Has anyone every used these rods. I found one at FF, that’s 8’6″ Med with #10-#30 line rating. They’re built fairly similar to UglySticks. Graphite inner core, wrapped E-glas outer. I believe it’s more of a Salmon rod, but think it would be a good channel rod either “Mill Ruins”. Plus the price is very nice only $30.
Thanks
I havent seen the rods Phil. I dont know what to tell you. I wish I could help more. I am assuming its a rod designed for crankbaits with the name. Its probably a softer, slower loading rod that would stand out for circle hooks, and probably cast pretty good.
I found a great store loaded with catfishing gear.. lots of rod/reels I have never seen or heard of before.. lots of all the little bells and whistles us cat guys are looking for.
Its a little bit of a drive.. The name of the store is Wal Mart in Warsaw Missouri.
Its a shame its so hard to find the right equipment up here.
Phil, I checked them out at FF in BO tonight. Looks like it would get the job done. I also really liked a Diawa rod they had for $20. It wasn’t as stout as the Thunderstick you were looking at. They were 8’6″ and had the softest tip I’ve ever seen. ML power rating. I thought it would be excellent for early season channels. I almost pulled the trigger, but held off because I don’t think I’d have a use for it other than for the short cold-weather cat time. Maybe I should just bite the bullet for $20?!
The rod I use the most for channel cat fishing is a 8’6″ medium action rod rated for 8-17# mono. The only time I rely on big rigs is when flatheads are in the picture… lets face it, its a good day when we get a 10# channel in these parts, and a high teens channel is pretty rare… but can be handled on a light rig… and its a lot more fun.
Much of the time, especially early.. I find it more important to be able to detect sublte bites than it is to be able to horse a fish in.
The same rod works great for launching spinner baits for pike at the metro lakes from shore, and also for pulling crankbaits for walleyes… and it does well on tossing out a lighted float.
If you cant find more than one use for a fishing rod.. your not fishing enough!
Quote:
If you cant find more than one use for a fishing rod.. your not fishing enough!
Thanks guys. I’m gonna run to Cabela’s later this week and check out those KatKing rods and then go from there.
Dave,
You say Walmart huh!!!!! Wonder if we can request tranfers from other stores?
Phil,
I’ve got one of the King Cat rods. It’s an 8′ spinning rod. It’s alright for channels. It’s a bit thicker than the Thunderstick you looked at. The tip is not real sensitive, but it gets the job done. It’s not stout enough for big flats, but it’s a little too heavy for channels (at least the ones we have around here), at least in my opinion. One thing I like is that it is white with a chartreuse tip, so it’s easy to see at night.
Did I mention I have an Ugly Stick for sale? $19.00…spose I should place it in the classifieds one of these days.
Like new condition.
Sherry has one of those king kat rods.. it seems decent, and was landing sturgeon without a problem last fall… Other than the funny noises the rod was making.. it seemed 
I honestly dont think that rod is going to last the season… then again.. Sherry rarely hooks into big fish 
I think the main problem here is people are trying to find a rod to cover all fishing situations.. in this case its like trying to find a rod that can be used for walleys and still be ideal for muskies… its not going to happen.
It cost a little more in the long run, but I highly recommend buying a rod that properly suits the need.. you will be much happier and will catch more fish in the long run.
Quote:
I honestly dont think that rod is going to last the season… then again.. Sherry rarely hooks into big fish
If you don’t like it then keep your grubby fingers off of it! In fact, I specifically remember telling you not to use my rod on several occasions. Guess I’ll have to lock it up. But the damage is already done, I’m sure… you’ve already taught it bad habits. 
I like my rod… It was much prettier with the pink FireLine though. 
Wow.. am I in a good position to get my mouth into trouble or what? 
How do you break things if you can’t hook a fish? 
I’m not about to give up my bass fishing for cats. Cats are just a good suplement!
Dave, that’s what I’ve been telling folks that want to get started. Buy inexpensive rods to start off with…’cause you won’t be happy with whatever you get for all types of catten. I have the blue King Kat 8 footer and love it for channels. I’ve used it for flats…but it has a tendency to bend under the boat and come out the other side. She’s a little springy.
I’ve out grown the Ugly Stick BWUCSP110170 Med/Heavy 15 to 30lbs rod. To me it was more of a spinning rod, although it was sold and I used it with a 7000 on it.
Good rod, I just have specialized rods that replaced it.
Brian, That’s a 7′ right?
Ralph,
Every once in a while I’ll hook into something very nice. But as bad as my hooking ratio is, my landing ratio isn’t much better. It seems that any mishap that can happen will happen. I’ve straighten hooks, broken rods, reels, swivels, you name it and I’ve probably had it happen. I have to admitt, I have a bad habit of keeping a very tight drag. But maybe one of these days I’ll finally land a biggun. Until then I’m one heck of a netboy/deckhand.
Yup Mr Special Netboy…7.5 feet.
When I have a night when everything goes wrong…I just know that the odds are against two nights when everything goes bad.
It’s also a good reason to go channel cat fishing…gets the bugs out before the big boys arrive!
Darn you guys. All this talk is making me feel like buying a new rod today. I’ll keep you posted. Catching channels on a 8.5 ft fairly light rod does sound like fun 
Last season just for giggles, I used a 6’UL crappie rod with 2/10PP on some channels. Biggest one landed was #11. It was a spot with alot of open water, and hardly any current. Man was it a blast. The only downside was each fight lasted twice as long as normal and the #11 lasted about 15min. I know this is a cat forum, but carpping on light tackle is fun also.
Carp, dogfish, cats…not too fussy…
But PLEASE! Try not to mention the “b” word! Those guys have spys all over! Next thing well have 
Deitz posting here…(Lord, I’m sorry for that!)
Mr Special..
How come fighting a fish is the down side? Thats what I go fishing for… Its more fun to reel a fish in than it is to hold it after you landed it. Would that fish be all that exciting to hold if it didnt put up a battle on the way in?
I love to fight fish. I usually use just about the lightest tackle reasonable in the conditions given.
The *conditions given* is the key phrase. I know many of you guys fish most of the same areas I do. Mill Ruins is the main location in this case. Minimal snags, the barge channel(deeper water) can be a long cast depending on where your at… and there is a railing 5′ tall that we lean our rods against when we are fishing that end. Once you have a rod leaning at an angle against the rail.. a 6′ rod wont cut it unless you want your tip snapped immediately on a good bite, or a rod too heavy your not going to see the bite before the butt of the rod comes off the ground. A minimum rod length of 7′ is needed, 8’+ is ideal. The distance to cast to the barge channel, a longer rod is also what is needed.
Ok.. you know the rod length you want for those conditions.. now you need to decide what presentations you are using. The current is minimal most of the time(until the lock discharges) so you dont need a ton of weight, only enough to effectively cast your bait/load your rod properly to get a good cast. The heavier rod you choose, the heavier line your going to have, and the more weight it will take to cast properly considering rod load and line resistence. The lighter rod you use, the lighter the line, and lighter the weight that will be needed to achieve maximum casting distance.. and they also allow a more subtle bait presentation when needed, but you lose the ability to winch a fish in like the guys on the bassmaster circuit.
I guess its a choice between finess, casting, and bait presentation… or pure power.. your not going to get both out of one combo. In the end, get what best suits your preference. 95% of the time the subtle presentation will catch more fish early in the year.. come june, the fish really dont care anymore. At that time your going to be slinging bullheads most of the time anyhow.
Well put, Dave.
I made another trip back to Fleet Farm (I know, I’m a pushover) and checked out some rods again. The Daiwa I was referring to is a really nice rod, but upon closer inspection, it was built for a casting reel (small eyes) and I wanted to put a spinning reel on it. I found one of the Thunderstick rods that Mr. Special mentioned that I really liked. It’s 8’6″ and was labeled as an “Alaskan.” They had several different models of the Thunderstick, but this one has a really sensitive tip (way more sensitive than my King Kat) that I liked. I didn’t notice this rod yesterday. So, I gave in. Even if I only use it one month a year, it only cost me $25. Add to that a 10 year warranty, and it’s tough to beat. I can’t wait to try it out. I plan on using a Pflueger President 6740 spooled with 10 lb mono on it. Should be fun.
Question for Dave or anyone else. Do you or have you used circle hooks for spring channels? I’m thinking it’ll work well, but was wondering if you have experience with it.
Ryan..
Circle hooks are the way to go. I do use some octopus hooks, but I prefer the circles. Light wire circle hooks to be specific.
Got that covered! Thanks. We’ll see you there soon.
Alright now I’m gonna have to get that one too. I also took another look and it does look sweet. To bad I’ll never use that free spoon that come with it. But as reel and line I just spooled 150yrds of 2/10PP on a Abu. I’m thinking with that rod I’ll get the bait out there aways.
Ralph,
Now we’ll have to put names tags on them so we don’t get confused.
SO WHEN ARE WE FISHING?????????????????????????????????????
When is it going to stop….RAINING!
Did they have another one? I only saw the one I got, and the free lure was missing! Did you get a spinning rod? They sure seem like a decent rod for their purpose.
We’ll be able to tell the difference because mine will be the one with a fish on the end
Quote:
When is it going to stop….RAINING!
Time to pack up the short rods and dig out the 10′ net 
LMAO
Why I Otta, Kapow to the Moon
Sad thing is it’s true. But mine will the one with the most bites. Yep it’s a spinning rod.
You must be logged in to reply to this topic.
