Muskellunge and Tiger Muskie gear

Quick setup

Rod	Reel	Line	Leader
Stout, heavy casting rod, 7 to 9 feet. Trolling rods: 8 to 10 feet, medium-heavy, rated 20 to 40 lb.	Large baitcasting (level-wind) reel; line-counter reels for trolling.	From 20 to 35 lb line up to 50 to 80 lb braid. Heavy braid is now the common choice.	Always use one: at least a foot of steel or heavy fluorocarbon, or 100 to 200 lb wire for big baits and trolling.

Rod, reel and line

Rod: Stout, heavy casting rod, 7 to 9 feet. Trolling rods: 8 to 10 feet, medium-heavy, rated 20 to 40 lb.
Reel: Large baitcasting (level-wind) reel; line-counter reels for trolling.
Line: From 20 to 35 lb line up to 50 to 80 lb braid. Heavy braid is now the common choice.
Leader: Always use one: at least a foot of steel or heavy fluorocarbon, or 100 to 200 lb wire for big baits and trolling.

Baits

live suckers about 10 to 14 inches

Lures

bucktail and inline spinners
spinnerbaits
jerkbaits
large crankbaits and deep divers
topwater baits
large soft-plastic tubes and swimbaits

Rigs

Figure eight: when a fish follows, keep the lure in the water at the boat and sweep the rod in a wide figure eight.
Troll big diving crankbaits along weed edges, rocky points and reefs, changing speed until fish respond.

Tips

Tiger muskies, the sterile pike and muskie hybrid, take the same gear. They grow faster but stay smaller.
Action picks up in mid to late summer and fall. Dawn, dusk and overcast days help. Bring a large net, long pliers and hook cutters, and keep fish in the water when releasing them.

Starter setup

A 5.5 to 7 foot light to medium-light spinning or spincast rod and matching reel, spooled with 6 lb monofilament. Spincast is easiest for beginners, and a 4 to 5 foot rod suits small kids. Carry size 6 to 10 hooks, a few split shot (pinched on 4 to 8 inches above the hook), small bobbers, a couple of small spinners and jigs, and worms. Learn the improved clinch knot and the palomar knot.

Light line casts farther and draws more strikes. Heavier line and stiffer rods are for bigger fish, heavy cover or sharp teeth, not for everyday fishing.

When to size up

Fish	Gear
Walleye, bass, saugeye, hybrid striped bass	medium rod, 8 to 12 lb line, 6 to 7.5 feet
Channel catfish	medium-heavy rod, 10 to 20 lb line
Northern pike	medium-heavy rod, 15 lb or heavier braid, steel or heavy fluorocarbon (40 lb+) leader
Muskellunge	heavy 7 to 9 foot rod, 50 to 80 lb braid, heavy leader
Trolling for lake trout and salmon	8.5 to 10.5 foot trolling rods, 15 lb mono or 30 lb braid, level-wind reels
Steelhead	8 to 10 foot or longer rods, 6 to 10 lb line
Lake sturgeon	heavy rod, 50 to 100 lb braid

Stocked in the last 2 years

216 waters with a stocking in the last 2 years.

Utah (13)

Washington (8)

Curlew Lake, Ferry
Evergreen Lake, Skamania
Evergreen Reservoir, Grant
Lake Merwin, Clark
Lake Tapps, Pierce
Mayfield Lake, Lewis
Silver Lake, Snohomish
Silver Lake, Spokane

Wisconsin (124)

Allequash Lake, Vilas
Amnicon Lake, Douglas
Archibald Lake, Oconto
Ballard Lake, Vilas
Bass Lake, Dane
Big Arbor Vitae Lake, Vilas
Big Lake, Vilas
Big Moon Lake, Barron
Big Saint Germain Lake, Vilas
Bone Lake, Polk
Boot Lake, Oconto
Brandy Lake, Vilas
Buskey Bay, Bayfield
Catfish Lake, Vilas
Cedar Lake, Polk
Chute Pond, Oconto
Cranberry Lake, Vilas
Dairyland Reservoir, Rusk
Deer Lake, Polk
Deerskin Lake, Vilas
Delavan Lake, Walworth
Dowling Lake, Douglas
Eagle Lake, Vilas
Fishtrap Lake, Vilas
Fox Lake, Dodge
Fox River, Brown
Gile Flowage, Iron
Green Lake, Green Lake
Grindstone Lake, Sawyer
High Falls Reservoir, Marinette
High Lake, Vilas
Holcombe Flowage, Chippewa
Hulls Lake, Taylor
Irving Lake, Vilas
Island Lake, Rusk
Kawaguesaga Lake, Oneida
Lac Courte Oreilles, Sawyer
Lac Vieux Desert, Vilas
Lake Butte des Morts, Winnebago
Lake Monona, Dane
Lake Poygan, Winnebago
Lake Redstone, Sauk
Lake Waubesa, Dane
Lake Wausau, Marathon
Lake Wingra, Dane
Lake Wissota, Chippewa
Legend Lake, Menominee
Little Green Lake, Green Lake
Little Lake Butte Des Morts, Winnebago
Little Presque Isle Lake, Vilas
Little Sand Lake, Barron
Little Tomahawk Lake, Oneida
Long Lake, Chippewa
Long Lake, Florence
Lost Land Lake, Sawyer
Lower Eau Claire Lake, Douglas
Lower Gresham Lake, Vilas
Lynx Lake, Vilas
Mead Lake, Clark
Mid Lake, Oneida
Middle Eau Claire Lake, Bayfield
Middle Gresham Lake, Vilas
Minocqua Lake, Oneida
Mud Lake, Sawyer
Muskesin Lake, Vilas
Namekagon Lake, Bayfield
Nepco Lake, Wood
North Twin Lake, Vilas
North Two Lakes, Oneida
Oconto River, Oconto
Okauchee Lake, Waukesha
Otter Lake, Vilas
Pelican Lake, Oneida
Pensaukee River, Oconto
Peshtigo River, Marinette
Petenwell Lake, Adams
Pewaukee Lake, Waukesha
Pike Lake, Price
Potter Flowage, Jackson
Presque Isle Lake, Vilas
Random Lake, Sheboygan
Rice Lake, Barron
Riley Lake, Forest
Roberts Lake, Forest
Round Lake, Price
Round Lake, Chippewa
Round Lake, Sawyer
Sand Lake, Sawyer
Sand Lake, Oneida
Sand Lake, Barron
Sand Lake, Rusk
Sea Lion Lake, Florence
Shawano Lake, Shawano
Shell Lake, Washburn
Silver Lake, Forest
Spread Eagle Chain of Lakes, Florence
Suamico River, Brown
Sweeny Lake, Oneida
Tainter Lake, Dunn
Teal Lake, Sawyer
Tiger Cat Flowage, Sawyer
Tomahawk Lake, Oneida
Townsend Flowage, Oconto
Trout Lake, Vilas
Trump Lake, Forest
Turner Lake, Price
Turtle-Flambeau Flowage, Iron
Twin Bear Lake, Bayfield
Twin Island Lake, Vilas
Twin Valley Lake, Iowa
Upper Eau Claire Lake, Bayfield
Upper Red Lake, Shawano
Wabikon Lake, Forest
Wapogasset Lake, Polk
Watersmeet Lake, Vilas
West Horsehead Lake, Oneida
White Birch Lake, Vilas
White Potato Lake, Oconto
White Sand Lake, Vilas
Whitefish Lake, Sawyer
Windfall Lake, Forest
Yellow Birch Lake, Vilas
Yellow Lake, Burnett
Yellowstone Lake, Lafayette

Gear types only. Check your state's fishing regulations before you go.