Fishing Equipment That Tackles Cats

Are you one of those fisher­men who loves a good fight so much that when it’s over, you’re really not sure who won the bout? I know I am. Some fish will just about al­ways give you a full three-minute round, and some are so tough, a round can last twice that long without you even hearing the bell!

I bet you already know what freshwater fish I’m talking about. Yes, that’s right. It’s those hard-pulling, line-stretchin’, reel-smokin’, whiskered things called catfish!

I can’t begin to tell how much I enjoy catching these fish. It’s something I really look forward to every summer. Their brute strength, power and will to live will give you one of the biggest thrills in fishing once you get one hooked. Naturally, there will be days when the number of fish and the size of catches will vary.

I want to offer some of my ideas on the best selection of equipment for this type of fishing: rods, reels, line, bait and hooks.

When it comes to fishing rods for cat fishing, the aver­age cat man doesn’t need a lot of different rods to cover all the situations he’ll experience. More times than not, he can get by with one type rod action and length for most situations — when I say most situations, I’m referring to cases where you’re mostly fishing for cats in the 1- to 10-pound class.

For this, a moderate-fast, medium-heavy power rod is ideal. This action has a mod­erate tip. The upper third of the rod has a moderate fast ta­per. The flex of the rod carries into the midsection and the strong butt section does not flex at the hook-­set, which al­lows for better hook penetra­tion.

An excellent rod for the av­er­age catfish angler is one like the 6-1/2-foot Rhino rod by Zebco — it provides the per­fect action and power to han­dle the average cats we catch. A little later we’ll dis­cuss an ideal rod for catfish over 20 pounds.

When I talk about rod ac­tion, I’m referring to the bend of the rod and when I say power, that’s the strength of the rod, and when it comes to strength.

A nice reel for this type of fishing is a Quantum Iron IR3W baitcast­ing model that has a wide spool. It also has a solid frame, tough gears and enough line capacity for most conditions you fish. This size reel will support about 180 yards of 14-pound test mono.

It’s smart to use the strongest, low stretch monofil­ament line you can use. One that I recom­mend is Stren’s Magnathin in either 20- or 30-pound test. Both line tests have a smaller diameter than any other brand of the same test. The smaller diameter allows for greater castability and more sensitivity, yet provides plenty of strength to horse heavy fish. For example, 30-pound Magnathin has an out­side diameter of about 17-pound test, and 20 has a di­ame­ter of about 12- to 14-pound test.

Since we’re discussing equipment, let’s spend a minute and talk about hooks.
In selecting catfish hooks, it’s smart to use the smallest hook you can get away with. Catfish have plenty of soft flesh around their mouths, and small hooks penetrate quicker than big hooks. Cats also have powerful jaw muscles, and when they clamp down on your bait, a smaller hook is easier to move on the hook-set. Regardless of the hook you choose to use, it needs to be strong and sharp. My choice is this funny-looking one with the odd bend. It’s called a “Whisker Sticker,” and let me tell you, ever since I began using it, my hook-sets have im­proved bet­ter than 75 percent. The majority of the fish I catch when using this hook are hooked in the corner of the mouth. This makes it much easier to remove. I find that the most productive size is the size 1 for most situations. For big­ger cats the 2/0 - 4/0 size is a good choice.

When it comes to bait for cat­fish, the list is endless — there are dip baits, dough baits, paste baits, meat baits, dead and live baits.

I said earlier we’d talk about an ideal rod and reel to use when fishing for really big cats with heavier sinkers and line. It’s a Catfish Stick that a moderate tip action, but ta­pers fairly quickly into the mid-section to more of a medium-heavy action with a heavy action butt section. This beefy action allows you to han­dle a sinker weight of 3- to 6 ounces fairly easily, and the ac­tion of this stick allows you to handle a re­ally big cat if you’re fortunate enough to get him on.

As far as reel goes for this rod, my suggestion is to use a much larger one, similar to a light, saltwa­ter version equipped with at least 30-pound test line.

This iron reel I’m using has a 6.1:1 retrieve ratio and will retrieve on a full spool almost 34 inches of line per turn of the handle. It has an easy-to-get-to spool release lever, a synchro­nized level wind, a one-piece aluminum frame, high perfor­mance magnum gears and an extra strong power handle. It’s an ideal reel for large cats.

When fishing for bigger fish, my choice in hooks would be Gamakatsu Hooks Kahle style in a 4/0 to 7/0 size.

If you want to have more doggone fun—or should I say cat-gone fun—than you could ever imagine, get yourself some good equipment and head out to some creek, river, lake or pond and give this type of fishing a try. I promise, you won’t be sorry!

If you think you might like to give the Mississippi River a try — I suggest you time your visit from about late summer to early fall.