What do you guys think of a 7'6" H st.croix rod paired with a Abu Garcia c4 6600 reel? This is my first musky rod so its gonna have to work for most stlye baits since i decided to go back to college so money will be tighter for a while. I have a c4 reel on my current rod i use for northern and bass and like it so i figured i would go with what i know. Any thought on the rod or reel? Thanks

You're on the right track for your rod... but for your reel... I would suggest a 6500 C3, 6600 SSC3, Okuma Induron or Red Isis... You can also check out Ebay for reels cheap...

C4's are good but definitely not recommended if you plan to use anything like Double Cowgirls or any double-bladed bucktails... Its nice to have a high speed reel like that but its not durable... as I had one last year... traded it in for a 6600C3 which later blew out... I now strictly stick to 7000iC3 when it comes to big lures like Double Cowgirls or SuperD's and use 6600SSC3 when it comes to small bucktails, topwaters, glide/jerkbaits...

I use a 7'6" H st.croix paired up with a Daiwa Luna 300 reel and like it a lot. I have used the c4 reels before for a short time and worked great for small bucktails (harrassers/mepps) but went back with the c3 I had on another rod so its gonna depend what you plan on throwing out. Rebel covered it for ya and something you could think about if you plan on buying a new reel.

I got my Lunas (2) off ebay in the spring time and were pretty cheap and in great condition and its something you could do and then just bought a brand new Calcutta 700b for cheap as well, so look around there and you could find decent prices. Good luck!

Fishin_Dan,

I have to echo what the guys are saying, the C4 has a 6.3:1 gear ratio (which is what I use on my JerkBait rod) I can "pick line up faster" with it when I'm Twitching & Jerking & sweeping.

However, for you I'd go with a C3 with a 5.3:1 Gear ratio.

Your 7'6" H St.croix will serve you well!

Depending on who you talk to, some people might say the 7-6 might be to long to use for a Jerk Bait Rod, but opinions do vary!

Best Of Luck!

Brian K
www.kaisertail.com

I have just started to get into Muskie fishing. I have a New C4 66000 that I picked up for $25 and I guess I don't understand what the problem is. I also was just given two C3's from my father in law, so it is not that I don't have the equipment. The problem is that I primarily a Walleye guy and don't understand the differences. I have been fishing for 22 years and just learned how to cast a baitcasting reel, so this is all new to me. I am going out on Saturday and I want to have the right gear to throw my new double cowgirl. Any info would be great. Explain it like I have never used one before.

I'm not an expert but like you I fished for years (many with a baitcaster) and still couldn't understand the C3/C4 thing. My thoughts were "4 bearing are better than 3 - I'll use my C4 thank you very much." I even did the math and saw that the C4 with the higher gear ratio would pick up more inches of line per crank than the C3. I just couldn't get my arms around why I wouldn't want the "better" more expensive reel. I even saw all the posts here and was a bit skeptical - while guys on this board may not always tell where and when for fish, they are extremely helpful and knowledgable about gear and I trust what they say. I then I went to the lake and tried casting a Double Cowgirl with each reel on similar length rods and it was night and day. I'll spare you the gear ratio stuff as I'm not well schooled enough to make sense of it, but I can tell you the C3 WILL work better. Add a power handle and it will work even better. The best way to explain it would be to use the analogy of a boat lift, would you rather crank a heavy wooden boat up on the lift using the winch handle from your trailer or using the handle on the big wheel? I don't think there is anything wrong with C4 in general (I sill use one for jerkbaits and walk-the-dog WTD lures) - I WOULD NOT use one for double ten bucktails though. I hope that makes sense. Spool up one of your newly acquired C3's on a heavy-ish flippin' stick and put the C4 on a shorter rod and you are set. I wouldn't go spend a ton on new rods yet as you may find you prefer one bait to another or one style to another. Good luck.

Thanks guys! Ya i was in the same boat as you HugoBox i never got the whole c3/c4 thing. I knew that they had differnt gear ratios but never really got the difference. But now everything makes alot more sense. I am defintily going to go with the c3 now.

another vote for the c3. I have both and the c3 is much easier than my c4.

Its all about the power/torque... general rule is that lower the gear ratio, more power/torque it gives out...

Like Hugobox said, it is clearly day/night difference between C3 and C4... C3 line is designed to be workhorses while C4 line is designed to be high-speed... Only if Abu would combine both... then they'll have an answer to the Trinidad...

Only reel thats reliable that has a gear ratio of 6 would be the Shimano Trinidad... but thats just because its a salt-water reel... Its designed to throw out plenty power/torque... unlike C4... Hope this helps some...

That is great information. I will put my C3 on my big stick for the Double Cowgirls and bull dogs and then throw the C4 on my shorter rod for jerk baits, spinner baits and burning small bucktails. Am I right in this theory?

Very simple in store test...thumb down on the spool and then crank. This is used to simulate a load on the reel and one will crank with more authority than the other one.

Thats the right thinking... but word of warning... dont expect your C3 to last long if you're going to use DCGs as much as I did... I had two C3's that blew out on me because I used DCGs MOST of the time last year... I now have two 7000iC3 exclusively for DCGs... Much easier and 7000 is the true workhorse of the C3 line...

My C3 is a 5500 and is a bit older. Should I try to upgrade now? What about the Abu Ambassader Trophy Tournament Series? I am worried it is the same as a C4. I also have the opportunity to get a Ambassadeur D5 with a 5:3:1 gear ratio, an Ambassadeur Record 6 ball-bearing 6:3:1, or I can get a C3 6500. I can get these reels for almost Free. What do you think?

Really 5500 and 6500 are the same... just different spool capacity... If I was you, I would upgrade to a 7000iC3 for DCGs... and save the 5500/6500C3 for the rest... I used my 6600SSC3 tonite for Magnum SuperD's without any problem... I even managed to reel up a cantulope-sized rock covered in weed earlier tonite... I thought it was a BIG fish... but sadly it wasnt...

Would the 5500 blow out sooner than the 6500 simply because it's a smaller reel?


The two main differences between the C3 and the C4 are:
1. The C3 has 3 ball bearings, whereas the C4 has four. Simple enough.

2. The C3 Series reels have a gear ration of 5:1, whereas the C4s have a 6:1.
The gear ratio means how many times the spool will spin with one crank of the handle. A 5:1 means that for every 1 crank, the spool will spin 5 times. A 6:1 will turn 6 times.

So a C4 will pick up more line, and move baits faster than the C3. Good, right?

WRONG. With heavy duty musky baits such as the Double Cowgirls, DC10s, and even some of the heavy swimbaits and crankbaits, you're looking at A LOT of stress on the reel. Now with a higher gear ratio, you put even more stress on the reel because you're causing it to do more work. Naturally this decreases the lifespan of the reel.

A lot of guys on here say their C4s make it one or two seasons at the most when they try to pull heavy baits. At Gander I've spooled up C3s with line, and those reels had to be at least 20 years old.

Also, since the C4 is pulling more line it, it's actually harder on YOU too, since you're doing more work. That's where a power handle comes in. It's a one handled arm that's much bigger, hence easier to crank.

But if you're truly looking for a "big lure" reel, I can't stress enough to get something BIGGER than the C3. As you guys can see in this thread, a lot of guys still have problems with DCGs and bigger lures with their C3.
I personally use a Abu Garcia 7000, which is a monster of a reel, comes with a power handle, and is actually only a 4:1. BUT the reel is so big that it STILL picks up more line than either the C3 OR the C4, in memory serves me correctly.

The C3 is a great all-around reel, the 7000 is a great big lure reel (it can still handle smaller stuff), and the C4 is great for small bucktails, topwaters, and jerkbaits where you want to either buzz the bait in fast, or pick up line quickly after a jerk/twitch/sweep of the rod.


Hope that was easy to follow and understand!