King of the Cats 2007 Team Kitty Twisters

[bgreen82]

hey guys, looks like it should stop raining about noon tomorrow then just cloudy and very windy. i dont know too much about cats and weather conditions and how it affects it. will anything change with cool, cloudy and windy? i want to start getting us on the board this weekend.

[Larry FlatCaster]

I caught some massive fish 3 if I recall correctly last fall in a similar system. 10lb channel, 28lb flat, 39lb flat...Cats will bite just about any time. DTRO and I have caught them in big storms lightning and thunder... don't ask) surprisingly enough.

So go for it.... I'm gonna be putting one up on the board this weekend if it takes me 12hrs to do it. Plus I'm fishing another cat contest anyways. So I'm going for 2 for 1 deal.......

Good luck

LFC

[rushing]

Well I managed to get on the board. A lil 24lber. Easily upgradeable. Missed a couple of fish they weren't small but who knows how big they really were. I just got home so I will throw up the picture and details a little later. Hope everyone else has been having some luck!

[DTro]

Nice Rob.

Quite a few flats have been caught already. I'm surprised.

LFC got his first one as well last night I forget the measurements, but I do remember is was 10lbs.

[rushing]

First flat of the season.

24lbs 38in x 22in

[Larry FlatCaster]

Alright Rob!!!

Thats two smaller ones on the board for us. Mine is definately the dink so far.... with plenty of room for improvement, (But still the first flatty of the season for me. WOOHooo this is the earliest in the season that I've ever caught one.) As I'm sure you got plenty of room to increase your point total. I'll have Dtro update with my measurements

27 X 17 when he gets some time.

Way to Go Mate!!

thanks

LFC

[aanderud]

Great job guys! And to think, I wasted my time yet again this weekend CRAPPIE fishing. Caught a few largemouth that thought the crappie minnows looked good, but nothing like that!

Couple quick gear questions – I’m trying to get geared up so that if/when I do have the chance to tangle with these critters I stand a chance of maybe winning the battle.

First, baitcasters – I’ve been reading tons of reviews on rods, reels, etc. It’s quite overwhelming, really. What type of baitcasting rods do y'all use? I saw a reasonably priced combo on catfishconnection, with a 7000c3 (last year’s model though) and a berkley glowstick. I’ve seen people recommend the 7000c3, but they specifically say “2007 model”, but they don’t really say why. So that is scary. Second, I've heard very mixed reviews on those glowstik rods. Some people love em and others hate em. I like the price and I like the LED built in, but the thing only says it can handle up to 3 ounce lures…this doesn’t seem like much. I noticed that hardly any of the rods advertise that they can handle a lure over 3-5 ounces. In fact, the ugly sick “ugly cat” model will only handle 3 ounce lures supposedly. I figured that a 5 ounce no roll sinker plus a big old fat happy bullhead would be quite a stress on a rod designed for lures under 3 ounces. Plus, if the current is heavy and one has to resort to more weight, I wouldn’t want to push the equipment that much. One rod that I haven’t yeard a single complaint about it the ugly stick tiger, so that's what I'm leaning toward for flatties. It says it will handle up to 8 ounce lures with the MH action, and the medium will actually take 6 supposedly…that’s quite a bit more than most of the rods. There were some boss rods that I think said they handle either 5 or 8 ounces, and some surge rods that said 8 ounces… I guess I don’t know anything about cattin and huge weights/baits and whatnot, all I know is that the ugly stick tiger seemed to be the cheapest that advertised 8 ounces. If you get the sub-$30 glowstik rod that says it can only handle a 3 ounce lure, what is the downside? Eyes popping out when you cast? Maybe the ugly stick is worth the extra $30…

Finally, on to spinning reels. I have an ugly stick medium heavy catfish spinning rod that I used sturgeon fishing, it seemed to do the job but my reel was undersized. I want to rig it up as primarily a channel cat rig I guess, though I don’t want to get in trouble if a big old flattie jumps on. The okuma baitfeeders (avenger model) seem pretty cool and reasonably priced. I was thinking something like an abf-50 would be about the perfect size, but then catfishconnection doesn’t have that particular model. Well, the normal solution is to buy it where they do have it, but I noticed that catfishconnection has the abf 65 for LESS than what the abf 50 costs elsewhere. So then I’m like “hey, that’s a better deal”. So my question is, does anyone have any experience with these reels? The 65 seems a bit beefy, it weighs like 10 ounces more than the abf 50...maybe it’s a bit much.

[DTro]

I will try to sum up my thoughts on this.

Tiger is a very nice rod. Soft tip heavy butt. Many people here use glowstick without any issues. I wouldn't worry too much about the oz specs on the rod.

I bought 2 surge rods this year and so far am very happy with them. They have a bigger profile, but I like the soft tip for using circle hooks.

Also I prefer the 50 spinning reel vs the 65. The 65 is a monster. If you want to save a few bucks, Cabelas has the same reel (Salt Striker) for quite a bit less.

If you have a chance, stop in at Moore's Bait and Tackle, Bob has a good selection, and you can test drive them all at once in the store. Not too many places will have all these rods/reels at the same time (read less driving around).

Also there were a few improvements to the Abu 7000 this year, but don't let that scare you from a previous year model.....they work great. I base that not from my own use, but by the monster fish I've netted of my boatmates

Good Luck!

[rushing]

Yeah I did a bit of accidental crappie fishin friday when trying to get bait for this weekend. My bullhead hole was void of bullies but had crappies instead so I had to move to a different spot to get bait. You know you are a cat man when it [PoorWordUsage]es ya off when you caught crappies instead of bullheads.

Onto gear.

I picked up a Abu 7001i "lefty" baitcast reel this year and it works great. They are a bit cheaper than the 7000c3 because they have bushings instead of bearings and a bit different drag. Great reel I recommend. They are about $86 w/$10 rebate so $76 after rebate. As far as the Berkley glowsticks. Some people like them but I think they are junk. The LED feature is a worthless novelty IMHO. I use a 7'6 MH American Spirit Night Stick Pro. Love the rod but I bought it before trying a Ugly Stik Tiger. Ditch the glowstik and get a tiger. You wont ever have to replace it!

Awesome rod!

So if I was you I would go with this: Abu 7000i and a 7' M Tiger 2 piece.

Spinning

Although I have a baitcasting rig I prefer spinning. I do about 90% of my flatheading with spinning gear. I have a 7' m Ugly Stik tiger 2 piece with a Tica Sportera 5007 reel.

I haven't owned a Okuma so i cant really judge them but if you want an Okuma and they only have the bigger model get the bigger. Better to have too big than too small when catfishing I think.

Rod lure weights. I can pretty much guarantee most people use weights(sinker + bait) larger than their rods are rated for and thats ok. It cuts down on your casting distance but you often dont have to cast very far when catfishing. You just dont want to go too light of lure rating.

Hope this helps you out a bit. Quit the crappie fishing and get on the river!

-EDIT-

I repeated some of what Dtro said. I started writing this awhile ago but got interrupted several times with phone calls.

[Larry FlatCaster]

Anndrude,

Rushing and Dtro know what they are talking about. Hanson is also very knowledgeable as well.

Check out Moore's bait and tackle. Tell him that DTRO and Larry sent you, he will be able to make recommendations at a very reasonable price.

If you want to talk rods send me your email and I will be more than happy to give you my phone number and I can give you a verbal run down. Its hard to figure out in type when your pretty new to the game.

email me if your interested [email protected] and we can exchange numbers, and answer more questions in detail.

thanks

LFC

[aanderud]

Thanks for the info, guys. I think I'll drive over to Moore's tomorrow at lunchtime. Will make a good diversion from work...long lunches rock. It's always nice to check this stuff out in person.

Once I get some gear I'll be back on here begging for a fishing partner to show me some catfish action.

[hanson]

Not sure what you are looking to spend but Jim Moyer Boss Rods, Surge rods, Quantum Big Cat, and Ugly Stick Tiger rods are all very good sticks. Most of us are using something in the 7 1/2 - 8' length. Longer rods are more suited for shore applications. MH is typically a good action although the Tiger in MH is a very stout rod.

I'm not a fan of the Glowstick however. Good concept, bad execution. The rod works well for flatheading, just don't turn the light on in my boat.

I dunno... we have lots of options available to us and most are good options. Bob carries all the rods I previously mentioned. See what you like and go with that one. The Tigers do have a very "thick" handle which can be problematic in certain rod holders. They just don't fit into them smoothly.

Baitcaster vs Spinning is up to you. They'll both get the job done, even on big fish. I guess I would look at an Okuma Epixor EB-50 (no need for a 65 series, they are huge!) for spinning and then a Garcia 7000C3 for baitcasting. I love my Garcias, they are the "older" 7000s too.

[Katman]

Sorry guys...I took another smelt detour this weekend. The GF and family wanted to go...so...my cat trip was postponed. But....I wanted to give everyone else a head start I'll be fishing a bit a day to put myself on the board. Nice fish rushing and lfc! I'll update soon!

[aanderud]

Went and talked to Bob. Holy crud, the okuma 50 is way big enough reel for pretty much anything I think one would find around here. In fact, the 40 might be a better size, but I haven't seen one in person so I can't tell. Bob had 30 and 50 and I didn't particularly like either size -- 50 seemed a bit too big, and 30 seemed a bit on the small side...so maybe the 40 is what I would like...for now I'll just leave the reel that I have on there, it reeled in a 57 inch catfish without mono backing, so it will probably suffice for channels or regular sized non-world-record flatties.

I did pick up a 6500 garcia black cat with powerhandle and a 7 foot one piece medium action ugly stick tiger. He didn't have a 2 piece, which was mildly disappointing. Oh well, 7 foot isn't that long. Anything longer and I think I might have to go 2 pieces. The MH tiger is surprisingly stout, as Hanson mentioned. I liked the feel of the ugly stick, and I had good luck with my ugly cat out sturgeon fishing, so I figured why not go with it. As I said, I haven't read a single complaint about the tiger on any boards, so it must not be too bad.

It is nice to be able to go into Bob's store and try out the rods in person. Thanks for pointing me that direction. He seems like a super nice guy too, so that's always good. Saw a pic of his 22 lb channel cat, looks pretty chubby.

OK, I'm gonna go spool some powerpro onto this hog -- WITH BACKING this time After that maybe I'll go chuck a wad-o-crawlers into the river. It is pretty far from here though...at least 10 blocks...

I suppose in theory something might bite over by the railroad bridge, eh? Maybe I'll give it a shot. I only have night crawlers on hand, but hey, they taste good from what I hear.

[DTro]

yep, there's fish there for sure by that bridge. Just make sure you don't walk across that trestle though. I heard a bad story about that on Sun.

Anyways, try upstream of the bridge, there is a small creek that comes in. Also, get some suckers or shad and lob that out there. You will catch fish with the crawlers no doubt, but mostly carp, sheephead, and small channels.

You made a good choice on the setup! I have the same reel on one of my Surges.

Also, the 50 reel seems big, but I probably wouldn't go smaller, yes you can get by, but for me the 50 is the perfect size.

[Larry FlatCaster]

Congrats on the set up Mate!! Just a word of advise. I know you made mention of the 2pc rods... Most of the heavy sticks out there are 1 pc and for good reason. 7-8ft are good lengths. (Just watch your tips)

thanks

LFC

[ec30_06]

The 50 size spinning reel & 80lb pp did the job on a nice flat tonight

[rushing]

I prefer 2 piece rods because they sustain less damage when storing and transporting. Never had any problems with em but its all about preference.

You'll like that Ugly Stik Tiger.

Had a pretty good night tonight. Well you know when you have a good night when you bring out 20 bullheads and you have to leave because you ran out of bait.

JTK15 and I landed a 5,9,11,22,38lbs flatheads and a 12channel. Jamie got his PB with the 38lb and the 12lb channel.

Good Times.

[DTro]

A pretty good night?????

That's awesome

[Larry FlatCaster]

Quote:

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Well you know when you have a good night when you bring out 20 bullheads and you have to leave because you ran out of bait.

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Running out of Bait been there and done that. Never again.

[Larry FlatCaster]

Okay Mates!

Here is one that will probably take me a little bit of time to upgrade.

44 Length X 27 Girth. Weighing in at 38.25lbs.

thanks

LFC

[Farmboy1]

Nice Fish Larry, and that is a good looking hat

Congrats.

[hanson]

Hmmmm... that boat seat looks familiar. I bet Brian passed a rod off, eh? Does that count?

[Ralph Wiggum]

Quote:

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Hmmmm... that boat seat looks familiar.

I bet Brian passed a rod off, eh? Does that count?

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That's why that seat looked familiar!

[hanson]

Hey Ryan-

You aren't going to be around on Friday night are you?