Nick Evans

If you are targeting musky where a conservation limit is 0 then you require a sport fishing license.

Hi Bow Man

I can certainly help you out with a Musky setup. 

First off, if you are serious about getting into musky fishing be smart from the beginning. DO NOT BUY CHEAP CRAP!

Do not buy an Abu Garcia C3 unless you are under a very strict budget. They are not designed to handle heavy lines or heavy baits. You will end up buying a new reel within a year or two and wasting money....I'm talking from experience, I've blown up a few of them my self in the early years.

If you can afford it I would suggest a Shimano Calcutta 400D, Shimano Curado 300, Abu Garcia Revo Toro Winch, Diawa Lexa 300 or 400 or Shimano Tranx. Most of these reels will cost anywhere from $200 to $550 but are all worth the money. For Trolling reels a Okuma Convector is decent but the best reel is the Shimano Tekota 600LC and Shimano Tekota 700LC for large baits.

As for rods If you are looking only to get 1 rod then I would suggest a 8' medium heavy or heavy action 2-6oz rating, this will cover anything from bucktails, plastic and larger baits. The St.Croix Premier and Mojo series and Triumph are cheaper rods for around $200 or less and they are fantastic but if your are looking for something top end then the St.Croix Legend Tournament series rod is your only choice. They cost over $300 but they are simply amazing. If you are going to strictly troll then a Shimano TDR 8' Heavy rod is a steal for $40 or a St.Croix Premier Glass trolling rod for $180.

As for line I would suggest 80Lb or 100Lb Braid. As for leaders I would suggest 130 Lb Fluorocarbon 12"-18" for most setups. Do not use any leaders under 100LB you can get snapped off and end up killing a fish. I do not suggest using steel leaders, they fail way too often.

Other tools you will need which are just as important as the rod and reel are a pair of long nose pliers, jaw spreaders, mini bolt cutters, gloves and a large thick meshed deep net.

I hope this helps!

Try wacky rigging a Gulp worm, the vertical presentation can be deadly when they sometimes wont hit a jig/minnow or jig grub combination. 

fly fishing will solve all the problems...

 You will still have dead fish being left around in the garbage, you will still have guy's snagging or flossing fish, you will still have people trespassing on private property, you will still have fly fisherman gutting fish to use roe on other rivers.....If you read all of the recommendations it is clear that the use of roe is the least of all problems at the Ganny.

 In general its a "everything fishing related" problem within the city. If the normal regulations and laws that are in place now were enforced on a regular basis it would help a lot. 

The other major problem......Criminals don't follow laws to begin with so....

Zoom in on Detail #1, I'm guessing that is where you will be fishing.Zone 14 http://www.mnr.gov.o...rial/241288.pdf

Here is some tips on releasing musky.

MCI Muskie Fishing Catch & Release Tips

• The ability of future generations to enjoy species of fish like the muskellunge is based in part, on catch and release fishing today. The quality of the fishery depends on how carefully anglers release their fish. Over the years, a series of generally accepted handling procedures and suggestions have been developed by the catch and release community. These include, but are not limited to, the following:
• Match the tackle to the fish you're after. For muskies, this means heavy action rods and reels, strong line, and high quality snaps, swivels, split rings, leaders, and hooks. This will allow you to land your fish in a reasonable amount of time without putting undue stress on the fish. It will also minimize the chance of a muskie breaking off and swimming away with your favorite lure stuck in its mouth.
• Have your landing equipment ready. Recommended landing methods include the use of a large Muskie net or a cradle. The hand landing method is recommended only for the very experienced, and even then, accidents can still happen. (Muskies have very sharp teeth and can do quite a bit of damage to misplaced hands and fingers, not to mention all those big treble hooks!)
• Have your release tools ready and within easy reach. Must haves include: needle-nose pliers (for hook removal), jaw spreaders, and small compound bolt cutters (for cutting hooks if deeply embedded, or hooked near sensitive areas like the eyes, gills, or undersides). Additionally, you should carry a seamstress' measuring tape (for getting those length and girth measurements), and a camera (for those necessary photo's).
• Keep your landing area ready. Keep the floor of your boat clear of clutter and keep loose hooks and lures in a tackle box, not on the floor or seat. This will help to avoid many potential accidents as well as give you plenty of room to land that trophy fish!
• Practice proper release and resuscitation techniques. Always remember to minimize "out of water" time. If possible, remove the hooks and take your measurements while the fish is still in the water. Always revive the fish before letting it go. Sometimes it's almost instantaneous, and sometimes revival can take up to 20 minutes or more ... so be patient. Hold the fish by the tail section before the caudal fin with one hand, while using your other hand to gently balance the fish under its belly behind the pectoral fins. This gives the fish additional support. Gently roll the fish from side to side to ensure that the gill covers are moving softly. This helps force water through its gills and increase oxygen intake. When the fish is strong enough to wriggle away and stay upright, it's a candidate for successful release. If the fish is having problems maintaining its balance after release, the revival process should be continued.
• Summer release considerations. During midsummer on some waterbodies, particularly shallow areas, water temperatures can reach the high 70's to low 80's. With water temperatures this high, muskies are subject to high rates of mortality due to angling stress. In these situations avoid muskie angling if you possibly can. Otherwise, reduce stress factors by reducing "fight time" to the absolute minimum. Also, the captured muskie should not be boated, practice water release and handling only, photograph the fish in the water, ensure proper resuscitation, and stay with the fish until it's fully recovered.
• Never lift a muskie vertically by its jaw.
  
  This has the potential of causing severe injury to the fish especially if it's a big one. When lifting a muskie for a photo or any other reason, always do so horizontally using your other hand to support it under its belly. Also, never ever hold any fish by its eye sockets. This definitely causes damage to the fish.
• Bleeding and muskie. During the landing process, you may sometimes note a little blood emerging from the gill area. These slight injuries are not usually fatal to the fish and they should still be released. It is also fairly common with muskie to note bleeding from the fins and tail. The cause of this bleeding is not fully understood, however it doesn't seem to have any adverse effects on the fish and the muskie should still be released. Generally, when fish are bleeding from the gills, the angler must make a value judgement as to whether it's worthwhile releasing the fish. If the fish is bleeding profusely, or arterial blood (pulsating) is observed, then the fish should be kept only if it is within the minimum size limit. By law you must release the fish if it's not minimum size regardless of its survival prospects.
• Consider fishing barbless. Removing or reducing the barbs on the hooks on your muskie lures has several advantages. It makes removal of the hooks from the fish much easier. And, in the event of an accident, it makes removal of those giant hooks out of you much easier!
• Consider a fiberglass reproduction. If you catch a trophy sized fish, instead of keeping it to get mounted, consider releasing it and getting a fiberglass reproduction instead. Most taxidermists produce these replicas and their quality is absolutely stunning! All you need are the length and girth measurements, and a picture of the fish and they can produce a beautiful reproduction out of fiberglass. Unlike skin mounts, a fiberglass replica will last "forever" and you'll get the chance to catch the fish again in the future. Muskies are too valuable to have the joy of catching them just once.
• Finally, if you're not sure what to do, don't be afraid to ask. You can get additional information from other experienced anglers, through fishing magazines and books, and on the Internet. If you join Muskies Canada you will learn about muskie fishing and catch and release, and you'll get to meet a great bunch of people who share your interest in this wonderful resource.

FISHING89

I think I can help you out with your float setup so you can catch more fish and save some money too!

I have noticed one big flaw in the way you setup. You don't want to have your float or split spots on your leader line. Your leader in general will be the weak point of your setup so you don't want to compromise it at all.

When you are setting up your rod you first want to choose the right tackle for the river you are fishing.

Here is a list of the tackle you need and the function they provide.

Mainline: attached to your reel [this is where your float and shots will be used]unless you use a shot line.

Float: match the size and type of float to the river conditions you are fishing, in general the heavier the float the faster and deep the water. 5g to 10g being standard.

Shot(weight): You will use roughly the same amount of shot as the weight of the float  example; a 10g float will use roughly 10g of weight.

Swivel: This will be used to attach your Mainline to you Leader Line and reduce twist.

Leader Line: You need about 2'-3' of leader line(fluorocarbon 5-10lb) 

Bead: what a 20lb trout will hopefully eat.

Hook: use a straight shank wide gap hook :example ( Raven wide gap # 8 , these hooks are usually designed for bead like applications. This way you do not need to use a Snell knot. A snell knot is to be used if you are using a hook which has an offset eyelet.

When setting up the first two questions you need to ask yourself are these. How fast is the current and how deep will you be fishing. For example if I am going to fish an average river depth of 4' with a medium current then I will setup my float about 2'-3' above my swivel and my leader will be roughly 2', which gives a total of 4'-5'. This will allow my bait to be on or near bottom which is usually the most effective area to catch fish. If you place your weights higher on the mainline the bait will tend to ride up higher in the water.

I have included a picture of what my standard float setup looks like. You can adjust and modify it as you wish.

Good luck, hopefully this helps.

When fishing for bass and walleye you don't really need a heavy fluorocarbon leader more then 12-14 lbs unless you are fishing heavy cover. If you are specifically targeting pike I would suggest no less than 60 lb fluorocarbon, if you use anything less you could get bit off easily. It may seem like overkill but trust me it really isn't. For bass and walleye you really only need a 2 foot leader at max unless you are fishing ultra clear water. If you're fishing for pike then a 8"-18" leader will be fine. One thing to remember with heavy fluorocarbon 20lb+ is that it will distort the action on smaller stick baits and crank baits therefore I never use them when I walleye or bass fish.

Hopefully this helps. Goodluck!

I assume you are targeting bass with both of these rods. For reels, Basspro has the Diawa Lexa 100 on sale right now for just over $100. It is a very well built reel and has extremely good reviews. You could go with a shimano curado,  shimano chronarch or abu garcia revo sx. All of these reels are more expensive then the diawa. I have used shimano my whole life and the cheaper reels(under $300) are decent. 

As for line there are many factors to consider. For crankbaits, if you plan on running shallower crankbaits the mono-filament is more then likely all you need because most mono floats. For bass fishing in open water I will use 10 lb test. If I plan on using it in light weeds I might bump it up to 12 or 14lb at the most. If I'm fishing heavy shallow weeds then I will use 20-30 lb braid because the braid will actually cut through the weeds easier and will give you the extra strength.

If you are fishing deeper structure with deeper crankbaits(10-25 feet) then fluorocarbon line is better because it sinks and will allow you to get the lures deeper then mono. If you are in open clear water 10 lb test is fine. The benefit to fluorocarbon is that is is nearly invisible so if you fish clear water a lot it would be beneficial.

If plan on fishing heavy cover all the time then braid is the way to go. It has no stretch and and allows the bait to have instant reaction with your rod tip. I suggest 30lb test braid if your fishing really heavy crap!

For your flipping stick you really only have one option. 40,50,65lb test. It you plan on flipping light weeds and cover then 40lb is ok, if your going to get into the nasty stuff 65 lb is what you want.

Hopefully this doesn't confuse you too much, Good Luck!