Last updated on July 22nd, 2019 at 10:19 am

In today’s musky fishing world, there are a plethora of options available in the low profile baitcaster fishing reel market. This is great, as there is a muskie reel to fit any budget or skill level. While most manufacturers are getting away from the round baitcasting reel design, there are still a select few that still offer quality reels in this category that are worthy of your attention. Abu Garcia is one of these manufacturers. Abu Garcia helped to define the category and has earned a loyal following. Today, we present to you our Abu Garcia Ambassadeur Classic C4 Baitcaster Reel Review and take an in-depth look at how the Ambassadeur C4 measures up against the wants and needs of today’s muskie fisherman.

Abu Garcia Classic Baitcaster Reel Pros And Cons

As with any musky fishing reel, there are pros and cons. Before we jump into the full review, let’s take a quick look at the pluses and minuses for the Abu Garcia Classic Round Baitcaster Reel.

PROS:

– Carbon fiber matrix drag system is top of the line.

– Durability: this reel is likely to last a lifetime.

– Good brake system: 6 pin centrifugal brake.

– Instant anti-reverse feature is excellent when setting the hook.

– Abu Garcia name and long lasting quality.

CONS:

– Lacking cranking power vs competitor muskie reels.

 

Abu Garcia Ambassadeur C4 Review

Let’s first take a look at some of the main characteristics that musky fishermen look for when comparing muskie reels.

Casting

Where the Abu Garcia Ambassadeur Classic C4 really excels is in it’s casting ability. With this fishing reel, Abu Garcia utilizes a 6 pin centrifugal brake which gives the reel consistent brake pressure all throughout the cast. We love this “set and forget” type of system. When you attach your bait and cast it out, the your lures glide through the air much further than you probably expected and with great ease.

Retrieve

The Abu Garcia Ambassadeur C4 benefits from 5 bearings, consisting of 1 roller bearing + 4 stainless steel ball bearings, giving this reel a fluid, yet connected feel during its retrieve. While not quite as smooth as some of today’s higher-end low profile baitcasters, the c4 does inspire confidence during its retrieve. The handle is of standard size and provides simply average leverage, so really there is nothing outstanding or lacking with the way the Ambassadeur C4 reel feels as you crank the handle. We feel that the reel could benefit from a slightly larger handle.

Drag

Abu Garcia Ambassadeur Classic is rated by the manufacturer with a max drag setting of (15lbs.) fifteen pounds. Despite the older, round baitcast reel design, the C4 benefits quite nicely from a very modern drag system of aluminum disks and carbon fiber nestled within the main gear. We found the performance of the C4’s drag system to be very smooth and consistent.

In field performance when battling various sized fish was on par with some higher-end reels. Any fishing line taken off during a fight was consistently smooth and the reel proved quite dependable.

Power

While the Abu Garcia Ambassadeur C4 holds it’s own in other categories, one area where we felt it comes up just a bit short is cranking power. When throwing heavier baits, such as larger Bulldawgs, we had to work hard to retrieve the bait back to the boat. Sadly the Ambassadeur C4 simply lacks the same power for heavier, deep diving crankbaits that other muskie reels, like the Daiwa Lexa 300, have.

That being said, when fishing with medium or shallow running spinnerbaits or crankbaits, the C4 performs extremely well. It is simply not designed for real demanding, heavy cranking duties. Perhaps contributing to this is its average sized handle mentioned earlier.

The Abu Garcia Ambassadeur C4 comes in 3 sizes: 4600, 5600, 5600. The main difference between them is the line capacity. For musky fishing, we recommend going with at least the 5600 model, but preferably the 6600 model. It’s always good to have a little extra line when you need it.

Abu Garcia Ambassadeur C4 Review Conclusion

Due to it’s larger size, precise gears, and somewhat slow retrieve ratio, we feel that the Abu Garcia C4 reel is best suited for moving bait applications. It’s inferior real power somewhat limits it’s use for bigger bait fishing, and there are other reels far better suited for finesse applications. It is adequate in other areas beyond power, however, its biggest strength is it’s ability to toss spinnerbaits, crankbaits, chatterbaits, and pretty much any other slower moving baits.

If you’re a muskie fisherman who likes the traditional round baitcaster reel style, or somebody who has had success with Abu Garcia products in the past, then you will probably be pleased with the Abu Garcia Ambassadeur C4. Click Here for the best price and selection.

If, after reading this review, you’re still not sure if the Abu Garcia Classic Baitcaster is the right muskie reel for you, check out our Muskie Reel Buying Guide.

Last updated on July 25th, 2019 at 09:04 am

With good reason, St. Croix musky rods are a favorite among musky anglers. They are our favorite musky rods, as well. Sure, the top 3 best St. Croix musky rods for sale tend to cost a little more than the competition, but their quality and performance easily justifies the extra cost. Below, we provide you with some St. Croix Musky Rods reviews, and hopefully help you select from the top 3 best St. Croix musky rods for sale.

When picking one of the St. Croix musky rods off of a display rack, there are at least 2 things you can expect. First, the craftsmanship of the St. Croix musky rod that you selected will be spot on. Second, what you will have in your hands is the end result of a vast array of technological advances which most consumers likely will take for granted. You see, St. Croix won’t make promises of having the lightest muskie rods for sale on the market, but you can certainly expect the finest crafted, ultra high performance tiger musky rod to add to your tiger muskie fishing arsenal. Let’s now take a closer look at the top 3 St. Croix musky rods for sale.

Top 3 St. Croix Musky Rods Reviews

Below are the top 3 St. Croix Musky Rods reviews, at least in our opinion. There are other models available in each of these series, but these are what we feel to be the top 3 St. Croix musky rods. We hope that you find these St. Croix Musky Rod reviews helpful in choosing your next muskie rod.

St. Croix Musky Rods: Mojo Musky Casting Rod MM86XHF Review

In 2011, with the slowing economy, nearly every muskie rod manufacturer was responding to the weak economy with fishing products that were more value and budget oriented, thus giving fishermen more bang for their buck. Included in this was St. Croix when they launched the value packed bass fishing rod series, Mojo Bass. The Mojo Bass series was so popular for St. Croix that they decided to expand the Mojo series into the Muskie market.

St. Croix produces the Mojo musky rods in their own facility which is located in Fresnillo, Mexico. At their factory, they are able to control the quality while also keeping the musky rod production close to North America. The craftsmanship shows as every St. Croix Mojo Musky rod that we have ever handled was very well assembled and had straight guides and a nice, clean flex coat.

The St. Croix Mojo musky rods were first introduced in 2008 at ICAST, and they were among the premiere rods in the St. Croix family to offer a no foregrip, split rear grip design. Everything about these St. Croix musky rods, from their graphics and color, to their actions and price point have been chosen by St. Croix to attract new anglers to the brand get them hooked on the quality of the St. Croix products.

When we first tried the St. Croix Mojo Musky Casting Rod MM86XHF, we were in love. While not the longest of the St. Croix musky rods for sale, it does offer tremendous action and can cast 6-12 oz lures with ease. Give the  St. Croix Mojo Musky Casting Rod MM86XHF a try, and we are confident that you will fall in love, too.

St. Croix Musky Rods: Premier Musky Rod PM76MHF Review

You would be hard pressed to find any negative St. Croix musky rods reviews. You certainly won’t find one here for the St. Croix Premier Series Musky Rod. First things first. If you are shopping for a St. Croix musky rod, don’t confuse the St. Croix “Premier Casting” or “Premier Crankbait” rods with the St. Croix “Premier Musky” rod. There is definitely a huge difference. For tiger muskie fishing, no doubt the St. Croix Premier Musky rod is the proper choice.

Many musky anglers would argue that there is no better musky rod than the PM76MHF. We prefer to avoid conflict, so we won’t argue either. The St. Croix PM76MHF musky rod is a solid choice for muskie fishermen for good reasons. The quality and craftsmanship of the St. Croix musky rods for sale is impeccable.

Once you get a St. Croix muskie rod, like the PM76MHF out on the lake, it only takes a couple of casts to become fully comfortable with them. And the power of these St. Croix musky rods. Oh, the power! These tiger musky rods are lure slinging machines.

Extraordinarily, with a St. Croix Premiere musky rod, you gain rod sensitivity while not giving up any of that extreme power. The St. Croix PM76MHF will do whatever you want it to do.

St. Croix Musky Rods: Legend Tournament Musky Casting Rod LTMU90HF Review

The St. Croix Legend Tournament Musky Casting Rod is a nine foot long musky fishing rod featuring a Gloss Cobalt Blue Pearl finished blank with clear thread wraps. This St. Croix musky rods clear thread wraps are certainly a nice touch, but could be a risky choice for other manufacturers as there they leave no place to hide imperfect craftsmanship. However, if your name is St. Croix, that is precisely what your goal is – to showcase just how beautifully and carefully a production musky rod should be wrapped.

A thorough glance from the reel seat all the way down the length of the rod blank to the St. Croix musky rods tip shows St. Croix’s perfectly aligned titanium framed Fuji K-Series guides, with SiC inserts. This type of quality is what we’ve come to expect from St. Croix musky rods. The St. Croix Legend Tournament musky rod is certainly as perfect as you can expect out of a production tiger muskie rod.

While on the lake, when it comes to power, you will have good control over your musky catch and still also experience the excitement of the uncertainty produced by a good hard musky fight. The Legend Tournament musky rod offers the angler that fun and exhilarating feeling which makes heavy fast powered St. Croix musky rods so desired with musky fishermen worldwide.

Check out this VIDEO on YouTube showing the functionality of the St. Croix Legend Tournament Musky Casting Rod.

Top 3 St. Croix Musky Rods For Sale Conclusion

Given the ultra high quality of the above top 3 St. Croix musky rods for sale, it is nearly impossible for us to pick just one as “the best St. Croix Musky Rod”. Our honest recommendation is to get one of each. That being said, however, we understand that isn’t an option for most of you reading this. At least not initially.

Therefore, with the trend being towards the longer 9′ models of musky rods, we recommend that you start out with the St. Croix Legend Tournament Musky Casting Rod. As you become familiar with St. Croix musky rods, start saving up for next season, when you can purchase your second. Repeat in year three, and your St. Croix musky rods arsenal will be complete. At that point, you will surely be a formidable foe for those monster tiger muskies! Whatever you do, don’t go with a cheap. musky rod sale. You will be absolutely be pleased with one of these St. Croix musky rods, and, unless you get extremely careless with it, it will last a lifetime.

Now that you know what the top 3 St. Croix musky rods for sale are, it’s time to find out what the best musky tackle box is, what the best muskie lures are, and which musky net is best. Or, perhaps you’d like to read the best muskie rod and reel combo reviews.