TACKLE AND EQUIPMENT RECOMMENDATIONS

Rods: Steve has been affiliated with St. Croix since 1988 and has found no reason to use any other brand of rods. By application, here are his choices:

• Bucktails -- Steve prefers the St. Croix 8-0 Legend Tournament (TM80MHF) "Top-N-Tail" for most bucktails. However, for Mepps' all-new H210 and Double Cowgirls, he prefers the St. Croix 8-6 Legend Tournament (TM86HF) "Slingblade." For lighter-weight bucktails, he uses the St. Croix Legend Tournament 7-3 medium heavy (TM73MHF) "Downsizer." Another good bucktail stick from St. Croix, though less expensive, is the 8-0 Premier (PM80MHF).

• Jerkbaits -- For glider-style jerkbaits (e.g. Reef Hawgs, Hellhounds), Steve uses the St. Croix 7-6 Legend Tournament heavy action rod (TM76XHF) "The Jerk." For diver-style jerkbaits (think Suicks), he uses St. Croix’s Legend Tournament 7-9 heavy action (TM79HMF) "Lip Stick." A lower-priced alternative is the 7-6 Premier (PM76HF).

• Crankbaits and minnowbaits -- For large crankbaits and minnowbaits (DepthRaiders, Triple D’s, 10-inch Slammers, 10-inch Jakes, etc.), Steve uses St. Croix's 8-6 Legend Tournament (TM86HF) "Slingblade." "It may have been designed for big bucktails, but it's the single-best crankbait rod I've ever used," Steve said. For smaller crankbaits and minnowbaits (Baby DepthRaiders, 6- to 8-inch minnnowbaits, etc.) he uses St. Croix’s Legend Tournament 8-0 medium heavy (TM80MHF) "Top-N-Tail." A less-expensive alternative is the medium heavy 7-6 Premier (PM76MHF). (Make sure you check model numbers before buying. St. Croix has two 7-6 Premiers.)

• Topwaters -- For prop baits, Steve uses St. Croix’s Legend Tournament 8-6 heavy action (TM86XMF) "Big Dawg." For walk-the-dog topwaters (Jackpots, Weagles) he uses the 7-6 Legend Tournament "The Jerk" (TM76XHF).

• Soft plastics -- St. Croix’s Legend Tournament 8-6 Legend Tournament "Big Dawg" (TM86XHF).

• Livebait, trolling -- St. Croix Premier 8-0 (PG80HM). This rod features fiberglass construction for increased durability in extreme conditions.

For more information on St. Croix rods, please visit: <www.stcroixrods.com>

Reels: Steve uses the St. Croix AC-300A exclusively for all applications. These are extremely smooth reels with terrific durability, outstanding drags, and a versatile 5.1:1 retrieve ratio. New power handles increase comfort and leverage for hard-pulling baits, and a beefier anti-reverse bearing makes these reels as tough as they get. "People think you need a special reel for twin-ten bucktails but there really is no silver bullet for these beasts. Some saltwater reels have their fans. I think it's more a matter of personal conditioning. If you're planning to use twin-tens anytime soon, get yourself in shape. Buy some dumbbells ... simple arm curls, reverse curls, shoulder shrugs and sit-ups with strengthen your wrists, forearms, biceps, shoulders and core and make these baits far easier to fish," Steve says. "My experience with the AC-300A shows it has more than enough guts for twin-tens. Do you?"

For more information on St. Croix reels, please visit: <www.stcroixrods.com>

      
Lures: Steve believes that lures are tools, and there are no magic baits. Each one is used for a specific situation. His tackle box is filled with lures like Mepps, Double Cowgirls, DepthRaiders, Slammers, Reef Hawgs, TopRaiders, Teasertails, Grandmas, Jakes, Stompers, Bull Dawgs, Shallow Invaders, Jackpots, and Triple D’s, to name a few.

Steve highly recommends the Mepps line of bucktails. In fact, he helped design the all-new Mepps H210 and the Giant Killer Sassy Shad. Of course, he also uses the Musky Killer, Magnum Musky Killer, Giant Killer, Musky Marabou, and Marabou lines. No other company offers Mepps’ variety of colors, as well as the mix-and-match versatility of switching blades and tails right in the boat. Plus, the split ring jointed design provides a more life-like tail action as the lure is pulled through the water, helps these baits cast like a bullet (rather than "helicopter" in the wind), and helps prevent muskies from throwing them during the fight.

Almost every Mepps bucktail Steve throws is tipped with a Mr. Twister tail. See his article, “Go With The Glow” on this website.

For more information on Mepps' fine product line please visit: <www.mepps.com>

Nets: You will find only Frabill’s Big Kahuna or Power Catch Big Game nets in Steve’s boat. Not only are these nets large enough to easily capture the biggest musky, but they feature treated, knotless netting, which ensures a safe environment for a netted fish. Frabill’s new Pow’r Lok yoke system allows easy extension of the handle.

"Large mesh in the net sides is very important when using today's larger musky lures," Steve believes. "A giant, 7/0 or 8/0 hook, can grab a lot of net when a musky thrashes, and smaller net mesh can be hopelessly tangled. This doesn't happen with the larger mesh on Frabill's nets."

For a safe release for you and your musky, Steve recommends that after you net your fish, leave it in the net and in the water. Unhook it in the net, and don’t bring it out of the water until your buddy has the cameras set up and is ready to photograph. Remember -- time out of water kills!

For more information on Frabill's fine product line please visit: <www.frabill.com>

Trolling Motor: Steve has long been a fan of Minn Kota’s PowerDrive models and currently uses Minn Kota's brand new 101-pound thrust, 36-volt Terrova. Not only do these trolling motors have plenty of power, but they have unsurpassed durability. With an 18-foot cable to the control pad as well as Minn Kota's new I-Pilot, the trolling motor can be steered from anywhere in the boat!

"I-Pilot is awesome. Say you've just fished a rocky, complex shoreline and spotted a giant fish you'd like to come back and fish later. Certainly fishing at first-dark is one of your best chances at catching that fish. Since I-Pilot records your GPS track, you need to simply save the track. Then, when you come back and maybe visibility isn't so good or it's completely dark, just let I-Pilot steer your boat to that monster," Steve says.

For more information on Minn Kota's fine product line please visit: <www.minnkotamotors.com>

Outboard: Steve has never used anything but Mercury Outboards and rigs his Rangers with OptiMax Pro XS high performance engines and 9.9-horsepower Mercury Pro Kickers.

"I love the OptiMax growl when they start up," said Steve. "Plus, these engines are bullet-proof. Turn the key and they start right up, and they'll give tremendous reliability."

For more information on Merc's fine product line please visit: <www.mercurymarine.com>

Boat: Steve has been a member of the Ranger Boats family since 1995. He fishes out of the Ranger Fisherman models, and currently runs one of the newly-redesigned Ranger 619's.

"I can't imagine a better-designed boat for musky fishing," Steve said. "My 619 has huge front and rear decks, plus I can get 10 musky rods up to 8 1/2 feet long in the rod box by simply modifying the rod box slightly. The 619 does not require a lot of water to come off the trailer, making it great in shallow landings, and it can safely get me into and out of water that's too rough to comfortably stand up to cast in. It can handle it all."

For more information on Ranger boats, please visit: <www.rangerboats.com>

Boat, Outboard Dealer: Shoeder's Marine in Rhinelander is the new Ranger dealer in Wisconsin's northwoods, and is the dealer Steve Heiting is working with for his Ranger/Mercury rigs. 

"I am completely happy with my dealership. They do a great job rigging the boat, deliver it on time, and there's a courteous and professional atmosphere when you enter the building," Steve said.  For more information on Shoeder's Marine, please visit: <www.shoedersmarine.com>

Fishfinder/GPS: Steve has become a big fan of the new Humminbird fishfinder/GPS combos, running a widescreen 998cSI unit on the console of his boat and a 788C in the bow. Great resolution, tremendous target separation, and unmatched GPS accuracy. Plus, the 998 has Humminbird's exciting side-imaging and down-imaging technology.

For information on Humminbird electronics, please visit <www.humminbird.com>