Catfishing setup

[troutman]

I use to fish pool 3 on the Miss regularly years ago but,I haven't had my boat in the water for several years.As my user name implies,I have spent most of my fishing time these last few years chasing trout.I've decided to get the boat seaworthy again and am going to give this catfishing a try.Can some one recomend a setup?Something that will handle a big flat if I should get lucky.Not looking to spend a lot but,don't want to be sorry I didn't spend more either.Moore's is too far so,I'm wondering if wally world has anything that will work.

[DTro]

You can "get by" without a doubt on the wally world gear. The have a couple of decent poles. If you need to pick it up there, I would recommend (if the carry them) an Abu Garcia reel in the 6500 or 7000 series matched up with a big ugly stick. or Berkely Big Game. Throw some big game mono or Power Pro on and you're set.

Another option (since it's close) is to try Everts near Red Wing. I think they carry a lot of the gear and can get you set up.

[wooduck26]

I would recommend a Schimano 4500 baitrunner ($120)at Sportsmans Whse. and a walmart Berkley rod ($20) and whatever line you choose......65lb Power Pro.....should do the job.

[aanderud]

Whatever reel you end up with, you might check internet pricing first. I know shopping locally is nice and all, but at 40% more, I start to hesitate. You can find the shimano 4500 baitrunner new for as low as $88...quite a bit less than $120.

If you want more options (aren't options great ) I've had pretty good luck with the Okuma avenger baitrunner. I got an avenger abf 50 for like 44 bucks shipped. You can buy one brand new any day for $47.49 on hsolist, just search for 'okuma avenger abf 50' and go down to the seller named longfin tuna. They run just slightly more than that at big box stores like cabelas, $49.99 plus tax, so that's a great option too if you're close and don't have to pay shipping/gas to get there. Add in shipping and it starts to get expensive, or if you live a few gallons of gas away (round trip), that adds up fast too. That's why I love hsolist

Or there's the upgrade from that model called the epixor, which at about $95 shipped is also nice with like 10 ball bearings. I haven't had the avenger for more than a month so I'm not sure it's durable, but many fellas here have had epixors for much longer than that and can attest to Okuma's durability. I doubt that they'd make a POS, label it the avenger, and then risk their reputation. The Epixor has more ball bearings, but again, they do cost a bit more.

Or there's the "salt striker" model at Cabelas, which has many ball bearings like the epixor but costs way less, closer to avenger prices. Man, the options are limitless.

As for the $20 rods at walmart -- I'll tell you that yes indeed they will work. I bought one before sturgeon excursion and hauled in sturgeon up to 57 inches on them. I haven't pulled any cats over 30 pounds on it, but it'll happen.

The great thing about having so many options is that you can spend almost as little or as much as you want. Remember also that when you buy a decent reel/rod combo you're going to own it for MANY years. I mean, I'm still using gear that I got in middle school! So when you're looking at the cost, if you think something is nicer and you want to justify the extra N dollars, just divide N by 20 or 30 and put it in annual perspective...."The shimano reel costs $40 more than the okuma avenger which has fewer ball bearings... but that's really only a little over $1 per year"...so remember that gearing up for any new species is a one-time expense, and it can seem expensive, but next year will (should? might?) be cheaper.

[dps]

If you want a spinning reel, go with Okuma(cabelas salt striker is same and cheaper). The Epixor model is excellent ad will last for years with many big fish. I think they reatail arond $70 for the 50 series. The cabelas Salt Striker is the same reel and is cheaper.. top quality. I'll take an okuma any day over a baitrunner(shimano).

For baitcast reels, the 6500 and 7000 abu's are a good choice, the 7000 is better. If you dont mind dropping some cash, Shimano Tekota 600 are the best I have used, but are spendy($160+).

There are lots of rods out there, just hard to find in a catalog. Catfish Connection has some very good choices. Boss, surge, and Tiger rods will perform for an eternity, but there are some other cheaper sticks out there that are excellent. The Night Stick rods vary greatly, some are awesome, some arent anything special. The wally-world rods are limited around here.. only berkely *Big Cat* rods which will help you pull in a fish, but not very fast with a strong current

[troutman]

Thanks everyone?There was no such thing as middle school when I went and I don't think I'd want to use my equipment from that era anyway....Do they even make D.A.M Quick reels anymore? I know it's not a rule but, isn't it kind of, "baitcaster for flats and spinning for channels" and can someone explain the pro's and con's of each?

From what I've been reading here and elsewhere it seems that a spendy rod is not as important as the reel.Do you agree?

[sparcebag]

Cabelas has a Penn reel 50 bucks and there own rod for 20 FINE DEAL! big strong reel I think MOD. 209M and a Whoppin stick.I've had mine years got the ole girl one last year $70.00 some line 80# with 40# leader.Your set at a really good price and TOUGH equipment!!

[DTro]

troutman, there are no set rules in fishing for flats or channels, just guidelines that many have used successfully for many years. A lot of people will use spinning gear for flats and baitcasters for channels.

As far as pro and cons.

Spinning reel will be easier to cast (for beginers). Quite a few guides will use spinning gear w/baitrunners because of the ease factor for their clients.

The baitrunner is also an advantage over the standard "clicker". You can adjust the tension based on current speed. The downfall however is that the audible "alarm" is not as loud. Not good for sleeping or those that are hard of hearing.

Pros of baitcasters are:

Better cranking ability (winch factor). Better drag systems, and just better overall quality in the upper price bracket.

As with anything you can spend as little or as much as you would like. If you stay "middle of the road". You will be happy. Don't go cheap.

This is the reason I would recommend going somewhere you can actually "test drive" the gear. A lot of us that have targeted these fish for a while and have had a chance to see a bunch of setups can take advantage of some online deals. The worst thing that you want to happen though is to buy something sight unseen and then hate it. Not only that, but I've heard about as many hsolist horror stories as I have good ones.

Having said that, I've bought quite a bit online.

One combo I like to suggest for people just starting is the KingKat combo at Cabelas. It's a spinning setup with a 7ft pole. I think it 64.98. Nice median price and decent quality setup. I used that for a couple years and brought in plenty of big fish.

[Grant]

I've got a couple of cat poles setup- both with 209's. found em second-hand for really cheap, one is on a King Kat with 80# PP, the other on a second hand downrigger rod, not sure what the line test is (it came on the reel) but it's in good condition and fairly strong. works pretty good for channels.

probably 60% or better of my fishing is done from shore, so these two are 9 and 8 footers respectively, if I was mostly boating I'd have likely have 6.5 footers.

[troutman]

209's????

[harvey lee]

I started cat fishing last year and purchased a King Kat and a Glow stick with both rods being fairly cheap.

This year I went to the other end and purchased a Moyer for a considerable amount more and I really believe that the King Kat will catch you just as many fish without breaking the bank.

My King Kat for $20 has caught 55 inch sturgeon and my biggest flathead at 39#'s. One does not have to purchase the most expensive set up to go cattin.

Good luck.

[hanson]

Quote:

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From what I've been reading here and elsewhere it seems that a spendy rod is not as important as the reel.Do you agree?

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Bingo!

My 2 main flathead cat rods (discontinued Berkley Reflex) cost me $25 a piece. My 2 main flathead reels (Abu Garcia 7000C3) on the other hand run me close to $120 a piece.

You need a rod with a soft tip to detect bites, but loads of backbone. Your reel needs an amazing drag, considerable line capacity, and a low gear ratio for winching them in. If you are fishing flats around cover, you can't let them control you, you need to control them.

[dps]

You dont need an expensive rod in any type of fishing.. but the higher quality rods do perform much better for cat and sturgeon fishing... this is especially true if you dont want to use an 8'+ rod just to have enough backbone to turn a fish when needed. I'll take a Boss(moyer) rod, or tiger rod any day over 95% of the cheap stuff on the market.. once in a while, you can run across an exceptional cheap rod.. but there is a huge difference between budget rods, and a quality rod.

Any rod heavy enough for the fish on th end of your line. Everyone has their own preferences on what rod they like the most for their own reasons.. me, I have rods I love, and I have rods I love to hate. The worst rods out there are 8' rods that are way too heavy through the tip, they act like a giant fulcrum working against you when you have a fish. The best rods for me have a lighter tip(within reason), a ton of backbone with a little give, and a very long, large diameter fighting handle. You can put pressure on big fish all day long without killing our body, and they can manipulate the direction large fish are heading when needed. All the rods I use are 6'6" - 7'.

[Grant]

Penn 209's - my bad.

the only gripe I have with them is an almost too low gear ratio - 2.9 to 1, if the fish turns at you it's hard to keep the line tight. but hey, for 20 bucks a piece I can't go wrong... this way if I loose my pole in the drink I'm out about 40 bucks, as opposed 140 if I went top end on the reel. like most Penn products, they are bulletproof, if they get all sandy I swish them in the water, shake the excess off and re-oil it. good as new!

I actually got 4 Penns at that price, I use 2 in service, as mentioned above, one I keep as a spare, and one that I use as a takeup reel if I want to respool one of my service reels. the clicker is wonky on the last one so it works well for this use...

[Farmboy1]

For rods I agree with what was said. For reels, I have all Abu Garcia reels 2- 7000, a vintage 6000, and another newer 6500. I like the clickers on the 7000s as they require a little more Oomph to pull the clicker. Seems to help when I get a little sleepy, and don't pay attention as well as I should. The lighter reels seem to play out with a lively bullhead.

I got my 7000s (I think they are the 7000i, cheaper model) with a combo from Catfish Connection for $100, and then they had a $15 rebate. If you do order one, they ship very fast and you should have it in a couple days.

If you want to try something out, Everts Resort will give you anything you want to try for an evening of fishing. If you like it-buy it, if not you can try out soemthing else.

[troutman]

Thanks again to all for the input.I'm leaning toward the King Kat baitcasting rig but,might up the reel to the 7000...don't know yet.On a side note,put the boat out on p3,Sunday and then again,this morning.It sure was nice being back out on the river.There's really nothing like it.Visited a few old haunts,caught a few fish.Got so wet in a downpour this morning that everything in my wallet is wet!

[Rlinn]

I have a 6500 Bait Runner with a 8'medium heavy Ugly Stick. What line should I spool up with? I don't know anything about the braids or super lines. Any help would be great.

[rushing]

65lb Power Pro is what I would use on a 65oo.