2 Musky Questions

Questions about Freshwater Fishing

2 Musky Questions

Postby tman » Sat May 17, 2008 10:04 am

Hey Larry,

First question, I am seriously thinking of replacing my trebles with large single hooks. I notice that you use trebles. Would you NOT recommend using single hooks on lures? If not, feel free to expand.

Second question, reels that can crank a bucktail FAST. I recently saw an article and wondered your opinion. I have Calcutta 400 TE's. I also have Tekota 500's but haven't tried those yet. I know they don't have as large a spool as the 600's but they still have the low gear ratio.

What about the Trinidad? How about some of those large saltwater spinning reels and a pendulum cast?

As always, thanks for the info and insights ;-)

Best,

Todd
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Postby dahlberg » Mon May 19, 2008 9:50 am

hi tman,
I know lots of guys who use singles on bucktails for muskies, but not on lures. I've had better % hook-ups w/ trebles on lures so I've got more confidence in them when a fish bites.
If you want to move a bait fast don't look exclusively at gear ratio. Look at "number of inched per crank".
If you had two reels with identical "inches of line retrieved per turn of the handle" and one had a 4:1 and the other had a 6:1 ratio, in all likelyhood you'd be able to move the bait quicker with the 4:1 because the handle would be so much easier to turn.
For maximum speed and efficiency you can't compare with the Trinidad. Musky guys are using both the 12 and the 16N.
Large saltwater spinning reels also allow a blazing fast retrieve but I don't think they're as comfortable to fish with as conventional reels.
good luck,
L
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Postby tman » Wed May 21, 2008 9:48 am

Hey Larry,

What about barbless trebles and barbless in general?

Have you any observations regarding hookup and catch / loss percentages?

Thanks,

Todd
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Postby dahlberg » Sat May 31, 2008 3:35 am

Muskies have a talent for shaking hooks, which is often exacerbated by the extremely heavy lure involved and stiff rods needed to throw them.
With bucktails and long softer rod barbless hooks wouldn't be too big a liability.
However, most hooks have far too large a barb and IMO can be improved in terms of their ability to penetrate tough tissue by reducing the barb by as much as 50%.
best,
L
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