Pike Rod + Reel

[DiabeticKripple]

im looking to buy a pike rod. since ill be living in edson this summer, ill be fishing Fickle and Wabamun so there is potential for big pike.

I would probably be chucking crankbaits from shore since i wont have my boat, but i may do some trolling when i do have my boat.

i would also need a new reel to go with the rod. im thinking baitcaster?

not looking to break the bank.

[Geezle]

My current go-to Wab rod is a 7' MH Shimano Compre with a Shimano Caenan low profile baitcaster.

[Vigsy]

Geezle was actually the one who convinced me to get a shimano caenan reel and it is excellent i really like it!

[JohninAB]

Depends on what I am chucking.

For heavy lures an 8 ft St Croix Heavy with a Quantum Cabo baitcaster.

For trolling and cranks, a 7' 11" Tour KVD MH with a Quantum Tour KVD bait caster or

Will sometimes use a 7' MH Tour KVD with a Quantum Tour Edition baitcaster.

[DiabeticKripple]

some good prices on that reel geezle

ill have to bomb up to bass pro and check things out

[Geezle]

some good prices on that reel geezle

ill have to bomb up to bass pro and check things out

It's a great reel for its price point for sure...I actually have two of them now and wouldn't hesitate to buy another :)

[EZM]

My Wab outfit is is;

Abu Garcia C4 4600 reel (round level wind baitcaster)
http://www.abugarcia.com/products/reels/round-reels/ambassadeur-round-baitcast/c4

on a Shimano Compre Muskie Med Heavy Fast Action 7'
http://fish.shimano.com/publish/content/global_fish/en/us/index/products/rods/muskie/Compre_Muskie_Casting.html

line is PowerPro 30lb High Vis

Only Coast lock swivel / snaps (no cheap dinky connections)

Use a titanium leader for trolling and casting most lures and a 80lb fluorocarbon for bait, slow bumping and finer presentations.

Might seem stout - but all it takes is one time to figure it out on a >30lb pigglet to change your world. I was at the fishing hole the very next day ..........

[Geezle]

My Wab outfit is is;

Abu Garcia C4 4600 reel (round level wind baitcaster)
http://www.abugarcia.com/products/reels/round-reels/ambassadeur-round-baitcast/c4

on a Shimano Compre Muskie Med Heavy Fast Action 7'
http://fish.shimano.com/publish/content/global_fish/en/us/index/products/rods/muskie/Compre_Muskie_Casting.html

line is PowerPro 30lb High Vis

Only Coast lock swivel / snaps (no cheap dinky connections)

Use a titanium leader for trolling and casting most lures and a 80lb fluorocarbon for bait, slow bumping and finer presentations.

Might seem stout - but all it takes is one time to figure it out on a >30lb pigglet to change your world. I was at the fishing hole the very next day ..........

How do you like your Compre musky rod? I've been thinking about getting one to round out my pike gear. I really like the Compre I have, but it's a MH/XFast, and that extra fast tip is a little much sometimes, and I'd like something a little softer for chucking the huge lures :evilgrin:

[EZM]

How do you like your Compre musky rod? I've been thinking about getting one to round out my pike gear. I really like the Compre I have, but it's a MH/XFast, and that extra fast tip is a little much sometimes, and I'd like something a little softer for chucking the huge lures :evilgrin:

I really love it actually.

Bought it last year and it's perfect for chucking the really heavy stuff - but I use it primarily for trolling. In the summer I'm ripping along at a really fast clip (over 3mph) and dragging a 9" ernie or double D diving to 15' so she is pulling hard.

I do maybe 15%-20% casting with the listed heavier set up and it certainly smooth, long casting and accurate but it gets heavy after a while.

I have a med action spinning rod for casting the more "normal" size stuff (up to 6" and 2oz or so).

[cube]

im looking to buy a pike rod. since ill be living in edson this summer, ill be fishing Fickle and Wabamun so there is potential for big pike.

I would probably be chucking crankbaits from shore since i wont have my boat, but i may do some trolling when i do have my boat.

i would also need a new reel to go with the rod. im thinking baitcaster?

not looking to break the bank.

First you have to ask what you will be casting. Most casting rods are made to chuck certain sized lures, look at the specs on line, (some even print it right on the rod). In my case I have two casting rods for pike lures. One for lighter weight lures and one for heavier weight lures. I find if you try and cast larger heavier plugs with the lighter rods it causes the plugs to tumble and get caught up in the leader or line and you waste a bunch of time. This does not happen with the heavier rod. I also find trying to cast heavy lures with lighter rods is very tiring while casting the heavier stuff with the rod made for it is a breeze. If you however try and throw light lures with the heavier rod you simply get no whip from the rod and hence less distance.

Since from the sounds of it you will be casting from shore primarily to start you might prefer an longer rod say 8’ 6’’ or perhaps even longer, as they can cast further. Wab has good room along the shore for casting with a long rod but I don’t know about Fickle, perhaps you know or you could ask Speckle55.


If you look at the link below you will see that those rods are made to cast lures from ½ to 1 oz all the way to 4-10oz so again my recommendation is to buy a rod to do the job you would like it to do. While I don’t own one of the rods below they are on my wish list. Perhaps some others on this forum could give some feedback on these rods.
http://www.basspro.com/Bass-Pro-Shops-Muskie-Angler-Rod-and-ReelCombos/product/10205092/#desc-tab

In case you were wondering my personal pike casting rods right now are Shimano Compre muskey rods. Got them on sale at half price from Cabela’s last year so if I recall they were about $60.00 ea. I have a Rhino RBCXL2 reel with line counter and bait clicker on one, $40 bucks and came with a rod, an amazing reel for the money have caught many hundreds of pike, lake trout and walleye with it casting. The second reel I spent Christmas, Birthday, and all my the rest of my fishing money on and got a Shimano TRANX. Absolutely the best reel I own and a true pleasure to fish with but does not catch me any more fish than the $40.00 reel (though I certainly hope it will last me longer).

One other point I would suggest is that if you are throwing heavy lures and have limited practice with bait casters go with heavier line. It can make you sick watching your $20 lure break off and go sailing because you got a rats nest on your reel. And you will get rats nests even with the $500 reels (though probably not as often).

Good Luck and good fishing to you

[DiabeticKripple]

i dont own any big lures yet, just one giant red devil. its about 6" long and HEAVY

ive gotta go try out some reels and talk to some other members on here. i have waders so if there isnt much shore room i could wade out a bit as well.

for line size i was thinking a 20lb braid should do the trick. i would need to get some 80lb fluro for leaders though.

thanks for all your input guys, i appreciate it.

[Cal]

i dont own any big lures yet, just one giant red devil. its about 6" long and HEAVY

ive gotta go try out some reels and talk to some other members on here. i have waders so if there isnt much shore room i could wade out a bit as well.

for line size i was thinking a 20lb braid should do the trick. i would need to get some 80lb fluro for leaders though.

thanks for all your input guys, i appreciate it.

Just so you are aware, but there are plenty of large lures that can be fished without the need of a heavy rod. Large Williams and Gibbs spoons, big Rapala originals, Single bucktail spinners, and plenty of big plastics can be fished on a Med action rod. If you want a heavy action baitcast rig for pike then go for it, not trying to talk you out of it. I had a couple of these rigs over the years, I broke my last med heavy rod a few years ago and didnt find myself greatly handicapped by a lighter rod.

[Warmbreeze]

Nothing wrong with a 40/4000 size spinning reel as well for pike and big bait/lures. Could even get away with a 30/3000.

[cube]

Nothing wrong with a 40/4000 size spinning reel as well for pike and big bait/lures. Could even get away with a 30/3000.

You certainly can catch pike of all sizes with a spinning reel. The only thing I have found was that when casting larger or heavier lures all day I would get a sore finger where you have to hold the line before casting a spinning reel.

[cube]

Nothing wrong with a 40/4000 size spinning reel as well for pike and big bait/lures. Could even get away with a 30/3000.

You certainly can catch pike of all sizes with a spinning reel. The only thing I have found was that when casting larger or heavier lures all day I would get a sore finger where you have to hold the line before casting a spinning reel, Therefore, would not be my choice for what the OP said he would be doing.

[DiabeticKripple]

I think I only have a med-light rod used for jigging for walleye.

I don't feel like I could handle a larger pike, or even a sturgeon on it. I know I could do it, but it would be a long fight.

I'm looking at a med-heavy rod. I'm gonna go talk to some guys at the store and try out a few rods and reels

[Cal]

I think I only have a med-light rod used for jigging for walleye.

I don't feel like I could handle a larger pike, or even a sturgeon on it. I know I could do it, but it would be a long fight.

I'm looking at a med-heavy rod. I'm gonna go talk to some guys at the store and try out a few rods and reels

A rig I'll probably eventualy pick up for fishing pike and walleye from shore is a 8-9' Uglystick, either the catfish or the Steelhead/salmon serries and a Diawa BG 30. I have more success fishing from shore when using natural bait than when using artificial lures, I think a long med heavy spinning setup would be well suited for chucking big deadbaits and heavy sinkers from shore.

[DiabeticKripple]

Exactly what I was thinking. A heavier, longer rod to throw heavier gear/bait further.

My current rod suuuuucks at throwing big baits.

[EZM]

The nice thing about a 4000 series round reels - like say a 4600 C3 or C4 Abu Garcia is they are not any larger than a low profile baitcaster. They are a little taller on the rod, but not that much of a difference. They cast as well and look cooler too.

They hold 160 yards of 30lb braid which is plenty of line and are smoooooooth......

[Wild&Free]

Good thread. I'm also looking at getting a better pike setup for when I head to Bischto in May.

[Bundo1980]

I went with a 1piece Rap med/heavy muskie rod with a C4 abu, its a nice combo BUT...

7', 1 piece rods are a pain in the butt...!

[EZM]

One piece is definitely a pain for storing - however you will get better feel and performance due to the continuous material throughout the rod (no break or connection).

Nice set-up. I am curious how the Rapala rod works out - I'm not a fan of their reels at all.

I love their knives and lures - I have a over a hundreds of their lures.

[pikergolf]

You might want to look into the telescoping 2pc flippin stick as well. I have a 7ft Lightning Rod flippin stick heavy action. It's about ideal for heavy baits with a baitcasting reel, it needs at least 3/4 oz of weight though, to keep it in it's casting wheelhouse.