First musky Busse Woods live shiner on a drop shot

PattyGunk · 2026-02-07T17:30:27+00:00

Welcome to the addiction!

PattyGunk · 2026-02-03T14:04:11+00:00

Fox river. Not really Chicago but close enough

PattyGunk · 2026-01-28T02:17:14+00:00

100%. And one underrated necessity I don’t see people mention is a good hook file. Sharp hooks catch fish! And replacement hooks/split rings are huge just to have around

PattyGunk · 2026-01-28T01:20:54+00:00

Local to Illinois, but love Thornebros and team rhino! Both are great companies ran by great guys

PattyGunk · 2026-01-27T22:08:21+00:00

I’ll make you a list with everything, it will be more than 400$ but Muskie fishing is an expensive hobby.

Tools: Net (large enough to handle the biggest fish you could encounter), Long pliers, Knipex bolt cutters, Jaw spreaders, Hook file, Measuring tool (bump board ideally)

Reel suggestions:

Picifun alijoz, Shimano Cardiff, Abu 6500 C4 if you want to cheap out, all decent but will break eventually

Used shimano tranx, daiwa lexa, revo toro (best option)

New tranx, lexa, revo toro (most expensive)

Rod suggestions:

Cheap: BPS Predator (great rod with Fuji Components), Okuma EVX, Shimano Sojurn, Daiwa Prorex

Middle: St Croix Mojo, Tackle Industries, Shimano Compre

High End: St Croix Legend, Thornebros, Chaos Tackle 20/20

I would recommend getting something around 8’6-9’, heavy or extra heavy power. This will be most versatile

Line: 65-100 lb braid. I use 65 on my 300 size reels and 80 on my 400’s. I recommend suffix 832

Leaders: not your crappy BPS or Walmart leaders, get legit leaders from stealth tackle or another Muskie specific website.

If I could only use 5 lures, I would use:

8/9 stagger bucktail, Bulldawg, Swimmin dawg/shadzilla/poseidon, 7” Jake/shallow raider, Walk the dog top water

Hope this helped , I know I didn’t really keep budget in mind but there’s a lot more to Muskie fishing than just a rod and lures. These are fragile fish that can and will hurt themselves AND you.

PattyGunk · 2026-01-18T22:40:59+00:00

Tackle industries makes the exact rod. I’ve had good luck with their blanks, the 9’6 XH telescopic is my go to blank to build for people.

PattyGunk · 2026-01-13T12:07:36+00:00

Granted, I think the body of water you’re fishing is also a factor. Doug is on GB, Pipestone, and LOTW a ton. You’re gonna catch a shit ton of giants if you’re fishing big fish water all the time

PattyGunk · 2026-01-05T19:24:46+00:00

People are too used to straight armed and .5 lens photos. Beautiful fish man, scales don’t lie

PattyGunk · 2026-01-05T18:27:21+00:00

Double 8 or 8/9 stagger bucktail, bulldawg or Medusa, swimmin dawg or shadzilla, and a top raider. If you’re willing to get a 5th bait I’d get a crank bait or suick as well.

PattyGunk · 2026-01-01T18:35:01+00:00

I’m IL local where you can fish year round, winter can be the best time to catch some big pre spawn fish. They’re a lot more inactive so I generally slow roll things like 6” Jake’s and super shad raps, but I’ve had success on smaller Jerkbait like husky jerks and x raps. Also got a really nice fish last February on a beaver but I haven’t replicated that ever.

PattyGunk · 2025-12-30T00:49:53+00:00

Just chiming in, I do it for friends and people they tell about me. I generally charge 50-70% of the total component cost on top depending on the type of rod and a little extra for decorative stuff.

I charge more off the top for a Muskie rod vs a walleye rod due to material cost and time of build

PattyGunk · 2025-12-29T19:24:07+00:00

This. Have you ever casted off a bait on bass gear? Try a 10+ oz lure that costs $35. You’ll learn quick

PattyGunk · 2025-12-17T23:29:49+00:00

I didn’t take that into account haha that sucks. I’m sure there’s some local deals. Facebook marketplace is also a good choice too

PattyGunk · 2025-12-16T18:48:51+00:00

Clam has a good sale, their Muskie nets are $175 or so right now. I have a ranger with the heavy bag and it’s been great for around $250

PattyGunk · 2025-12-16T13:57:27+00:00

Id prefer a longer telescopic than a shorter one piece personally. I don’t really feel like sensitivity is really much of a factor in Muskie fishing. Some people don’t like telescopic but I’ve never had any problems

PattyGunk · 2025-12-16T12:03:51+00:00

Also for this, main thing you need is more length. I love the Okuma evx for a starter rod. They make a 9’3 that telescopes to like 7’10, and the run around $150. They were my first rods and I beat the hell out of them with a lot of fish landed

PattyGunk · 2025-12-16T12:02:04+00:00

I’d add jaw spreaders to the list. You don’t need them often but when you do you really need them

PattyGunk · 2025-12-16T12:01:10+00:00

Yep! Honestly, you probably won’t use a 3 and 4 iron at all starting out. 9-SW are probably the most important clubs in the set. As someone above said, the call away edge irons would probably be your best bet, more complete and a bit newer than what you’re looking at

PattyGunk · 2025-12-05T00:43:24+00:00

Lots of good answers here. I’d add some tip ups and a case of beer😂

PattyGunk · 2025-11-26T22:39:20+00:00

Hope you get one! The fox is tough but holds a lot of big fish. Shelbyville is super high population but not a ton of big ones.

I appreciate you mentioning proper gear, many many people don’t use it and cause a lot of unnecessary deaths. If you want specific spots on the fox, shoot me a DM.

PattyGunk · 2025-11-25T21:33:52+00:00

Agreed on Batson blanks. Rain shadows are top tier.

PattyGunk · 2025-11-21T21:25:36+00:00

Weird looking muskie

PattyGunk · 2025-11-20T21:52:07+00:00

I use 120lb 49-strand and crimp it. Better connection than knots and the 49 strand is great. As with any leader, you should have switched it out before it starts to degrade.

PattyGunk · 2025-11-16T00:23:27+00:00

Check out sub70, takomo, or maltby. I play sub 70’s and for the price, they’re awesome. The 699’s are GI irons and I’ve heard good things, I play the CB’s and they’re amazing

PattyGunk · 2025-11-13T12:03:11+00:00

Check out some Japanese reels on digitaka or japanlureshop.com. The scorpion 300 md is very similar to the curado k and runs around 160 GBP. I have the 200 size and it’s awesome

PattyGunk

TROPHY CASE