Frustrating...

[hanson]

Since the cat board is a little slow... I figured I'd post up my frustration of the day.

Was out looking for another cat rod. Don't ask why? Fisher Dave will say that I'm on the ball! I've got some new reels that need a home. They don't like sitting in the box.

Made my first stop at Dick's off 394. I'd seen Ugly Stick cat rods there in the past and knew they had a good selection. Stopped in and every single Ugly Cat they had was a 7 footer with a casting reel seat. Dang man... I'm looking for an 8'.

Onto destination #2... Wal-Mart. Its a dumb place to look but once again, I knew they had the Ugly Cats there. And once again, every single one was a 7 footer. I give up!

Attempt #3 was Gander Mt on the phone. I bought my 8' spinning Ugly Cat there and I knew I saw a few a couple weeks ago. Salesman really had no clue what I was talking about. I said go find the white rods that say 'Catfish' on them and tell me if there is an 8 footer. Nope. I give up.

Thank god I wasn't looking for a 9 footer today. It wouldn't have been pretty.

[Ralph Wiggum]

I feel ya, Hanson! Cabela's, maybe? You've got a while before you can use them, though. Unless you want to sit very far away from your hole

[hanson]

Cabela's is the worst unless you are talking about the one in East Grand Forks. Now there is a store that somewhat appreciates the catfisherman!!

Just looking for an 8' MH Casting Ugly Stick Catfish rod. Its not too much to ask, is it? I don't feel like ordering anything else and would rather just pop into a store and pick it up. My Garcia 7000s should be in the mail and I've got my fingers crossed on the last Reflex rods I could find online. Berkley most definitely discontinued them but it has taken awhile for their availability to diminish.

I know, I know... I should be picking up some new Thorne ice rods but am ordering up baitcasters. Something is wrong with me now. I think I've been chatting with "I Da Man" too much.

[I Da Man]

Mr. Hanson...might want to think about having one made to your specifications???

Thorne Bros...or I know of another good place.

[Mr Special]

Hanson,

I'd give Wal-mart another shot. Maybe it's due to the season but I picked up a 8' Berkley Big Cat rod there a few months ago for only $25. Got the tip from That Guy.

Or Sportsmans Warehouse in Anoka had a good selection also.

Good luck

[Guest]

Hanson..

The new Cabelas had a pretty decent selection of cat rods when I stopped in there. I am sure they will have some rods to fit the bill. I was quite surprised on the amount of cat rods they had considering the Owatonna store is about worthless.

They also have good deals on weights(bank sinkers) and bulk swivel packs. They will have what you need with the exception of BIG hooks.. only that 5/0 and smaller stuff in stock.

Beware... they had a good selection of Tiger rods when I was there.. they are nice, but the price tag starts to add up when you have a bunch of reels without homes.

[Ralph Wiggum]

No big hooks, That Guy? Not by the other hooks, but there is a smaller section with catfishing stuff that has some of the biggest circle hooks that I've even seen. I think that they were Cabela's King Kat brand. These hooks were thick!

[Dennis Steele]

I have bought only one rod from a big name chain store and that was a Tiger rod.

In my opinion, the Cabelas's and Gander brand cat sticks just don't cut it.

I have seen more than three of these store brand rods break. And on channel cats, not big bruiser flatheads.

I buy most of my gear from Catfish Connection, and typically I buy national brand.

I have had some rods in hands of people who just don't know how to fish and have never broken a rod yet.

The only bad thing about "CC" is you can't hold the rods to decide if they have the actions you want.

Custom rods are a great idea, if you can fork up the cash.

I Da Man made a great suggestion.

Check out Thorne Bro's. THey understand BIG fish, being that they used to be primarily a musky shop. They can show you a lot of blanks and you can choose how you would like it designed from there.

They may even have some "semi" custom rods on the racks that would work just fine.

Midwest is another shop that can help a cat guy as well.

Just ask MNRiverrat!

[Guest]

Dennis made a good point... not all rods are created equal, and some will not stand up.

There are some decent *economical* rods out there, there is also quite a bit of junk out there... You have to know what your looking for, or more important.. what you dont want in a rod for heavy fish. I have found most *cat* rods that are on the market are way too light in anything under 8'.

If you can afford a custom rod, or a rod made by a respectable builder.. I highly recommend it.. If you dont want to put a 2nd mortgage ont he house for a fishing rod.. shop around, and get recommendations on rods from people who fish big fish regularly, and what rods will hold up.

[I Da Man]

I have three customs now. One is an 8 foot Loomis (which I haven't tried yet) that ran about $140. The other two are St Croix's that ran $65. each. I thought a custom rod would be more, but with a little explaining to the rod maker, you can get a very good rod, made for the type of fishing you do.

My Croix's are "boat" rods...meaning that they are a little shorter than most. Graphite with fiberglass reinforce butts. Pretty darn light weight...not perfect for bank fishing though.

Dennis, I wish you would have landed one on the Red with it last fall...I think you would have been surpised.

Graphite cat rods aren't everyones cup of tea...mostly because of their weight...or lack of it.

Either way, if you are planning on doing some serious catten and have the $50 extra bucks...I would recommend checking them out.

[hanson]

That Guy-

I'd put a 2nd mortgage on the house for some awesome Thorne ice fishing rods, not sure about cat rods though. And besides, I just broke the bank ordering those 7000s. I can only break the bank so many times in 1 week.

Wally World did have 8' Big Game rods, the Berkley ones, but I was looking for 8' Ugly Stick Catfish rods with casting reel seats on them. Everywhere I went had 7 footers and I was looking for 8' They are going to be my general Channel Cat rods. They should work very well on the Red River (not Lockport!) kitties. I won't be up to Lockport for 4 more years now. Thankfully there is some good channel cattin' on the US side as well.

I do know those Ugly Sticks aren't my favorite for flatheads. Dave and I Da Man saw that evening in action. I was ready to toss that rod in the ole Miss'.

A custom rod is a great idea and one I'll probably entertain someday.

[Guest]

Quote:

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I'd put a 2nd mortgage on the house for some awesome Thorne ice fishing rods, not sure about cat rods though.

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Wait a minute there hanson.. where was that good deal on them 6500's you just picked up? I think that was the ICE SHOW.

You know catfishing is an addictive thing when a die hard of ice fishing is buying cat gear att he ice show.. and no ice gear.. lol

So the comment on the 2nd mortgage for thorne brothers ice rods? I'm not so sure I would make my bet on the ice rods, but I will bet you will have some custom rods next open water season eventually.

Brian(I DA man).. I didnt realize your custom rods were only $65. Them are nice rods... I have many a walleye rod(I do fish for other things besides cats) that I forked out far more than that for the rods and reels separately.

Whether the rods are glass or graphite, it really doesnt matter. The action is the most important. I have some rods that are pool cues, other that are very soft.. the soft rods are easiest on my body, but they are not going to stop a 40# fish from going into a snag. The only advantage to glass rods is they are larger diameter and often easier to see in the dark hours.. but we have learned that can be taken care of with a little reflective material.

I need to start making custom rods for myself.. I have been kicking it around for years. How often do any of us find exactly what we want without having a rod built?

[Dennis Steele]

DUDE!

If you made custom rods, I'd be in line to buy one.

I know you know what a catman needs in a rod.From the slow action circle hook rod to the pool cue for surgical extraction of very large fish!

[I Da Man]

Opps! I lied...I just looked it up..I paid $75 each...I stand corrected.

I'm having a channel rod that's being built now that's going to be coming in around $65. My wife wanted green thread to match the boat....<sigh> so it's kinda...sorta her Christmas gift. I didn't want to spend too much in case she sees a snake agian and it goes...splash!

[Canuck]

In my experience you never know where U will find "the' cat rod. My best cat rods came from good old Canadian Tire. Berkley made them ONE year for Canadian Tire and only in Canada. This fall I send one of them south with a friend and he had 3 more eyes put on them. They are 8'6" and the end 2' are really light but the rest has all the back bone one needs for the Lockport kitties. They may be too heavy for using circle hooks but have used them for that then they are too light for corking (one needs 4 X 4s) for corkin. Never be in a hurry for a rod but ALWAYS keep you eye out for a new rod. It is scary when I look at my selection of rods but everyone has a time and place.

I think Dennis U tried those green rods I was talking about. Imagine it having 3 more eyes. I saw it last week and can't wait until open water.

[Guest]

Quote:

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I do know those Ugly Sticks aren't my favorite for flatheads. Dave and I Da Man saw that evening in action. I was ready to toss that rod in the ole Miss'.

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errr... Hanson

I am quite proud of that ugly stick for not breaking that infamous day on the river.

I dont think the rod has much to do with losing a large fish when you had the local tire dealer tighten your drag with the impact wrench!

When you have a big fish directly below your feet going into a heavy current and you set the hook and your rod is pointed to 12 o'clock, and your entire tip section is at 6 o'clock ... 50# test (that some newbie thought was indestructable)... something is going to give.. I jumped back because I thought it was going to be the rod.

Man I miss the warm air, that was an awesome day.. although I dont know if hanson enjoyed it as much as I.

As for the rod building.. I was looking at some different blanks and supplies on the market and all I can say is *wow*. The sky is the limit on what a person could make for themselves/others.. but its not cheap. 50 different materials out there for blanks in 1 million actions each.. once you find what fits the bill.. then you have the guides, handles, reel seats, you name it.. and just about as much equipment for building them availabe to the market..

Its intriguing(sp?) to say the least... but I think I just found a new hobby.

$75 for a Custom St Croix I DA man?? .. it would be easy to spend that on a set of titanium rod guides so the super line doesnt eat into them... thats a heck of a deal for them rods!

[rushing]

You should try building your own rod. Its not hard at all. Your first couple trys might not look the greatest, but they will work just fine and it sure feels great when you catch a fish on a rod you have built. You also have complete control over which components and rod blank you want to use, so you get excatly what you want. I have built several fly rods and have been meaning to build myself a new cat rod. Maybe after the holidays I will start.

For you people up in the cities, you could prolly find a rod building class which would make building even easier.

rob

[hanson]

Quote:

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My Garcia 7000s should be in the mail and I've got my fingers crossed on the last Reflex rods I could find online.

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Update...

The Garcia 7000s have arrived! Yippee!! Click, Click, Click, Click!!

And the 8' MH Reflex Casting Rods arrived as well!!

I'm a happy camper no doubt. I can say this... HUGE difference between the 8' & 9' Reflex rods. The handle section on the 9' Reflex is oversized, much like a Tiger rod. The 8' rods have a very nice sized handle section. Longer and beafier than an Ugly Cat but not quite the size of a 9' Reflex.

Now... Looking around for a boat. Anyone know where to find a 16' jet tunnel jon cheap? With jet OB? Ok, Ok... Will settle for a prop tunnel jon. Maybe an RP for under $6,000??

[Ihateriversnags]

If you can find a RP for 6 bills I think you'd have a fight on your hands on who would get to it first. Knowing first hand how big you are I think if I couldn't take ya i'd just sit on ya LOL did a little fishing in the alex area over the weekend and had a BALL. Have not tried cattin through the ice yet but am still waiting for summer to get here. Hopefully i'll be able to participate in wiskers FM gathering this summer a little more. Man that was a great time for what little time I was there.

IHRS