Which Rod?

[HarleyK50]

I have a few rods that might work for cats. I have never fished for cats before so I wanted to check with the experts first. Let me know which outfit would be best for channels or flats or whatever. My first outing will most likely be at rapidan dam.

9 ft fiberglass daiwa trolling rod, paired with a penn 320 gti @4.5-1.

7 ft graphite Heavy action bass rod, paired with abu 6600 c-4 @6.0-1 with 65# power pro.

6.5 ft med hvy ugly stick with a low profile cabelas tourn zx with 50# power pro.

You guys let me know what would be best or if I should go buy an ugly stick cat rod or what. Thanks for any advice.

[BuckKiller]

Any one of those will work just fine.

[Here-Kitty-Kitty]

7 ft graphite Heavy action bass rod, paired with abu 6600 c-4 @6.0-1 with 65# power pro.

So I must ask where the h*ll are you finding bass that you would needs such a set up? It sounds like that would be a great set up for a fat kat.

[HarleyK50]

I bought it last year as a first musky rod, and found out after purchasing my first dcg's that it wasn't all that heavy after all. So my next musky setup will have some subtle differences. Any way would that nine footer be worth rigging up or would it just be a pain. The thing that got me worried was a friend I trust says he hooks up with fish he can't move, which I have a hard time believing but it concerned me. I'll stop babbling now, thanks.

[Here-Kitty-Kitty]

Umm ya you could use that nine footer, but I personally like to use seven and under. You will hear many different theories on lengths of rod. For fish that you can't move yes the big girls can and will stay on the bottom and some tend to feel like a log.

[Scott K]

They can move you if they want to

[harvey lee]

I would use the rod with the faster action tip to see the bites. If you have a clicker on the reel, that also is a huge plus.

[Here-Kitty-Kitty]

Thats why I was thinking about the seven foot with the abu 6600

[HarleyK50]

The nine fooeter has a clicker but it just seems like so much rod. It for down rigging; but i thought with the low gear reel it be more winch-like. That is why I am asking though. Have any of you fished the rapidan dam on the blue earth river? Is there monster flats in there or is just channels? thanks again.

[Flaco651]

I'd say the diawa/penn set up if i had to choose one of the three.

[MinnesnowtaWild]

I would say just go spend $15-30 for a nice cat rod. I use a 7' MH Ugly Stik Catfish rod with my Abu Garcia 6600C4 and then use an 8' MH Creekside rod with my Okuma ABF-55 spinning reel. Both rigs have 80 lb Suffix braid.

The cheaper setup ($15 Creekside rod + $40 Okuma reel) is my personal favorite and has held up like a champ so far this year for numerous 30+ lb Flatheads. Whatever rig you do go with...just don't use mono line. I used to think it would be fine using 30 lb Berkely Big Game but boy was I wrong, and I learned it the hard way by losing a huge fish.

[MinnesnowtaWild]

Oh and I would go with either baitcaster...the Cabela's reel might not be enough. Both the Penn and 6600 are great reels with clicker features on them which is a must for Flathead fishing. I would assume the Penn holds more line than the small 6600 but with braided line it's not bad at all.

[River Runner Z]

i would say that penn set up and maybe upgrade the rod later if you can, you can pick up some cat rods for not to much money

[riverrat56]

I use a 9' rod, it's an Okuma rod and reel that were designd for trolling for Salmon, works great to get the line out away from the boat and has tons of leverage to fight fish with. It has only landed on big cat so far, but it did very well on sturgeon, including one that pushed the 100 lbs mark. So I wouldn' shy away from a longer rod, they do have some benefits.

I use 40lb Berkley Big Game and really like it for catfishing.

[CFHunter]

I have heard all different stories about what line to use but I wouldnt recommend not using mono. It depends on what type of structure you fish, and what type of feel you are looking for when you catch a big one. If you are fishing in a rocky area that has any type of jagged edges braid is gonna slice in half whereas mono is gonna take a bit of abuse. If you are gonna fish from a sandbar or in log jam braid may be the way to go. Everybody fishes with different line because of their personal preference or influence from others so I would say test both mono and braid out and see what works for you best. I use Berkley Big Game 30 or 40#, I would recommend it. I have had a few line breakers and quite a few big fish, your gonna lose some here and there no matter what type of line you use, thats a part of fishing.

[phishnerd]

I agree with MN Wild. Spend $30 on a decent cat rod and use that Abu 6600 with the clicker. What type of hooks are you going to use? I usually run 6/0-8/0 Gammy circle hooks. When ever I run circle hooks I always use atleast an 8' Fiberglass rod. Fiberglass is slower to load and that really helps out with hook-up ratio. Berkley Glowsticks are a good rod at a great price. Don't be afraid of the 65 lb Power pro. I run 50lb on my channel set ups and 80-100 lb on my Flat set ups. Don't make the mistake of being under powered for Flats. You are going to loose fish no matter how good you are. That is just part of the gig. But you can reduce the chances of losing a big'un due line breakage by upsizing your super braid. Continue to use this HSOforum as a resource. There are quite a few good hooks that belong to FM who are always willing to answer questions. Good luck fishing and let us know how you do!!

[Borch]

I use a penn 310 GTI on one of my set ups and it works very well and has a good clicker. A have a couple of 320 reels on my leadcore setup and are very substantial reels but would do the job nicely on cats. The downriggger rods tend to be a bit soft for flats but could work in a pinch.

I have a 6500 on one flat set up and it works fine but is not nearly the cat reel that the Penn is. Although I have a power handle coming for it and maybe that will help some.

Good Luck!

[riverrat56]

Just throwing it out there, but the next rod and reel I buy will be an 8' MH Berkley Glow stick, with a Penn 209 levelwind on it. Since the rod is fiberglass and has a pretty slow action I will be spooling it up with 80lb Power Pro.

I've sold a few of these in the past week and have heard nothing but good reports.

[Shack]

First off where and what species of catfish are you going for?

I'd say the diawa/penn set up if i had to choose one of the three.

9' trolling rod could mean many things

Quote:

6.5 ft med hvy ugly stick with a low profile cabelas tourn zx with 50# power pro.

This would be my pick if i had to choose with out knowing more about that trolling rod. What action is it?

My next rod will be a custom made rod from the Rod Shop or full time/volunteer Andy

[HarleyK50]

The trolling rod is a 9ft fiberglass med action daiwa it says lure weight to 3oz.

I thought about putting the abu reel on the ugly stick but wasn't sure the rod had the strength, and the reel does not have a clicker.

My first outing will be on blue earth/mn river near rapidan dam.

Suggestions on takle would be helpful too. I currently posses 3/0 vmc sure set circle hooks, and 3/0 gamakatsu shiner hooks that I use for ice fishing pike. Do I need bigger? I planned on buying 2oz bank sinkers? and heavy duty swivels probably spro.

Thanks alot guys I am really excited to try this and the info has been invaluble, keep it comin.

[DTro]

I would have a minimum of 5/0 for channels and 7/0 for flats, no matter the style. I would also have along a couple of 3oz sinkers with for area with faster current.