortable.  If you don't need a clicker, save yourself a couple bucks and go with the 5500.

[Incognito]

   Thanks! That's really good to know.  At the moment, I might need a clicker if I decide to use suckers in fall.  But, once again, thanks for letting me know.  

[porkleaker]

Love me some pike fishing, actually opens up here this coming weekend, unfortunately they don't get too big so can even catch them on 8-10lb with a steel leader and go trolling with spinner baits, but even the smaller ones high like a truck and are pretty fun to catch.

[bigbill]

For pike lures I go to overstockedbait bait and tackle. For a rod setup I use "fish and save". I prefer inland saltwater tackle for spinning. I have the heavier bait casting setups too.

I run into 28" to 23" pickerel while bass fishing too. I also enjoy the fight. Watch your fingers they will snap and bite you.

I have a state park with a lake that they stock with trout. I don't see many trout taken from it. I did witness a big pike feeding in the shallows probably eating the hatchery dumb trout.