Rods: Steve has been affiliated with St. Croix since 1988 and has found no reason to use any other brand.
St. Croix has three levels of musky rods -- the Legend Tournament, Premier and Mojo series. Steve has tried all of them but prefers the Legend Tournament series. "The LT series has two St. Croix proprietary features -- IPC (Integrated Polycurve Technology), which allows for smoother casting and greater sensitivity, and ART (Advanced Reinforcing Technology), which strengthens critical stress points without adding bulk or weight," said Steve. "Add in super-high-modulus graphite, a lifetime warranty and a really cool blue color, and this rod series is the ultimate.
"If the Legend Tournaments are not for you, check out St. Croix’s Premier and all-new Musky Mojo series," Steve said. "The Premier series’ outstanding track record speaks for itself, and the new Mojo series is a terrific value for the money."
Bucktails -- Steve prefers the St. Croix 8-0 Legend Tournament (TM80MHF) "Top-N-Tail" for small to mid-sized bucktails. However, for Mepps' new H210 and Double Cowgirls, he prefers the St. Croix 9-0 Legend Tournament (TM90HF) "Big Nasty" or the St. Croix 8-6 Legend Tournament (TM86HF) "Slingblade."
"Figure-8’s are extremely important with twin-ten bucktails and these rods make the maneuver more efficient," Steve said. For his review of the new Big Nasty, visit: www.steveheiting.com/pages/new-product-reviews.php
Other good bucktail sticks from St. Croix, though less expensive, are the 8-0 Premier (PM80MHF) and the 8-6 Premier (PM86HF), and the all-new 8-0 Musky Mojo (MM80MHF).
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) or the 7-6 Musky Mojo (MM76HF).
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 8-6 Premier (PM86HF) or 7-6 Premier (PM76MHF), or the 8-0 Musky Mojo (MM80HF).
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). In other series, you’ll want the 8-6 Premier (PM86HF) or 8-0 Musky Mojo (MM80HF) for prop baits and the 7-6 Premier (PM76HF0 or 7-6 Mojo (MM76HF) for walk-the-dogs.
Soft plastics -- Steve uses St. Croix's Legend Tournament 8-6 Legend Tournament "Big Dawg" (TM86XHF). In the Premier series, you’ll want the 8-6 (PM86XHF) and in the Mojo series you’ll want the 8-0 (MM80HF).
Livebait, trolling -- St. Croix Premier 8-0 (PG80HM). This rod features fiberglass construction for increased durability in extreme conditions.
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. 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, hammer curls, shoulder shrugs and sit-ups will 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?"
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.
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."
Boat: Steve has been a member of the Ranger Boats family since 1995. He fishes out of the Ranger Fisherman models, and currently runs a Ranger 619.
"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."
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.
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 788ci 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.
Check out the actual photo at right of Steve’s Humminbird 997’s view of four fish cribs and a weed edge on the right side of the screen, revealed through Side-Imaging. "Nothing can hide from Side Imaging," Steve says. "If it’s there, Side Imaging is going to show it to you."
Leaders: Steve uses fluorocarbon leaders made by Stealth Tackle about 98 percent of the time. The only time he uses wire anymore when trying to get more swing from a glider jerkbait or walk-the-dog topwater, when he’ll switch to a solid wire leader made by Stealth.
Stealth leaders are tied, crimped and glued, so they aren’t going to fail, and are coupled with a 150-pound test stainless steel ball bearing swivel and Stay-Lok snap.
The Stealth fluorocarbon leaders Steve uses are made with 135-pound test fluorocarbon and measure 14 inches long. His solid wire leaders are made by Stealth and feature 174-pound test American Fishing Wire material.
tried all of them but prefers the Legend Tournament series. "The LT series has two St. Croix proprietary features -- IPC (Integrated Polycurve Technology), which allows for smoother casting and greater sensitivity, and ART (Advanced Reinforcing Technology), which strengthens critical stress points without adding bulk or weight," said Steve. "Add in super-high-modulus graphite, a lifetime warranty and a really cool blue color, and this rod series is the ultimate.
Bucktails -- Steve prefers the St. Croix 8-0 Legend Tournament (TM80MHF) "Top-N-Tail" for small to mid-sized bucktails. However, for Mepps' new H210 and Double Cowgirls, he prefers the St. Croix 9-0 Legend Tournament (TM90HF) "Big Nasty" or the St. Croix 8-6 Legend Tournament (TM86HF) "Slingblade."
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.
y recommends the Mepps line of bucktails. In fact, he helped design t
he 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.
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."
Pro XS high performance engines and 9.9- horsepower Mercury Pro Kickers.
rigs.
wn Imaging technology.
f four fish cribs and a weed edge on the right side of the screen, revealed through Side-Imaging. "Nothing can hide from Side Imaging," Steve says. "If it’s there, Side Imaging is going to show it to you."
