Good pike/musky trolling rig..

[esox slayer]

Looking for some information on what the members feel is a good trolling rig for pike and musky, mainly pike though.

I'm thinking about an Abu 5600 model baitcaster coupled with a 7 foot rod, medium heavy action.  Am planning on loading the reel with 30 pound braided dacron line and was wondering if this sounds like a good set up or if somebody more experienced can offer better advice??  Plan on trolling with large stickbaits and the big daredevil spoons...

Am going to be mainly fishing the waters of Chaumont bay and Lake Ontario, with an occasional trip down to the St Lawrence, so bigger fish are definitely a possibility.  I'm looking for something that will allow mer to play the fish but get them into the boat soon enough so I don't tire them out completely...all my summer fishing is catch and release, I'm not looking for wall mounts.

Any ideas??  Thanks, Esox

[slipbob]

Sounds great to me.  The only suggestion I have when trolling is go for a long rod to keep the baits away from the boat as far as possible if you're pulling multiple lines.  For trolling I like as long of a rod as you can get away with and I would maybe consider an 8 ft rod otherwise you should be all set with that rig.  The longer rod will also act as a shock abosorber with the braided line when a big fish hits. Instead of the braided Dacron I would just go right for 30lb Fireline instead as the main line and run maybe a 100lb floro leader off of that.  The only other bait suggestion would be to maybe try running some large deep diving crankbaits like a Rapala Tail Dancer deep that will hit bottom in about 25ft of water instead of the large stickbaits from time to time and see what works best.  Good luck.   

[Slimechaser]

Yeah, looks good to me as well SX.
I also agree about the dacron line though. Pike don't see well, but them mooskies see real good! I started getting alot more hits once I changed to mono. I use "pool cues" with only 25-30# test and only the occasional boatside run gets broken off, and that's only if I'm not the one holding the rod. I do have a couple Berkly Big Fish rods that are 8 ft/med heavy and have alot of fun fighting big fish on them, they flex so much that the fish rarely gets to pull on the drag.
Catch and release is the only wat to go!!

[Webguy]

If you're still looking, take a look at Cabela's/Diawa combos like:

http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/links/link.jsp?id=0018647117265a&type=product&cmCat=search&returnPage=search-results1.jsp&QueryText=daiwa+sealine&N=4887&Ntk=Products&Ntx=mode+matchall&Nty=1&Ntt=daiwa+sealine&noImage=0

My favorite set up is the 9' dipsey rod (DM90) with the Diawa SG47lca line counter reel spooled with 80lb Power Pro braid with 17lb mono backing and use 50-80lb flourocarbon leaders. The long flexible rod works well with the no-stretch braid. Having the line counter reel helps you control diving baits to get them to the level you want, also ease of repeating what works - no guessing. The loud clicker tells you when you get a bite, very nice when rod is in a holder and you're driving. From what I see muskie are not line shy, I use the flouro leader so if they roll they don't get all scraped up.

[Pikeguy]

Some great advice there guys. Is Fluoro as good with abrasion resistance as they say?? I can't see it being that much better than mono but I take everyone here's word. Esox, how big are the pike you usually get in Chaumont?

[Webguy]

I've never had a flouro leader fail, from teeth or bouncing bottom with lures. If I notice nicks in the leader I replace it.

The braid also lasts a long time, won't dry out and degrade like mono will. Mono is only better if you use a stiff rod, not my preference. Another good thing about braid is that you can see (rod tip pulse) and feel the lure action in the rod or line better so are able to tell whether the lure is dragging weeds or running clean.

[Chucker]

Some great advice there guys. Is Fluoro as good with abrasion resistance as they say?? I can't see it being that much better than mono but I take everyone here's word. Esox, how big are the pike you usually get in Chaumont?

Not Chaumont, but I've seen northerns in The River that nearly made me wet my pants.  And then there are the muskies......

[Skipper]

My trolling rig is a 7' MH bigwater classic Ugly Stik, with a Shimano Tekota 500 spooled with 30# Spiderwire Stealth. I love every part of this set up. The rod has the perfect amount of flex to prevent rip-offs, the reel is fantastic, and the line slices through the weeds like a lawn mower. I know there is a great deal of discussion about favorite line and favorite reel here on MFF, but don't overlook an Ugly Stik for this type of fishing. An Ugly Stik is a very good price for what you get, they are not to stiff like pool cue graphite rods, and they are not wet noodles like fiber glass options.