2009 Catfish Tackle Discussion

[Ralph Wiggum]

20lb Big Game, in my opinion, will handle flatheads just fine. Mono's got good stretch in it--you'd have a hard time breaking it. Plus, it's really abrasion resistant. Sure, you won't be able to horse them in like with 80lb PP, but I don't think you're going to lose fish because of line snappage. I personally think a lot of fisherman get too dependant on their superlines.

If I were you, I would spool up with braid just because it works better for me on spinning reels. If you like mono, put 25 or 30lb Big Game on your Garcia.

It's your choice, though. Pick what you're comfortable with and works for you. There's no "one way" to do things.

[River Runner Z]

well i talked to bob yesterday i am going to stock up on my team catfish hooks, bumper, and sinker slide's i'm still liking those but they will really get put to the test this seen as i switched over to them late in the season last year but i only had vary possitive results with them my set seemed more solid and hokup ratio seemed to increase any one else use new stlye hooks i always like to try different set ups i also switched one of my flat rod to this spider wire ez braid it seems stiff and i don't normally use spider wire but i am going to try it out has anyone used it

[AceintheHole]

Mnwild I picked up a new Okuma Avenger 40 baitfeeder and a new 8'med/hvy glowstick. I put the 40 on a 7'med white rod for channels and I have my 50 on my new glowstick both spooled with 50 PP. Also picked up a ton of different hooks and other stuff for the year. All total about 300.00 in cattin stuff.

[DTro]

I had a new Abu 7000 sitting in the box, so I ordered up an Am Spirit Nitestick Pro to pair it up with. Looks like a nice rod for a decent price.

Thanks Rushing for the tip on that one. Hopefully the ceramic inserts in the eyes hold up to the abuse, that was the only thing I was concerned about.

[Flaco651]

I've got the Am Spirit Nitestick Pro and it is a pretty good stick. It didnt get much use last year, but it has put in some work over the past couple years though. Let me know what you think of it.

[MinnesnowtaWild]

20lb Big Game, in my opinion, will handle flatheads just fine. Mono's got good stretch in it--you'd have a hard time breaking it. Plus, it's really abrasion resistant. Sure, you won't be able to horse them in like with 80lb PP, but I don't think you're going to lose fish because of line snappage. I personally think a lot of fisherman get too dependant on their superlines.

If I were you, I would spool up with braid just because it works better for me on spinning reels. If you like mono, put 25 or 30lb Big Game on your Garcia.

It's your choice, though. Pick what you're comfortable with and works for you. There's no "one way" to do things.

I may just put that 80 lb. PP on my Okuma and keep the 30 lb Big Game on my Garcia, as it does seem true that braid works best with a spinning reel.

[MinnesnowtaWild]

Mnwild I picked up a new Okuma Avenger 40 baitfeeder and a new 8'med/hvy glowstick. I put the 40 on a 7'med white rod for channels and I have my 50 on my new glowstick both spooled with 50 PP. Also picked up a ton of different hooks and other stuff for the year. All total about 300.00 in cattin stuff.

I believe I have spent at least $300-400 bucks on stocking up for this season. I need to stop buying though, because I have plenty of stuff now ha.

[rushing]

I had a new Abu 7000 sitting in the box, so I ordered up an Am Spirit Nitestick Pro to pair it up with. Looks like a nice rod for a decent price.

Thanks Rushing for the tip on that one. Hopefully the ceramic inserts in the eyes hold up to the abuse, that was the only thing I was concerned about.

I have put mine through some pretty good workouts and I haven't had any problems. It doesn't get much use anymore though since I have been mostly using rods I've built. Too bad I didn't know you were in the market I woulda offered up mine.

I got my Tica Caiman reel today. Its bling bling.

Hope it works as good as it looks.

[AceintheHole]

As far as terminal tackle goes I think I'm set for a couple of years

[Slowhand]

I'll probably just throw my 30 lb on the first spool and see how it works. It casted great on my older Quantum Snapshot that is a lot smaller. If it doesn't work out I'll swap to braid or some smaller mono.

This rod and reel combo WAS going to be for Carp and Channels only but I am really diggin' this combo and may be using it for Flatheads nightly.

Break down your 1st/2nd sentence; dont skimp on line, bud. Dont kick yourself to-the-grave losing a-fish-of-a-lifetime because that just might be your next bite. The river can be a body of water that stresses line to its limits; let alone what a flathead surge can do to it current. The advice given on this site is truely good considering the fellows here "have been there, done that" abusing lines, and fighting fish. Dont skimp on line. I'd rather have have cheap rod/premium line than the exact opposite....no regrets .

[MinnesnowtaWild]

I think I'll be fine...

[hanson]

I think I'll be fine...

I thought I was fine until I had 2 flats snap 50lb PowerPro on me within a half hour of each other one night.

8' MH cat rod... big reel... heavy (or so I thought) line... give it he11, eh? Wrong! Big fish and a strong guy pulling 2 separate ways with no "give" in the system will open your eyes to how heavy you need to be with your gear. I now allow a bit more "give" by fishing soft(er) rods and keeping a lighter drag.

[DTro]

In the past I had no issues with using 65lb braid for targeting Flats and caught several big fish with 65. In fact I’m sure I made a point of saying that 65 will work fine and anything else is probably overkill.

Based upon some of my breakoffs early last year and some testing I’ve done in the offseason, I will no longer use anything less than 80lb to target Flats in this area. Call it a personal preference.

Will 65 work? Yes

Will 50 work? Yes

Can you land a big fish using 12lb mono? Yes (I’ve done that personally)

I guess what it comes down to for me, is that there is no doubt in my mind that there is a 70lb fish swimming around down there somewhere and If by some dumb luck, that fish decides to eat my bait, I want a fighting chance to land it.

Now if I was fishing an open water area such as a reservoir or a lake, I might rethink that a little bit.

The only arguments that I can think of against stronger line is that it’s a PITA to break it off when you get snagged, some added drag in the current, slightly less amount on the spool, and also a higher price.

I guess the point of my post is that I very rarely if ever have I heard from anyone else or thought to myself, “geez I wish I had lighter line on”.

[Whisker Warrior]

i was looking into getting a new rod this year and i'm debating the new "E-Cat" rod or the rods made by Jim Moyer "The Boss" rods...i know he made their rods back in the day for berkley, but which one is the front runner now??? Also i've been looking at the new "Pro Rocket" on CC but is that overkill or would i be better off getting a Penn or other baitcaster of that quality??? Thanks for your advice...WW

[MinnesnowtaWild]

Good info Dtro and others. I'll experiment around with PowerPro to see which reel I prefer it on. I will put it on my 6600C4 first and maybe buy a spool for the ABF50 later on. For now I put 25 lb. Big Game on the Okuma which I will be using very soon to try and target some daytime Carp.

I have another question for you guys...Is the Abu Garcia "power handle" for the Ambassadeur reels worth the $16? I would imagine that it is probably a nice upgrade from the standard reel.

[Ralph Wiggum]

I have another question for you guys...Is the Abu Garcia "power handle" for the Ambassadeur reels worth the $16? I would imagine that it is probably a nice upgrade from the standard reel.

I don't know if it's worth $16, but I much prefer a power handle to the double-paddle handle.

[DTro]

i was looking into getting a new rod this year and i'm debating the new "E-Cat" rod or the rods made by Jim Moyer "The Boss" rods...i know he made their rods back in the day for berkley, but which one is the front runner now??? Also i've been looking at the new "Pro Rocket" on CC but is that overkill or would i be better off getting a Penn or other baitcaster of that quality??? Thanks for your advice...WW

I'm sure they are both great rods. Most of the guys I've talked to, prefer the Boss#3, which you can't find anymore (new at least).

It comes down to personal preference. For me the Boss #4 and the older ECats have felt a little stiff for my liking.

[Here-Kitty-Kitty]

I too have been thinking about picking up a power handle. I like the feel of it, but are there really any other benefits to one.

[hanson]

Power Handle all the way!

[redogman67]

Hey all, new guy here, I got a question, is 14lb mono about right for channel cats?

[MinnesnowtaWild]

I'll probably be ordering that Abu Garcia Power Handle in time for Flathead fishing. That is one thing I think could be improved on my reel, especially for big game fishing. May also order some oil and lube from Abu Garcia as well. Do any of you Abu owners do maintenance on your reels every year? I would think that being used on rivers with all that fine sand on the banks from shore fishing could potentially compromise the performance of the reel.

redogman67 - I would say it depends on the rivers you will be fishing and if they produce larger (15+ lb.) Channels than you may want more than 14 but if it's a smaller river with smaller fish you would be fine. I would personally use 20-25 lb. mono for Channel cats on the Minnesota River, but that's because I know that there is a possibility of hooking into a larger one. If I were on the Red River I would use something even heavier in the 20-30 lb. range.

[Ralph Wiggum]

Do any of you Abu owners do maintenance on your reels every year?

I always completely tore down, cleaned, and lubed my Garcias each winter. They are simple reels. I'm pretty anal retentive, so I do all my reels annually (which is getting to be a big chore). But, I figure the better I take care of stuff, the longer it will last.

[Ralph Wiggum]

Hey all, new guy here, I got a question, is 14lb mono about right for channel cats?

Plenty strong, in my opinion, but if you're fishing around any rock or cover, you might want to bump up to 20lb. Then again, there is no chance of hooking a big flathead in Duluth, so you might want to stick with 14lb.

[hanson]

Originally Posted By: MinnesnowtaWild

Do any of you Abu owners do maintenance on your reels every year?

I always completely tore down, cleaned, and lubed my Garcias each winter. They are simple reels. I'm pretty anal retentive, so I do all my reels annually (which is getting to be a big chore). But, I figure the better I take care of stuff, the longer it will last.

And I've never done ANYTHING to mine and they still work as well.

[SteveD]

Originally Posted By: MinnesnowtaWild

Do any of you Abu owners do maintenance on your reels every year?

I always completely tore down, cleaned, and lubed my Garcias each winter. They are simple reels. I'm pretty anal retentive, so I do all my reels annually (which is getting to be a big chore). But, I figure the better I take care of stuff, the longer it will last.

I've got two old Abu Garcia 6500 reels and one newer 6600 reel that were pretty well used and abused this last catfishing season. I normally do my own cleaning at the end of the season but this year I wanted to have them professionally cleaned and refurbished. My level line returns were getting a little tempermental and I thought the pawls needed replacing.

I went on line and came across Armadillo Rod & Reel Repair in Yantis, Texas. They do a complete tear down and cleaning for $15. I also asked them to replace the pawls on all 3 reels. I shipped them off with a note on what I wanted done and a week later I got a call from Armadillo Joe saying my reels were ready to go. Total charge for all 3 reels to include return shipping was $64. I paid him using PayPal which was quick and easy.

My reels arrived by US Postal Service delivery a couple of days later. Joe did a great job and my reels look and work like brand new. For those of you looking for rod or reel repair work you may want to give Joe Arnold a call. Now is the time to get that equipment cleaned up and ready for next springs cat season. Just do a google search for Armadillo Rod & Reel Repair and it will give you all the contact information. They did a good job for me.