Getting into musky fishing can sometimes look scary, just going in a tackle shop and looking at lures that often cost 50$ each is enough to make an angler turn into a scrabble player. Now! You've watch Tv shows, you've talked to experts and it looks like you are going to spend thousands of dollars...And you haven't caught a fish yet. Let's start with the beginning : Rods and reels, Streamside offers high quality rods in the 200$ range, 7'6 to 8'6 rated from 20 to 70 lbs/test , that is for you to decide which one you are most comfortable with, especially since you'll be doing both casting and trolling with the same rod. Reels are a little more complicated because an experienced angler will advise you not to use the same reel for trolling and casting, for trolling I like the ''level wind type'' reel such as the Legend DRC500 Filled with either dacron 50 lbs/test or 80 lbs/test braided line, on the other hand a ''round baitbast'' is a must for casting, using 65 to 80 lbs/test will provide you a good weapon. Choosing terminal tackle is easier than it looks, just think SOLID!!! therefore steel and fluorocarbon leaders 18 to 24 inches 90 to 125 lbs/test is all you need, thats it, thats all!!!. And finally lures...Ah! The million dollar question (actually not), muskies are no different than any other fish, they have habitats, food supply, preferences, etc and they stand on top of the food chain. So dark water, clear water, shallow, deep, fast, slow, casting and trolling, that sums it up! Colors are simply divided in two: Natural and bright, I know there is thousands of colors and tones, but really? Now! This rules applies to everything that you're throwing in the water, pick your spot and pick your weapon of choice. Jerkbaits, crankbaits, bucktails and soft plactic. Lures! OK! We'll make this this simple : Jerkbaits, two types, ''dive and rise'' and gliders. Crankbaits, shallow runners and deep runners. Bucktails , spinnerbaits and in lines...There you go 4 kinds of lures, 2 types each, and 2 color types and oh! Let's not forget soft plastic and top water. Choose your soft plastic and top water lures the same way you would it for bass or walleye but just bigger. Last but not least, TOOLS! Gloves, pliers, bolt cutters and craddle. Always make sure that you handle these fish with extreme precaution, you don't want to hurt yourself or the fish, for pictures always make sure that you don't keep the fish out of the water more than a few seconds. Now you have it, go on the web, take your calculator and you'll find that by following these simple rules and most important not to get your head filled with too much information from people who have never fished YOUR lake, well your first musky season might not hurt your bank account as much as you first thought...