Catfish Setup

[dubsjw]

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.

[mrpao]

 

When you say catfish, that is a broad range.

You have anything from small bullheads to large flatheads and blue cats.

I am going to assume you are probably targeting mid size fish in the 2 to 10 lbs range.

Most people target channel cats, which would fall into that size range.

 

For a reel, if u want to stick to spinning then u should get a shimano baitrunner.

They are very good reels and u can fish just about any technique with them.

 

For a rod, if you are going to use a bass type rod, a med/hvy or hvy action would be a good choice.

A rod from 7 to 8 feet length would serve your purpose.

 

I prefer inshore rods myself.  They are designed to fish many techniques that may be similar to catfishing techniques.

They are light and sensitive enough, yet can handle heavier weights and fish.

 

[Bluebasser86]

Even for smaller channel cats, I prefer to use baitfeeder spinning reels. I have several Okuma Avenger baitfeeders and they've served me well and are available in sizes from ones similar to the Stradic you have, up to monster reels that hold tons of line for big blues and flatheads. You can get a good catfish setup for relatively cheap compared to bass gear. I'd suggest getting a different setup for them, especially if you're targeting large ones or in current. 

[dubsjw]

2 hours ago, Bluebasser86 said:

Even for smaller channel cats, I prefer to use baitfeeder spinning reels. I have several Okuma Avenger baitfeeders and they've served me well and are available in sizes from ones similar to the Stradic you have, up to monster reels that hold tons of line for big blues and flatheads. You can get a good catfish setup for relatively cheap compared to bass gear. I'd suggest getting a different setup for them, especially if you're targeting large ones or in current. 

 

Thanks for the recommendation!

 

14 hours ago, mrpao said:

 

When you say catfish, that is a broad range.

You have anything from small bullheads to large flatheads and blue cats.

I am going to assume you are probably targeting mid size fish in the 2 to 10 lbs range.

Most people target channel cats, which would fall into that size range.

 

For a reel, if u want to stick to spinning then u should get a shimano baitrunner.

They are very good reels and u can fish just about any technique with them.

 

For a rod, if you are going to use a bass type rod, a med/hvy or hvy action would be a good choice.

A rod from 7 to 8 feet length would serve your purpose.

 

I prefer inshore rods myself.  They are designed to fish many techniques that may be similar to catfishing techniques.

They are light and sensitive enough, yet can handle heavier weights and fish.

 

 

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!

[Boomstick]

My catfish setup is a Berkley Tec Cat Hunter, 8 ft MH rod paired with a Daiwa Regal 4000 Bri which is a double drag reel with enough power to pull in the largest channel cats and even blues. The rod is particularly light for its size, similiar to the St. Croix Mojo Cat but cheaper. I don't think you can beat the Regal Bri for the price for cats.

 

I usually use a 3oz weight, which this rod can handle no problem. I also got a Cabela's King Kat combo for $40 for my kid to use and that casts a 3oz weight just fine as well.

 

Another solid rod is the Rippin' Lips Super Cat which is around $40 on Amazon. Pair one with the Regal 4000 BRI and you have a solid setup around $80.

[Doelman]

Unless you're targeting really big cats, your reel is fine, the stradic CI4 is solid.  I've caught blues in the low double digits with a 2500 Daiwa Ballistic EX with no issue what so ever, braid is a great thing.

 

If you just want to go out and try cat fishing, just grab that medium rod and go for it, it'll work fine.  If you really get into it and want to invest money into equipment start thinking about beefing up your equipment.  I grew up on canals in south Florida as a kid, all I had was one cheap 3000 series reel and a MF rod, I caught hundreds of cats on that thing.

 

3 ounces is a lot, are you fishing in a lot of current?

[dubsjw]

19 hours ago, Doelman said:

Unless you're targeting really big cats, your reel is fine, the stradic CI4 is solid.  I've caught blues in the low double digits with a 2500 Daiwa Ballistic EX with no issue what so ever, braid is a great thing.

 

If you just want to go out and try cat fishing, just grab that medium rod and go for it, it'll work fine.  If you really get into it and want to invest money into equipment start thinking about beefing up your equipment.  I grew up on canals in south Florida as a kid, all I had was one cheap 3000 series reel and a MF rod, I caught hundreds of cats on that thing.

 

3 ounces is a lot, are you fishing in a lot of current?

 

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.

[Pikeman12]

I would suggest saving a little and getting a catfish rod and reel. The Okuma Battlecat is very nice and I've been finding them between 70-80$. You can get combos for your price range, but I did that with the Bill Dance Quantum spinning combo and wasn't very happy, but you get what you pay for. As far as reels, those Okuma Trio baitfeeders are very nice. Plus it could also become your sturgeon/downrigger rod as well. The 3oz weights are fine. Honestly, my main rig uses a 3 oz pyramid sinker. My cousin uses 4 oz a lot of times. Believe it or not, those weights sometimes aren't enough on the illinois and wisconsin rivers we fish(or even the menonome michigan side). 

[Bluebasser86]

3oz is a light weight for most of my catfishing situations. A lively green sunfish will drag a 3oz weight to a snag no problems. A good sized piece of cut carp will drag an 8oz sinker in the Missouri River too. Not to mention, even a little 10 pounder will get in a decent current and empty a bass sized spinning reel in no time. I've had feisty 20's put up really good fights, even in no current. 

 

A decent catfish setup isn't nearly as pricey as a decent bass combo, and you're likely going to be dealing with much larger and stronger fish. 

[fishnkamp]

I have a friend that guides professionally for big flat head and channel cats. For many years before she became a guide she used to meet with a dozen or so friends on friday nights to catfish and cookout on the Susqy river banks.  She is awesome.

I know she is connected with Bass Pro Shops and gives catfish seminars there. During these she oftens makes equipment suggestions (just give her a budget to work within).  Also, she uses some specific brand catfish baits for the channels, and live bluegill for the flatheads. Not all cats will eat "stinky" baits. Now if you have blue cats in your area. like I do here on the Chesapeake Bay, well those chase anything including my rattle traps LOL.   

I catch some big ones up to about 20 pounds while chasing fall stripers. The rattle traps look like the alewives that all the fish gorge themselves on at that time.

[Lures'n'Liberty]

Tips - Catfish rigs are like potato chips, you can't have just one. You're going to want to put a couple lines in the water, not sure of the rod limit in MI, but in PA I can have 3 lines in the water at once, therefore I have 7 catfish rigs (3 for me, 3 for GF, one for a spare). You're also gonna need a rod (or two) to catch bait, and a cast net. While the rod choice will vary (10' Cabela's King Kat are my go to for the heavy sinkers), baitrunner reels are the way to go and the most important place to spend your money. They're discontinued  but the Kast King Sharky Baitfeeder is probably the best bang for your buck. A lot of people like the Okuma Avenger, although I think Cabela's Salt Striker baitfeeder and the Daiwa Regal Bite n Run are a little better choice in the same price range. If you are looking for something entry level that doesn't completely suck, Walmart has the Shakespeare Tiger combos on sale for $19.98 pretty often. The reels are junk but will get you started. I bought 3 combos for my girlfriend when she wanted to go chase flatheads with me and they are not the worst. If you're on a budget, you've got a dozen other priorities and in order, they should be 1 - get as many lines in the water as you can (in PA, 3 combos). 2 - Beer. You'll need plenty and you want to keep it cold. 3 - Hands free head lamp. My fishing hat has one built in with 4 LED's and I love it. 4 - Make sure those lines are heavy braid 5 - quality hooks (depends on your bait, I like Gamakatsu Circle Hooks for panfish, chubs, and cutbait, Gamakatsu Treble Hooks for Chicken Livers and the like) 6 - Dual Drag Baitrunner reels 7 - sturdy rodholders, especially when bank fishing 8 - Keeping the bait alive (old cooler and a baby bubbler does fine) 9 - a good knife 10 - a good net, capable of landing a 50 lb fish 11 - cast net for creek chubs 12 - a way to carry all of the aforementioned gear. Once you've got 1-12 handled, you can worry about spending your money on fancy rods. Depending on your state laws, you can catch more catfish with empty gatorade bottles than you can with the fanciest rod on the market.

[dubsjw]

4 hours ago, Lures'n'Liberty said:

Tips - Catfish rigs are like potato chips, you can't have just one. You're going to want to put a couple lines in the water, not sure of the rod limit in MI, but in PA I can have 3 lines in the water at once, therefore I have 7 catfish rigs (3 for me, 3 for GF, one for a spare). You're also gonna need a rod (or two) to catch bait, and a cast net. While the rod choice will vary (10' Cabela's King Kat are my go to for the heavy sinkers), baitrunner reels are the way to go and the most important place to spend your money. They're discontinued  but the Kast King Sharky Baitfeeder is probably the best bang for your buck. A lot of people like the Okuma Avenger, although I think Cabela's Salt Striker baitfeeder and the Daiwa Regal Bite n Run are a little better choice in the same price range. If you are looking for something entry level that doesn't completely suck, Walmart has the Shakespeare Tiger combos on sale for $19.98 pretty often. The reels are junk but will get you started. I bought 3 combos for my girlfriend when she wanted to go chase flatheads with me and they are not the worst. If you're on a budget, you've got a dozen other priorities and in order, they should be 1 - get as many lines in the water as you can (in PA, 3 combos). 2 - Beer. You'll need plenty and you want to keep it cold. 3 - Hands free head lamp. My fishing hat has one built in with 4 LED's and I love it. 4 - Make sure those lines are heavy braid 5 - quality hooks (depends on your bait, I like Gamakatsu Circle Hooks for panfish, chubs, and cutbait, Gamakatsu Treble Hooks for Chicken Livers and the like) 6 - Dual Drag Baitrunner reels 7 - sturdy rodholders, especially when bank fishing 8 - Keeping the bait alive (old cooler and a baby bubbler does fine) 9 - a good knife 10 - a good net, capable of landing a 50 lb fish 11 - cast net for creek chubs 12 - a way to carry all of the aforementioned gear. Once you've got 1-12 handled, you can worry about spending your money on fancy rods. Depending on your state laws, you can catch more catfish with empty gatorade bottles than you can with the fanciest rod on the market.

 

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.

[Lures'n'Liberty]

14 hours ago, dubsjw said:

 

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.

Get some beads, too. They're cheaper at the craft store than at the bait shop. If you're using braid, you don't really need the swivel and leader, I use an egg sinker, bead, about 2' of line, and tie the hook straight to it. Remember, though, with a circle hook, you simply reel to set, no need to jerk it. 

[dubsjw]

1 hour ago, Lures'n'Liberty said:

Get some beads, too. They're cheaper at the craft store than at the bait shop. If you're using braid, you don't really need the swivel and leader, I use an egg sinker, bead, about 2' of line, and tie the hook straight to it. Remember, though, with a circle hook, you simply reel to set, no need to jerk it. 

 

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?

[Lures'n'Liberty]

Yes, as soon as you turn the crank it snaps from the rear drag to the front, you're going to really like that baitrunner, the Avenger isn't my favorite but they're all about the same. A good hook will keep them on, but yes, steady pressure is never a bad thing. I'm used to muddy bottoms and a combo that will bring in a truck tire, so I rarely deal with snags (reel fast when you're coming in empty, keep the hook off the bottom if you can), but I can see where you're coming from. What works well in my back yard might not be ideal for yours.

[Bluebasser86]

On 8/7/2017 at 2:39 PM, Lures'n'Liberty said:

 They're discontinued  but the Kast King Sharky Baitfeeder is probably the best bang for your buck.

They're just redoing it. It's the KastKing Sharky III now.

[Boomstick]

On 8/1/2017 at 4:39 PM, Doelman said:

Unless you're targeting really big cats, your reel is fine, the stradic CI4 is solid.  I've caught blues in the low double digits with a 2500 Daiwa Ballistic EX with no issue what so ever, braid is a great thing.

 

If you just want to go out and try cat fishing, just grab that medium rod and go for it, it'll work fine.  If you really get into it and want to invest money into equipment start thinking about beefing up your equipment.  I grew up on canals in south Florida as a kid, all I had was one cheap 3000 series reel and a MF rod, I caught hundreds of cats on that thing.

 

3 ounces is a lot, are you fishing in a lot of current?

 

3oz is a typical slip sinker catfish rig. You can fish other rigs with lighter weights if there's no current (I'd suggest a hi-low or helicopter rig if you go below 2oz -- a lot of people use a Ugly Stick GX2 and 1oz weights like this and it works), but 3oz is a solid setup for both lakes and rivers with up to moderate current alike. This is why a cheaper catfish combo like the Cabela's King Kat makes a lot of sense if you target catfish a lot.

[Lures'n'Liberty]

On 8/9/2017 at 8:37 AM, Bluebasser86 said:

They're just redoing it. It's the KastKing Sharky III now.

OOH BABY!!!! I just got a chubby. The Sharky Baitfeeder needed a better handle pretty bad, I hope I can order the handles separately for the Sharky's that I already have.