Best Musky Reel For The Money: Reviews & Buying Guide

Musky are among the most ferocious freshwater fish species and present a fight that anglers do not soon forget.

An angler must have nothing but the best gear at their disposal to catch these behemoths, including a reel of significant strength.

The best musky reel is designed with power and durability in mind, which typically features a robust drag system, precision ball bearing arrangements, and heavy-duty internal components specifically designed to take a beating.

Best Musky Reels For The Money

Best Reel For Musky Fishing 2021

1. Best Overall: Goture Ares-Max
2. Best Budget: KastKing Royale Legend
3. Most Powerful: KastKing Rover Round
4. Best Trolling: Okuma Coldwater
5. Smoothest Operation: Shimano TranX
6. Best High End: Shimano Calcutta
7. Most Durable: Okuma Komodo SS
8. Best Casting: Abu Garcia Revo Toro Beast

What Should I Look For When Buying The Best Musky Reel

Musky Reel Types

Musky reels come in many different forms. Baitcasting reels are by far the most popular type of reel among musky anglers, mainly because of their sheer fighting power and performance capabilities. However, some anglers, especially those who prefer to troll for musky, use line counter reels. Reels of this type allow anglers to quickly calculate the line length extended from the rear of their boat.

Spinning reels are also used for musky fishing, although much less frequently than other reel types. These fishing reels are primarily used in precision casting scenarios, where baitcasters often fall short in precision accuracy.

Baitcasting Reels

Baitcasting reels are top-rated among musky anglers due mainly to their powerful drag systems and robust internal gearing. These are attributes of significant value when musky fishing, as musky present a ferocious fight whenever hooked, a must often be fought for lengthy periods, until tiring. 

Musky anglers also appreciate baitcasting reels for their fast rate of retrieve. Because musky are somewhat more scarce on many bodies of water than other species of fish, they are often labeled as “the fish of a thousand casts.” Anglers can cover a significant amount of water in rapid succession when using high-speed baitcasters, increasing their odds of enticing a strike.

Spinning Reels

Spinning reels are relatively obscure in the world of musky fishing, though they are used on occasion. Reels of this design are often looked over due to the perceived notion that they are of inadequate size and strength for battling musky. In many cases, a spinning reel’s drag system tends to be less robust than that of a baitcasting reel and can therefore lead to difficulty when attempting to land a fish of epic size.

If an angler were to use a spinning reel when musky fishing, it would be vital to have the reel’s drag set optimally. On-the-fly adjustments would likely be necessary for the heat of a fight to counteract repeated runs. However, if experienced in spinning reel use and armed with plenty of lines, an angler can find musky fishing success with a reel of this type. 

Line Capacity

When musky fishing, it is crucial to take a reel’s line capacity in the count. Musky fight with a level of intensity that few fish can match and are fully capable of rapidly stripping line from a reel. If your reel’s line capacity is not sufficient to withstand these runs, you will lose the fish of a lifetime before you ever realize what happened.

Additionally, many anglers prefer to troll for a musky to cover a substantial amount of ground as quickly as possible. In these situations, significant line length is a must. Without plenty of line at your disposal, you will be forced to begin a fight with a nearly empty reel. 

Left or Right-Handed

When speaking of baitcasters used for musky fishing, confusion is common regarding which hand is to be used for reeling and which is to be used for casting. For example, right-handed baitcasting reels feature a handle on the right side of the reel, while left-handed baitcasting reels have a handle on their left side. Therefore, for right-handed individuals, a right-handed reel will be cast with the right hand and switched to the left after the cast. 

Alternatively, a left-handed reel can be purchased, allowing for both casting and holding to be done with the right hand, though reeling would then be done with an angler’s left hand. The decision of which style reel to use is essentially a matter of personal preference and comes down to what makes an angler feel the most comfortable.

Speed

The speed at which the best musky reel operates directly reflects the unit’s gear ratio. The higher the ratio, the faster a lure, or fish, can be retrieved. While it might seem as if a high gear ratio would be the most obvious choice, a lower gear ratio also has its merit. When using a reel with a high gear ratio, it can often be difficult to retrieve a lure in a slow, methodical fashion. This places importance on planning and having an understanding of how you intend to fish.

Musky reels with a higher gear ratio are perfect for burning up topwater baits or quickly winding a swimbait. However, lower gear ratios are of significant value when crawling a spinnerbait through vegetation or working a soft plastic bait. One must also keep in mind that a lower gear ratio provides additional torque when fighting fish.

Durability

In the world of musky fishing, if your reel is not designed with durability in mind, it simply will not last. Musky are among the most brutal fighting of all freshwater fish species and can destroy lesser reels in no time at all. Therefore a musky angler is wise to choose their reel carefully. A poor selection can leave an angler shaking their head in aggravation.

To be durable, the best musky reel must feature a robust drag system, a premium grade bearing assembly, and ultra-durable gear train components. Most reels of this nature are also constructed to offer superior corrosion resistance.

Line Weight

When purchasing a musky reel, it is vital to select a model capable of using your preferred weight of the line. This information will usually be stamped or printed on a reel’s frame and is critical to efficient use. While most musky-specific reels are capable of using heavy lines, exact sizing options typically vary.

For musky fishing applications, most anglers prefer using a line that ranges from 60-120 pounds in an operational capacity. Because of this wide range of inline sizes, one must often decide which end of the spectrum they favor when selecting their reel.

Gear Ratio

Selecting the right gear ratio for musky fishing can be somewhat of a balancing act. While an angler might wish to use a higher gear ratio to entice reactionary strikes from musky, they also need the pure torque that only a lower geared reel can provide. Thus, in the world of musky fishing, a compromise must take place that often favors fighting power.

Most musky anglers prefer the use of reels with gear ratios in the 5.1:1 to 5.7:1 range. However, when needing additional cranking power, you can select reels of a 3.1:1 to 4.1:1 range. These designations denote the number of rotations a reel’s spool makes for every revolution of the reel’s handle.

Gear Materials

The gears within the best musky reel generally come in two different compositions, stainless steel, and brass. Of these two types, stainless steel is significantly more durable, though it is also heavier. Stainless steel gears are not as susceptible to wear or damage from shock loading as brass construction. Because of this, most of the best musky reels currently use stainless steel internal components.

However, brass gears remain popular with several manufacturers due to the ease of machining related to their use. Brass can be easily machined for precise fitment, allowing manufacturers to mass-produce brass gear sets to a high degree of quality.

Bearing Materials

Most of the best musky reels feature stainless steel ball bearings. Stainless steel is naturally durable due to its rugged characteristics. This is of immense importance, as bearings are continuously moving as a reel’s handle is actuated. Bearings of a lesser construction would quickly erode, leaving an excessive amount of free-play as a result. This free play would then lead to rapid wear of adjoining points and eventual mechanical failure. Occasionally, ceramic bearings are also used to construct musky reels, though this is far less common.

It is also essential that all bearings in the best musky reel be of the highest degree of uniformity. Unevenly matched bearings cannot operate smoothly and are prone to bending when under a significant load. Misshapen bearings also tend to wear at an accelerated rate due to uneven distribution of force.

Reel Housing, Frames, and Spools

Musky reels are composed of several different materials and differ from one model to the next. Some of the most popular reel housing, frame, and spool materials include graphite and aluminum. Each of these materials has their merit, and are of unique value in specific situations.

Most musky reel housings are made primarily of graphite due to their anti-corrosive nature. However, aluminum housings are known to be a somewhat more robust and more durable alternative.

Likewise, musky reels are offered with both graphite and aluminum frames. Graphite is often used in this situation due to its cost-effectiveness. However, an aluminum frame will always be a significantly stronger choice.

Virtually every musky reel employs an aluminum spool due to the material’s lightweight nature. Aluminum spools come in both forged and die-cast forms, with forged spools being the most rugged.

Warranty

Musky are not docile fish. On the contrary, musky fight tenaciously at the end of a line and are more than capable of finding any reel’s weak points. This is one of the many reasons that a serious warranty can be of immense value. After all, no one wishes to be left with an unusable reel if the fight at hand proves too strong. 

Reel warranties can vary significantly in their length and scope. In the majority of cases, 1-year is the standard warranty which all reels feature. However, many manufacturers have begun offering much longer warranties, some up to 3 years in length. In addition, a few select manufacturers now back their reels with lifetime warranties to compliment their reels.

Price

Musky reels can vary significantly in price. One can pay $50 for a musky reel or $500 for a reel of this nature. As one would expect, a consumer often gets what they pay for. However, one can often find the best musky reel for approximately $100. At this price point, consumers can expect to find reels that operate seamlessly and are every bit as powerful as more expensive alternatives. 

Before purchasing a musky reel, an angler must figure out what their budget is. Once this has been determined, it is wise to buy the best musky reel that you can while still operating inside of your budget.

Where to Buy

You can purchase musky reels of nearly any type from almost any fishing retailer. However, for ease and simplicity, many anglers have begun purchasing their musky reels on the internet. With today’s rapid shipping times, anglers can typically receive their new reel faster than they would have if they had been required to visit multiple storefront locations.

Purchasing the best musky reel over the internet also allows you to browse through an endless array of options without ever leaving the comfort of your house. This can be a game-changer, especially in today’s increasingly busy world. There is no longer a need to fight traffic or waste the gas in your tank to venture into five different stores when you can view a much larger number of reels from the comfort of your couch.

Questions & Answers

The Goture Ares-Max is the best reel for musky fishing. It features a 22-pound drag system for abundant fighting power, an extended line for enhanced trolling and casting capabilities, and 11 premium ball bearings for ultra-smooth operation.

Musky are ferocious fighters and are more than capable of pushing any line to its breaking point. When fishing for musky, there is no substitute for the use of braided line, as it is simply tougher by diameter than any other line on the market. Most avid musky anglers prefer lines in the 60-80 pound weight range.

Musky is predatory by nature and will therefore strike most any lure that gives off the appearance of a baitfish. Some of the most potent musky lures include spinnerbaits, swimbaits, spoons, buzz baits, and topwater plugs. Sizable soft-plastic baits can also be highly productive at most any point of the year.

Most musky rods range between 7-9 feet in length. This range tends to offer excellent casting capabilities while also maintaining enough backbone to fight sizable musky from the depths below. When trolling, some anglers tend to prefer rods that are toward the lower end of this range.