[BottomBouncer]

I'm trying to figure out what would be the best lb. test to use on my combos this season and what pound mono leader to use.

I'll be fishing with two 6500 Abu and two 4500 baitrunners. I was thinking of puting 30lb. Power Pro on my 6500 and using a 30lb. mono leader to give it a little stretch.

I'll mainly be fishing from a boat, but I'll be on the banks a lot too.

I also have my 430 iron, but I usually reserve it for heavy duty. As well as my 975, both have 80lb. power pro.

What do you guys think? I am also thinking about making leaders by crimping sleeves instead of tying knots. I figured this would take out the factor of knots slipping.

 

[Flatheadmaniac]

well BB

Depends on the type of area you'll be fishing? lots of structure like wood, rocks, ect? then i'd stay away from those "super" lines..they aint so super around structure
If your fishing open water from a boat..then you aint got to run heavy...i have landed some very nice fish(many species) on 12-17ln test mono & co-polymer lines on some of my baitrunners and baitcasters in the ohio r.
Leaders...i use heavy mono big game(30-40lb test) for most of my lighter line rigs like 3ways(leader to the hook) and carolina rigs(from swivel to hook), just incase.
On even my heavy 50lb dacron set ups i'll run either 80lb dacron or 50lb mono from abrasion resistance.

I have used a lot of the new "super" lines like Fireline, Spiderwire, powerpro..i just dont like them.
A fishing/work buddy named Jeremy started catfishing with a few of us last year..he has a nice Abu 6500/7 ft rod set-up and was hell bent on using the "super" lines.....he spent a good bit of $ on it..after breaking off and loosing 2-3 fish one night...he had a nice 30lb mono on that reel next trip..i tried to tell him..but to each is own!
My buddy Jake tried out another one of those "super" lines on the Ohio r. one trip, by the 2nd day, he was respooling with mono..he lost a lot of good fish..tried to tell him ya cant fish that "junk" near rocks..lol
And again another friend Dave tried that Gorilla braid stuff on one of his baitcasters...after using mono on it for many years he was used to putting his index finger on the line when holding his rod to detect light hits..boy was he ever sorry...cut clear to the bone when he did this right before a big 10lb + channel crushed his bait.
Another bad thing about those "lines"..if you dont have a reel that -xx- wraps that line on your reel..it will bury up in the spool..also my biggest problem with "zero" stretch lines was i broke off some many times on the hook set it was sickning..granted if you would set the hook easy, or use circle hoks and had a slow action rod..this might not have happened..but i like the way i fish and am not going to buy all new tackle to fish a line that i think is was too expensive and doesnt out perform regular old mono any way you slice it!!!!!

 

[BottomBouncer]

That happened to me once out at Corey's Tappan tourny. I have 50lb. whiplash on my corsair.......set the hook and broke the line!

Maybe 14lb. silver thread on the 6500 and the reliable 20 on the 4500btr's.

 

[Flatheadmaniac]

well...

If your just going to use the 4500 BTR's for cats..then i'd stay around 14-20 lb test(open water)..bigger than that it gets to be a pain in the butt cause mono over 20 lb test is stiffer and tends to coil faster too.(plus it cuts down on thier casting abilitys a lot too).
I stay under 20lb test on my spinning reels, even with my big baitrunner that is rated at 600 yrds of 12lb test/ 330yrds of 20lb.
Even my Abu 6500's dont function very well with 30lb or bigger monos(for casting that is) plus thier only rated for like 155 yrds of 20 anyway. Thats why its nice to have light, med. and heavy duty reels both in spinning and baitcasting to fill all the types of conditions and locations ya face.

On my Abu 6500C4's & Quantum 410CX's i run from 12-20lb test, my Calcutta 400's & Quantum 420CX's i run 17-25lb test, Calcutta 700's i run 30-50lb test and my Quantum 430CX's i run 50-80lb test.
Shimano 3500BTR's & Okuma EB50's i run 10-14lb test, Shimano 4500BTR's i run 12-14 lb test and my big BTR long cast i run 14-17lb test to cover many species and locations

 

[BottomBouncer]

I'll be using the 6500 from boat, lighter line should work. The 4500btr will be shore fishing for channels.

I'll just use the 975 and 430 for the Scioto snag hole.

 

[flathunter]

Man I gotta get adventurous...for as long as I can remember I have always used 30-lb for flats and 15-lb for channels....I use 30-lb on my 6500's and 4500BTR for Flatheads...I am not trying to cast super long distance either, so it works out well...

 

[mrfish/OH]

BB

I think you've picked the right line.

I'll be fishing with two 6500 Abu and two 4500 baitrunners. I was thinking of puting 30lb. Power Pro on my 6500 and using a 30lb. mono leader to give it a little stretch.

Jack caught a fish over 50# on 30# line & I got one 62#. You have the winch rope on your Quantums. You should be able to land anything up to a VW bus !
Just watch the drag setting with the power pro. You still won't have much stretch with the mono leader, a big fish gets close to being landed, it could rip the hook loose. That's true of any line anyway, I'd bet more fish are lost closer to the boat that anywhere else. There's difference of opinions, this is what I do...I keep my rod parallel to the water, so if & when they make that run from the boat & net, the rod can take the shock. Especially if they run UNDER the boat. If the rod's up high, it's another fish story

 

[BottomBouncer]

I lost a nice channel at Alum while trolling for crappie. Right at the boat, couldn't get the net in time. He was only, say 24" but a nice suprise while fishing for crappie. I thought I hooked into a nice eye or something?

Sure can't wait for a weather break!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This is gonna be a great year.......

 

[mrfish/OH]

Been there

Done that with several species of fish. When they're on that short line, they can get leverage and rip the hooks out.

 

[george tinkham]

i like the super braids in heavy caliber,50# up,and prefer bobbers as they force the fish up off the bottom.also i use only lg. circle hooks.there is no fish out there that swims going to break my line!

 

[Flatheadmaniac]

LMAO

George.."there is no fish out there that swims going to break my line!"..wanna go fishing sometime
Ive got 2 other types of line that i would put up against ANY "superline" on the market for strength and abrasion resistance!
Also i have a nice wide open , no snag area that i'd love to put your words to the test..i'll even bring the bait!

 

[BottomBouncer]

I've broke 65lb. whiplash on the set. Fish ran the clicker, I let him have......broke that line like it was 4lb.

 

[MadCatter]

I am one of the biggest fans of superline .. been using it since it came out, greatest most durable line I have ever used... get it near some rocks .. and you will loose a bluegill on 30lb test.. I have had my line cut on the reefs of lake erie pulling a bottom bouncer across it ... If you are using light tackle .. 100yds of 50lb .. and on the bank I don't see how you are going to stop a 30 40 50 lb fish from going where he wants to go ... It might work for channels up to 20lb, but a big cat will spool you off and break your line. I fish mainly from a boat, so I like the superlines .. I don't think they pass the test for most bankers out there in most situations. One good thing about the supers is that most of them tend to float .. this keeps you from getting your line tangled in a lot of snags simply because its not on the bottom... Light tackle in a river with a big fish will eventually equal only one thing .. you sitting there with your line spooled off, broken .. wondering what you just had on the end of your line .. and a fishing swimming around with a 100yds of line hanging from it just waiting to get snagged up. or wrapped up and dying... If someone wants to attempt light tackle for big cats I would suggest 15 to 20lb test line with a good baitrunner or baitcaster, with a great drag system and enough line capacity to handle the conditions ... 200 to 250yds ... .. I have one setup that has 80lb test on it, to get a cat under control fast and quick with out the danger of breaking off ... I keep most of my drag pull set to around 20 lb ... I do this by rigging them up .. hooking the set up that I am going to use to a scale .. going out about 50 to 60 yards ... and pulling the scale with someone to watch .. I adjust the drag starting at about 40lbs backing it down to around 20 .. this guarentees me that I have a chain of knots and equipment that will handle that load without breaking ... You would be suprised to see just how far a 30lb fish can pull a drag set at 20lb... You can get away with much lighter line in lakes .. get in a river with current and debirs laying all around and you are looking for trouble .... My 2 cents I don't claim to be the best catfishermen in the world, I have been chasing them off and on for almost 30years .. I have made many mistakes and tried to learn something for each one ... My fishing opportunites get fewer every year .. I like to get my fish in the boat, and back into the water with as little stress to the fish or to me as possible

 

[BottomBouncer]

Any of you guys use flourocarb leaders?

 

[Flatheadmaniac]

well i guess

some might be reading too much into Georges posts, as i was too..hes talking fishing a med. size river like the Muskingum, catching cats up to 15lbs.....am i correct in this reading?
If so then yea..using 50lb spiderwire on long light rods would be sort of fun.
Superlines in that break strength should be used i guess with long soft action rods so atleast something gives along with a light drag setting, since the line its self doesnt stretch at all..
George isnt saying i guess that his rigs are for landing 30-50 lb class cats, atleast i would hope not..maybe out in the middle of a lake..but not for rivers!
Stil i have caught many river channel cats over 10lbs up to 16lbs...and they fight like pitbulls..not some lazy fish..they hit hard, scream clickers , roll and dive once hooked and are a ton of fun..

For my light tackle channel cat action i still prefer long med. power fast action rods along with 12lb co-polymer lines using baitrunner style reels.

Madcatter, i used to set my drags at 20-25lbs too for heavy close area work...then when i kept loosin fish that i couldnt stop i went to pure lock down(if thats even possible?) even on reels that i know the drag settings had to be over 40lbs..i still could get a 30lb river flathead to pull line fairly well when they got thier head turned and headed for the trees....some dont realize just how strong these fish are in tight quarters..glad to see another heavy tackle flathead fan..of curse this style applys to certain conditions and isnt for all areas i fish.
Scott

 

[george tinkham]

the river i fish is much smaller than the muskingum but and this is a big but.it holds the same fish that swim in the ohio,including big striper,drum and rivercats.even though this is approx. 40 miles upstream from the mighty ohio it is the first dam and by far the widest and deepest pool on this small river.50# rivercats are common.even though i have not caught a monster cat and landed it i have hooked a few that got off after long battle.the biggest i have caught is 15# river cat,in swift snag infested water.i would have much more confidence in open water.light drag,heavy line they won't break me.it just takes a very long time.i can't wait to get that big one in...then i will say it can be done.i will be at the mouth of the ohio this year,maybe,just maybe i'll get the challenge.