will a med. fishing rod be ok for cats?

[mrpike1973]

hi i'm new to cats. i fish the chain of lakes by richmond. most of the cats i get are about 2-5 lbs range. i'm using a mitchell avocet combo and a pflueger echeloen combo med 6.6 rods they seem to hold up ok are these 2 small for the rigors of cats. ive seen the chinamarts big rods for 30 bucks but they seem very heavy and cheesy any thoughts thanks.

[bobbymalone]

should be fine for 2-5 pound cats. I use a medium spinning outfit for smaller cats all the time. Probably eat the drag discs out of your reel after a while though.

If you were after big bruiser catfish and you were chunking half a pound worth of bait and lead out there you would soon understand why cat people fish with those pool cue rods.

[pushbutton]

In close to three years out there only caught a few over 10 lbs. and rarley used anything over a medium and 10lb. cheap mono, had very few breakoffs. When I first moved out there and new to the cats I bought a tree stump and it just wasn't as much fun.

[mrklean]

when i first started fishing for cats thats what i used and it worked great

[Rick G]

In close to three years out there only caught a few over 10 lbs.

I think that is about all the bigger they get in the chain Lots of fish but maximum growth is not what it should be.

Mrpike1973, you will be fine fishing for the cats on the Sauk chain with a decent med. rod set up. My one advice is to have a decent reel with a durable drag system. Them cats will wear out cheep reels faster than a 10yr old kid will wear out shoes

[Brad B]

hi i'm new to cats. i fish the chain of lakes by richmond. most of the cats i get are about 2-5 lbs range. i'm using a mitchell avocet combo and a pflueger echeloen combo med 6.6 rods they seem to hold up ok are these 2 small for the rigors of cats. ive seen the chinamarts big rods for 30 bucks but they seem very heavy and cheesy any thoughts thanks.

let's look at this another way. say you are out fishing walleyes with this setup and are catching 2 to 5 lbs eyes on it, what is the difference between catching a eye or a cat that is 2 to 5 lbs(only diference is cats will roll and tug more than the eyes). like pushbutton said use about a 10 lbs line. this setup will be fine for cats in that size range. another thing to think about to is how much lead a rod can throw. there are some big thick rods out there that can only throw up to 2ozs of lead (ex : i have a berkley big game rod that is only rated for up to 2ozs). Big thick rods only come into play if you decide to go after Flatheads since they can get 50+ pounds. A good Medium rod should be able to throw up to 3/4oz of lead and on the chain with such slow current this is all you need max. you could probably get by with a 1/2 lindy type sinker when fishing the chain. there has been talk on here about lindy rigging for cats on the chain, so maybe try that sometime and who knows you may even pick up a walleye. it also is a matter of personal preference. I personally use Shakespeare's ugly stick catfish series rods you can buy at wally world for $30. to me they work good for channel cats in that 2 to 6lbs range. they are rated up to 3oz. of lead and this is what I use when I fish the mississippi as the current here is faster then on the chain. My next 2 setups are Berkley Big Game rods with Abu Garcia 7001I reels(one is rated for 2ozs and the other is rated for 4ozs). I use these when I fish places that have larger channel cat (ie : Minnesota river or the Red river(still need to get there thou)or down in Missouri or Kansas). the one rated at 4 ozs could handle small flatheads(< 15lbs). Now my Flathead rod is actually a custom made rod I won last year. I have it setup with a Abu Garcia 7001I reel and 80lbs Power Pro Braid. this rod will throw up to 6 oz of lead but now you are talking the big thick pool cue type rod. If I was to buy a mass produced rod for flat heads I would probably look at getting a Berkley Ecat Rod or a Surge Trophy Cat Series Rod. The choices are endless if you get seriously hooked on catfishing.

Sorry this was so long.

[CarpinMNRiver]

Sorry this was so long.

Apology accepted.