Planning to build a 10wt or 11wt fly rod for Musky. On the fence between the CTS Revo or the NFC Gama Beta blank.

Could also use some input for guide choice.

Thanks in advance!

Marty,
IMO - neither.
For the "Fish-of-1000 casts" the REVO Salt will tire you out very fast. Yes - it has above average fish fighting ability - but there are other CTS products that will be more pleasant to cast.

Let's start with what fly line you will be using - Brand, line weight, model? I assume that you are talking about casting "half chickens"??

For guides - I like to keep things as light as possible - so always use the REC Recoil single foot or snakes.
Herb
CTS -US Rep

All good questions Herb. And not sure I have the answers. This will be my first dive into fly fishing for Musky. I picked up “Muskies on The Fly” at the library and am now ready to go down the rabbit hole. I tied into one last summer on an 8wt with a single feather flatwing I tied for bass but didn’t have the right stuff to land the big cabbage dragon. I’m assuming I’d match the line weight to the rod and would use a sinking tip. Aside from that - I’m learning.

I agree with Herb, a Revo Salt is way to stiff for that type of fishing. That blank is made for sight casting to big fish, so the amount of casts are at a minimum. Also if high winds are encountered.

Most of the folks that I know that fish musky use a 10 or 11wt, with the 10 being most popular, with a Rio Pike Musky Line, floating. The rods are usually a bit softer, and some like me use Fiberglass. The Affinity MX in a 9ft 10wt would work well, the softer mid section would be easier on arm and make for a smoother water load to lift the streamer out.

I've used both a CTS Quartz 8-6 10wt with a Rio Outbound floating line and an Affinity X 9ft 10wt with a Rio Bass line on it. I like the Quartz better, its a bit heavier in hand, but the deeper flex of the glass is easier on the arm, bit of a trade off. The Affinity X is a bit stiff in my opinion for this type of fishing, but it works and I don't need a gang of 10wts laying around.

In my area, we only target the musky when they will be in shallow water, so floating lines work just fine for us.

Marty
Bill knows his s..t re glass.
Personally I like graphite.
I also like the RIO OB #10 floater. Also the Wulff Bermuda Triangle Shorts in 10 and 11 weight.
Besides the #10 Afinity-MX - I like the Affinity-M in a 10wt. I'l using mine now in FL on the beach - soon to be in RI for Stripers.
Whenever I've fished for Musky - it was using a floating line. They like to hide in weeds, under docks and moored boats.
I also designed a blank using CTS' custom design program - all design fees were paid by me - so free of design fees.
If you wish - you may contact me for more details hladen@hotmail.com
Regards,
Herb
CTS Rep