Musky/Pike rod recommendation

[DaubsNU1]

Looking to add a Musky/Pike rod to my arsenal. 

 

Max length needs to be under 7'4", or telescope in to the handle. 

 

Largest rod currently is an old Berkeley Series one, 7' medium heavy 12-25 line weight, 3/8-1-1/2 oz. lure weight. 

 

Suggestions?  THANKS!

[Scott F]

What specific lures are you trying to throw? You can fight and land the biggest pike and muskies on heavy bass tackle. A Muskie rod and reel need to be able to handle big, heavy, lures, and lures that put up a lot of resistance. Find a rod suited to the lures you are going to throw.

[JediAmoeba]

In the shorter ranges I would go St Croix Premier or get a custom. A lot of musky rods are 8-9.5 feet anymore.

[DaubsNU1]

@Scott F, large spinnerbaits, spoons, dare-devils, maybe a large jerkbait here and there. Have been looking at some of the heavy bass rods that will handles up to 2-4 oz. lures. I like the rods that telescope in to the handle...give me length, and still fit in to the rod-locker. 

 

@JediAmoeba, thanks for the St Croix Premiere suggestion! 

[casts_by_fly]

If you want a double duty rod, a falcon expert amistad extra heavy will give you a 3 oz rating and will throw a bit more.  It’s 7’4” and 3/4-3.  I had the expert amistad (regular one) and while rated for 2 oz I would fish to just about 3 oz as a light musky rod.  It throws an Alabama rig or 7” keitech also. The extra heavy would do the same with a bit more bottom end for the heavier stuff. 

[KYKBassing]

You may want to check out the new line of St Croix Legend Tournament Pike rods if your budget allows. 
 

They have four models at or under 7’4” that cover different lures rates. I just got the 7’4”, hoping to throw rats and wake baits with it.

[gim]

Pike and muskie specific rods do not fall into the same class for me anymore. 95% of the pike I catch are 20 inch slime darts. Any bass rod works for them. Unless your fishing in Canada where the average pike is big, of course.

 

A true muskie stick is a big stout 8 or 9 footer than can toss pounder bull dawgs and churn double cowgirl buck tails. I use a muskie mojo for this in heavy action paired with a Shimano Calcutta reel.

[Susky River Rat]

Take a look into the telescopic assault sticks by chaos tackle. 

[T-Billy]

There's not a ton of choices in musky rods in the shorter lengths you're looking for. If 7'6" will work for you, then there's many more options. 

 Daiwa has a 7'6" H Prorex model that should work for all the baits you mentioned and then some. I've been impressed with my 9'5" XH Prorex rods. They're a lot of rod for the $$$ IMO, $149. Their moderate taper also lends to versatility. I'm comfortable throwing everything from mid size cranks to double 10's on my XH. 

[Further North]

I fish for musky a lot...but only own one "musky rod".  I had that rod built to my specs by a local custom rod builder, for less than I would pay for a "name brand" rod.

I told him what weights and sizes of lures I'd be casting...dropped the reel off so he could balance the rod...

I got exactly what I wanted (it's about the length you're looking for) for less money, with top line components...I can't recommend going to local custom builders enough.

The guy I used is Tom Schenk at Chippewa River Custom Rods, and he's forgotten more about what should go into a musky rod than a lot of people will ever know.

...I do all my other musky fishing with heavy bass rods, and heavy fly rods.  I don't feel undergunned with any of my gear.

[DaubsNU1]

Brother had an interesting idea...purchase 7'6" Musky Rod...and cut three inches off the butt. 

 

Anyone ever do this? 

[gim]

Guess it would depend on how far the graphite portion of the rod goes into the cork.  Removing cork doesn’t seem like an issue but removing a portion of the graphite blank would not seem like a great idea.

[A-Jay]

2 hours ago, DaubsNU1 said:

Brother had an interesting idea...purchase 7'6" Musky Rod...and cut three inches off the butt. 

 

Anyone ever do this? 

Yes - no good.

I had a new 7' 10" swimbait rod I fished in Mexico that had a 'long' handle.

Didn't like it so after a few Margaritas I cut it down (about 4 inches shorter).

It threw the balance of how the rig casted & fished off quit a bit.

I totally underestimated how much support

that handle offered being positioned under my arm / wedged at my waste while fishing.

Made casting stupid hard. 

Felt like I was fighting the rig the whole time,

as my grip would fatigue being forced to really over-palm the reel.

Essentially ruined a perfectly good rod.

I'm blaming the tequila. 

btw - it didn't float.

 

Your deal may depend on how long the handle is and how much you take off. 

Good Luck

A-Jay