what's your favorite rod/reel combo for cats?.

[joshb]

this will be my second year chasing cats so i don't have anything special yet. i got a pair of eagle claw IM7 aristocrat M.H. - 7' with okuma 200L classics. spooled with 30lb trilene XT. i made the mistake of taking my walleye gear out the first time out for cats,i lost 2 nice fish and my gf lost 3, all in one nite. there is nothing more frustrating and humbeling than fighting a fish for 45 minutes and then you realize it doesn't even know it's hooked, and when it does finally figure it out. gone.

[Fisher Dave]

Your talking flats I take it?

I prefer light surf gear.. or long spinning or casting rods (10' range) capable of handling 30 lb test. A good reel that has a bait feeder(bail alert) like the Garcia 6500 models or shimano baitrunners(spinning) are a good place to start.

A longer rod lets me get away with lighter line(often 20 lb test) and gives me more leverage at times of need(avoiding visual snags, etc). I will only fish heavier line when snags or debris require it... but thats only me.

There is no perfect set up, but there are many set-ups that will stand up to big cats.. most comes down to personal preference, and what we are each comfortable using...

[happy hooker]

I use a Shakespeare intrepid rod, it's im-7 graphite, 8'6" medium action and a Garcia 5000D. I use 14lb. fireline. I fish the Miss between Elk River and Monti. Not many flatheads but lots of nice channels.

Thanks, Happy

[Canuck]

My favorite rod/reel for kitties is as following:

9'6" Berkely Hardrock Series
7000C3 Abu Garcia
25lb Big Game High Vis line
2/0 Eagle Claw Wide Bend hooks

I like the Hardrock 9'6" because the end couple of feet are very sensitative but still has plenty of back bone. I have found the hogs are getting alittle smarter and at times of the year are very light to the touch.

I used to use the 6500s but found they just did not stand up to steady abuse these kitties dish out. The 7000 is alittle slower in the retreive (4 to 1) but still plenty fast enough.

The Big Game High Vis is pretty good in abrasiveness and because it is High Vis it helps to see if several guys are fishing out the back of a boat and a kitty starts to run. It has saved many a tangle up.

The Eagle Claw 2/0 Wide Bend is what I use strctly. The shank is alittle shorter than most and this helps prevent the hook from snagging up in the kitties eye. This hook has a nice twist and great hook up.

[fiskyknut]

I love my St Croix Classic Cat 7'6" MH. Custom 6501 C4 with ABEC 7 bearing kit, power handle, 4.7-1 gears, and xtreme smoothie drag washer kit. Just right for those Big Red river whiskered fish! Never had any of my 6500's fail me, factory or customized, if they ever do parts are readily availiable. Curious as to the problems others have had with these reels, I find them pretty much bulletproof.

fiskyknut

[Canuck]

Fiskyknut: The last 2 6500s that got tore up were the gears were stripped. I believe what happened was the clients just got too excited and would keep winding when the kitty was stripping line. You try and be polite and get people to pump and wind down but they get just so excited and it usually takes them a couple of fish to settle down. I don't blame them form getting excited because I get excited just watching them too and that is fishing. I love my 6500s for sturgeon and salmon and actually prefer them over the 7000s. One can't complain about the 6500s that got tore up because each of them land about 500 or more of these sumo kitties a year and that there are some heavy weights.

[fiskyknut]

I spose when you have folks on a trip that have never tangled with those BIG kitties up that way they would tend get a wee bit excited eh!!! Like you I still do too! Those 3 footers with big shoulders sure can pull!

It won't be too long now, mud and Goldeye parts covering the interior of the boat!

fiskyknut

[Dennis Steele]

My absolute favorite rod for channel cats is a 9ft surf rod with an Okuma Expixor EB bait feeding spinning reel.I picked up that surf rod for a trip to Aruba a few years back.It has the slowest action in a rod that I have ever seen yet still enough backbone to handle some large cats.Its a deadly circle hook rod.I think I paid 20 bucks for it.
I am starting to see the advantage of also using a short boat style rod.Sometime getting the cats out of the trees can be difficult and you need to get right in there with them.THis is where a stout rod 6 feet and less can come in handy.Just get right up on the snag and POP the cats right out of that tree.

[DARK30]

I like a variety of rigs to cover the catfish spectrum I like my Abu combos, My Gapen combos, and my E-Cat/Penn combos. Who knows with the March Sportshow coming...I may find another.

Jim Moyer is also coming out with a new rod this year and I'll be helping him field test it in a couple of weeks....I'm sure I'll be coming home with a couple.

The Quest Never Ends!

WET NETS!

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cast,cast,cast,cast......

[Dirk W]

How are the Moyer rods going to be marketed? Who's going to be selling them? Lengths? Actions? You have my curiosity up.

[DARK30]

I don't know any details yet. Apparently, The E-Cats didn't pan out like they had hoped. I think there were problems with the guide eyes popping out but I've never had any problems with mine. Anyhow, He says he's got a "new and improved" version thats built for any heavy fish not just cats.

I spoke with Jim's wife one night on the phone (Jim was fishing again). She says "Jim is either gonna sell a bunch of rods or he'll own the most rods of anyone in Tennessee"

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cast,cast,cast,cast......

[Steve Foss]

Fav combo has to be the Berkley E-cat No. 3 with Ambassadeur 6500 "Trophy" reel (a 6500 with the large single handle found on the 7000 series).

I was told that Berkley pulled the E-cat series because they eventually came not to believe that catfish anglers would pay $75 for a rod. Don't know if sales were bad or if they stopped the whole deal in mid-marketing stream, but I saw E-cats all over the place for a couple years.

Too bad they pulled it. I had a No. 2 (the No. 1 and No. 2 were 7.5 footers when extended). Still have the No. 3, which is an 8-footer that does not telescope.

The No. 3 is just a bit too much rod for my old haunts on the Red River around Grand Forks/East Grand Forks, but an ideal rod for channels at Lockport, and I figure it would work slick on flatheads on the Minnesota. Never done those flats yet, but the day will come!

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"Worry less, fish more."
Steve Foss
[email protected]

[simplefish]

Does anyone use a super line for cats? I was thinking power pro would work well. Or do you need the stretch from mono to handle the bigger fish? I gernerally use 6'6" single piece MH casting rod with a soft tip, an Ambassador reel, and 15 to 20 pound test. Can't remember any of the models off hand. I fish outside of Anoka and Coon Rapids on the Missy and don't get much for really big cats. Biggest was a 9 pound channel last year. Also, has anyone tried those ugly stick cat rods? Saw one last year and they looked decent enough. Thanks ahead.

[DARK30]

Nothing wrong with keeping it on the lighter side for most situations. I like my Power Pro line for Flatheads but mono for Channels is the way to go. Sounds like you got the prefect rig. My Channels rig is also an Abu combo...6'6" Med and a 5500C with 12# attached to a worm hook.

Last year, I pulled in two 10-15 lb and one pushing 30 lb Flathead on my Walleye rod and 6# line....Nice battle! (I never thought I would see that big one)

WET NETS!

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cast,cast,cast,cast......