Finally some muskie talk. Deer's suggestions are great for a ski combo. I would maybe stay away from the Corvalus if I were you. Well, depends no how much muskie fishing you do. If you get out maybe 5 times a year max the Corvalus would be a good choice but if you fish them any more than that then I would spend the extra money and get a good baitcaster. I have a Corsair the reel that the Corvalus replaced and I used it last year and so far this year and the darn thing sounds like a coffee grinder when I reel with it so it's going to be shot here very shortly and that's only after 1.5 years of use and I don't fish as much as I'd like to. Like Deer said the Abu's are great reels some of the others you may want to look and consider are the Okuma baitcasters like the Iduron or the Fina I have both of these reels and Okuma makes great great products and nice high quality for a fraction of the price. The other reel you may want to look at is the Pfleuger Trion 66. I like using and trying out new and different reels from everybody else, sure the Abu's are great reels but It seems like very one is using them. Now how many do you know use the Okumas?? Not manyI bet for freshwater at least. Sorry got side tracked I don't like sticking with the pack. If you have the option between the Corvalus and the Trion go with the Trion with out a doubt. As far as rods go you can spend up to about $300 on a good heavy extra heavy rod or you can spend as little as $30. It all depends on your budget. Again the St Croix series are great great rods but if you don't want to spend $120 to $230 on a rod then look the shimano's a little cheaper about, $80 to $90, and still outstanding quality. Another over looked decent muskie rod for really really cheap are the Cabelas IM 6 Pro guide rods. I have 2 of these and they are awesome rods for the price. The muskie rod in this series is $39.99. I also found a shakesepere muskie rod at fleet farm hhere about a month ago marked for $20!!! Needless to say I got it cause if ti don't work out then I'm not out much. This rod is unbelievable for the money. Fast action heavy 7 footer IM 8 I'm mean you cant go wrong. Well now enough about the explanations. OOOHH!!! 1 more I forgot to mention look in bass pro shops and take a look at the Pete Mania combos. For $140 you get rod and reel and they are designed specifically with muskies in mind. There are alot of choices for rod and reel size but that all depends on the type of baits you're going to be throwing. Anyway, for a first muskie combo eihter go with the Abu 6500, Trion 66, or the Okuma Fina as far as reels go. For rods I would go with the Compre's but that's just me. Fenwick also makes a good muskie rod comparable in price to the Shimano. Anyway Compre or the Fenwick (Midrange) higher end with out a doubt St. Croix, Lower range Cabelas Pro guide series, or if you don't want to go through the hassle of matching stuff up right or if the decision is too hard then go with the Pete Maina combo. OH for reels stay on the lower gear ratio end 4:7:1 to 5:2:1 if you go any higher then that for most bucktails and larger crankbaits you will need to start doing more forearm and hand exercises they pull HARD!!! Rods you can't go wrong starting out with a 6'6" or a 7'these will work for all applications wiether it be burning or slow rolling bucktails, crankbaits, jerkbait fishing, trolling, jigging they will work for everything. Make sure you get Heavy action or Extra Heavy action remember most of these baits a between 1-4 ounces in weight, I just bought one the other day that is 7 ounces. You need a stiff, heaveyrod to handle these baits. Once you get your combo you're going to have to outfit it with line. I'm goign to suggest 50-80lb spider wireoriginal or stealth, Tuff Line, or PowerPro. These are big, mean strong fish and in order to release them properly with out harming them you have to play them relativley quickly so you don't stress them out to much. I cold go on for hoursBut I'm going to stop now. Good luck and I hope you catch one. If you have any other questions feel free to e-mail me at [email protected]