Patricia Strutz is a musky fishing zealot whose energy and enthusiasm for the sport is contagious. Her true passion is row trolling for 'skies in late fall.Strutz also works with other pro's to offer group fishing trips to Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Canada. Patricia especially enjoys teaching other women how to fish. She is an outdoor writer, co-inventor of the Sea-View Marine Shield, and instructional DVD host.

Patricia recomends when you begin to fish for big freshwater gamefish, such as Muskellunge and Northern Pike, you'll need equipment that is comfortable. Muskies are known as the "fish of 10,000 casts" so you'll have lots of practice casting before you get a chance to set the hook!

Most anglers new to musky and big pike fishing start with topwater lures, spinner baits, and bucktails. I've found the following rod and reel combination the best equipment for beginners to learn how to throw baitcasting rigs and to present a variety of steady retrieve lures very effectively.

Shimano Convergence CVC-F70H rod or Compre CPCM70MH or H rod
Shimano Cardiff 300 reel.
Spool with 65# Power Pro (back with 14# mono first)
80# fluorocarbon leader.

*This set-up will work well for small bucktails, steady retrieve topwaters, spinnerbaits, small crankbaits, etc.

Selling points:

* (ROD) 7’0 rod correct length--not intimidating, lightweight, and will achieve some distance when casting lighter lures. Shimano rods have tapered foregrips. Gals should grip the foregrip (instead of palming reel) for a stronger hook-set. The tapered foregrips are ergonomic; thus lessening the fatigue factor. Always try to sell a quality product. Convergence series and up have a Limited Lifetime Warranty. This is a great selling point for the dealer and comfort for the user.

* (REEL) Small, lightweight. When spooled with superbraid line, there’s still plenty of line capacity. It sports a recessed reel seat, so it sits lower down on the rod, again, lessening the fatigue factor when a gal grips the reel to cast or perform a “figure-8”

*(LINE) Strong, durable line. Handles big lures and big fish well. Small enough diameter to easily tie knots (tying knots with 80# can be difficult)

*(LEADER) Strong, durable—won’t cause abrasions when snagged. Invisible to fish. Easy to cast. Outlasts a flexible wire leader (which gets kinked and causes a weak spot.)