dubsjw

Has anybody been having any luck off of the pier in Grand Haven lately? If so, what should I be using? I'm looking to go there tonight to try my luck at anything that will bite!

On paper, all reels seem the same which the exception of the differences in spec between some. The difference becomes apparent when you have them in your possession and hold one in your hand. As soon as I received my Metanium MGL in the mail I instantly knew it was going to be my favorite reel. I let my brother cast out with it once when I was trying to debug his setup on the water. The first thing that came out of his mouth was a comment about how much smoother it was than his setup. I have nothing but good things to say about Shimano.

I am around the same exact area. Do you know of any good shore fishing spots for bass/catfish? My brother and I have been going out fishing quite a bit recently and are looking for a solid area to cast from. We have been told the Indian Channel is a good one for cats but I'm not sure how much truth there is to that.

Ahh yes, forgot to mention I also recycled some beads from some old setups my dad gave me. As for line, I planned on using some heavy braid but also using a swivel and leader with some mono just in case the setup snags so I have a breakaway point and can get my half of my rig back. From what I understand with the Okuma Avenger, you can just start reeling to set the hook and disengage the baitfeeder system. Should I be worried about maintaining pressure on the line when I have one hooked?

Thanks for the info! Rod limit is 3/person in Michigan. Number 2 is just a given . I have a couple of other setups mentioned in the first post that I'll most likely be using while I have a catfish rig setup waiting to get bit. Per some other recommendations and research I have purchased the following thus far: - Ugly Stick Gx2 7ft MHF rod - Okuma Avenger Baitfeeder Type-B - Gamakatsu Circle Hooks - Some in-line floats/bobbers - 3oz sinkers I'm thinking the next time my brother and I go out fishing late at night I'll tie up a modified Carolina catfish rig and just let the bait sit a foot or so off of the riverbed. I've heard there has been some good catfish action recently in the area where we will go so hopefully I'll catch a monster.

I own an MGL and I just set the side tension knob so the spool has no back and forth play. I set the brakes to 2on/2off and the dial on the side is set around the 3 mark with more or less depending on what I'm throwing. I then use thumb on the spool as needed during the cast.

I'm fishing in the Grand River which connects to Lake Michigan near Grand Haven, MI. The river has what I would call a slow current but there are a lot of boats that come through all the time. I'm probably going way overboard with the 3oz, the catfish itch got the best of me so I made the quick decision to go with those.

Thanks for the recommendation! I think you hit the nail on the head with the size range, I am new to the catfish world and I am still learning what types are around my area. Thanks for the recommendations!

Hey All, Currently I have the following setups that I like to fish for bass and panfish with: St. Croix Premier Casting 7' MF / Shimano Metanium MGL St. Croix Avid X 7' MLF / Shimano Stradic Ci4+ 2500 I would like to target catfish in the near future and have a couple of questions regarding what I would have to purchase to do so. I know that I am not going to want to be using a heavy bait setup with the current spinning gear that I have (3oz weight on a modified carolina rigs). Am I able to stick with just upgrading my spinning rod to a MHF and pairing it with my Stradic? Will the reel be able to handle what I am trying to catch? It may sound like a silly question but I just want some second opinions to make sure that I am not going to break my setup and to reassure I'm not being overly dramatic. Do you guys have any recommendations for a good affordable rod to get the job done? I am thinking around $100 but I am open for all options.

Centrifugal brakes! Sorry for the confusion, I have magnetic brakes on my other baitcaster.

What size line are you using? I have had smaller size braid slip between the spool and the reel housing before and it caused a sort of grinding noise while I was reeling. You might want to back out your line and see if that is the case somewhere down in the spool. *Edit* You may also want to pull the centrifugal brake side off and take the spool out to check for any dirt in there. I would just take a Q-Tip and lightly brush over anything to make sure there isn't any unwanted dirt in the spool area. - Jake