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new to fishing/catfishing - question on reels

9K views 82 replies 15 participants last post by  miles 
#1 ·
hi, first post here, but i have been reading quite a lot lately doing research.
i am very new to fishing, and very new to trying catfishing. I previously had a bass pro shop carbonlite rod and reel and i would just toss in a worm on a hook with a bobber and i caught what i caught.

well, i caught a catfish, probably around 10 or 15 pounds and it broke my rod. that was it, i was hooked on wanting to fish for catfish. I never had so much fun pulling in a fish.

After a lot of research I ordered two new rods, 1 spinning and 1 casting. for the casting, i bought the whisker seeker. the spinning i got the rippin lips super cat.


Here is my question, i bought the Abu Garcia Revo Winch Baitcast Reel - RVO3 WNCH because i like the low profile. it has 20 pounds of drag on it, so i thought it would be good. However, it has a carbon frame, so i am worried about how well it will hold up. In the meantime, i ordered an Abu Garcia Ambassadeur Catfish Special and i figured i would return one or the other. Unfortunately, the stores around me didnt have either for me to feel in person.

My question is, do you think the Revo Winch will be strong enough to get some 0 to 30 pound channel catfish or do you think I would be better off with the ambassadeur. It seems the ambassadeur gets overwhelming reviews and seems like many people like it. I fish in a lake mostly, but will be going to fish at the delaware river and delaware water gap, where the water is much deeper and the fish are much larger.

I would really prefer to get something that will last me a long time, but at the same time be usable for me. I prefer to hold my rod when i am fishing. i fish alone, so i like to feel the bites since i am not talking with anyone. My concern is also the ambassadeur with the whisker seeker will be too heavy to hold for hours on end.

I hope these questions dont sound stupid, i am still very new and want to make the right choice the first time so i dont waste too much money. I have fallen into that before and dont want to make the same mistakes
 
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#2 ·
Either options gonna be an excellent option what's gonna come down to is winching power and line capacity as far as the gear ratios the lower the gear ratio the more pulling power not to say a high gear ratio is a bad thing it's just not preferred. For me I try to keep it below 6.0 to 1 anywhere in the 4.5 to 5.4 is the sweet spot for me Especially for the monsters in my local waters I'm not familiar with the Delaware river area. As far as line capacity braids gonna be your best friend as far as braid goes anywhere between 65 To 80 most popular. but Mono is still used it just takes more diameter to achieve the same pound strength Lot of guys here use circle hooks and with circle hooks you want something sturdy in order for the hook to be set that's why most was use stationary holders and not holding it. YouTube Steve Douglas as you may know in your research is a catfish person that does alot of instructional and tutorials. For just straight catfishing I would use the 6500 over the revo but either option is a solid one. I would suggest the powerhandle on either option as I think the catfish special one comes standard with.
 
#4 ·
hmm, now i am not so sure what to do. i was really thinking i would end up keeping the ambassadeur over the revo, but now that you say the graphite will be fine, i dont know.

the revo winch has a gear of 5.4 and the ambassadeur has 5.3, so they are almost same. Like you said, the line is the biggest difference. The revo winch holds 12/180 where the ambassadeur is 12/320. For the lake, i think the revo would be fine, but for the larger river and gap, i think probably i would need more. The revo has 20# drag where the ambassadeur has 15#.
The revo winch is made in china where the ambassadeur is not. I am not sure how much of a difference that really makes

Also, i got the revo from bass pro on clearance since a new version came out. but it is now sold out. this means if i change my mind after returning it, i would be forced to buy the later version for full price. The newer version is up to 200, where i paid 129 for the version 3

The revo already arrived and i love the way it feels. the ambassadeur arrives tomorrow. Hopefully i will be able to decide with the feel of the ambassadeur.
 
#5 ·
So that would be 50lb equivalent power pro braid. I would drop down to 40lb that would give you over 200yrds. Also 5lbs of drag isnt going to make or break. I use penn squall 20s and 320gt2s and fish the James river where 50+lb fish is a regular and I think they have only 15lb of drag
 
#6 · (Edited)
Welcome to USCA Miles! Sounds like the "bug" bit~ so you may want to add a line-item to your budget spread sheet for fishing gear! That Ambassadeur would be my pick between the two, but you're going to end up buying several rigs before the fever passes;


ramon06 Well-Known Member
Messages:
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State:
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I've been using PEX Dyneema in 80 and 60lb with 80 and 60lb mono leaders for 7 years now. I bought like 15 rolls back then and still have about 8 rolls. Never had a problem and never had to test it's strength. I have to use a wooden dowel to break my line. It's landed fish from 1-76lbs. No doubt I would land any cat I fish for. I really can't say I've had any issues.
 
#7 ·
Myles, it sounds like you and I are very similar in that we tend to over think things to the point of "paralysis by analysis".

I have several of the whisker seeker casting rods and really like the 6500c3 on them. If you are an average size adult male, you should easily be able to hold the rod and still palm the reel like you night on a bass baitcaster.

My opinion would be to just keep the 6500 and send the other back.
 
#24 ·
hey guys, i ended up ordering another rippin lips rod. this time in medium light. I will use the revo winch with the rippin lips ML, the abu 6500c3 cat with the whisker seeker MH, and i still have the rippin lips medium which i use my old spinning reel on.

i figure the ML rippin lips will be my play around rod and my others i am going to try to build some kind of a rod holder and fish with all 3 at once. or maybe alternate until i pick a true favorite

thanks for everyone's help on this. it really made my decision much easier
 
#25 ·
or maybe alternate until i pick a true favorite
There doesn't have to be a favorite~ each rig has different capabilities. That light rig is perfect for catching blue gill or skipjack bait and the mh rig can target serious cats while the spinning rig can go after bass or whatever presents. RippinLips was a great, value choice!
 
#33 ·
Here is my in depth response.

Don't worry about gear ratio.

- Use the rod to move the fish vs cranking them in with the reel.
- Faster reels are actually a better option the slow reels when you need to gather line and move fish quickly, especially when bank fishing. I personally don't like any reel with less then 30ipt, 40ipt is preferance.
- Any quality reel is going to have very robust gearing and drive train support in order to handle severe strain when cranking in against resistance.
- The Okuma Komodo 364SS would be my pick for a lowpro for channels.

I personally like light weight rods for big and small channels.
- Glass rods can take away from the fun of a fight, composite and graphite rods really make the fight that much more enjoyable.
- the 8ft medium St. Croix Mojo Cat is what I currently use and is the best channel cat rod made imho, but the 8ft medium heavy or heavy St. Croix Tidemaster inshore rods are great too.
- The rods you got are good and more then capable, but just not my preferance for feel.

I actually just stick to spinning reels for channel catfish, I use Penn Clash 4000s. It adds to the fun factor.

20lb braid with 20lb mono leaders round out my set-up for channels.
 
#34 ·
The Revo Winch is a strong reel...I have one. Mine is delegated to bass fishing but it is a strong reel. It hold 180 yds of 12 pound test mono so....if you went with a 30-40 or 50 pound braid...you would be solid.

They don't have clickers so that is out.

The older revo Toro models had clickers but for whatever reason, abu has decided to nix the clickers on all models.

Your rods are fine....not my personal choices but they are fine.

reels....the low profile is trendy and cool looking but the old round standards still hold their own and still have their place.

I use round reels more than half the time. I have them on designated catfish rods.

I have low profiles on my bass and musky rods that I sometimes use for catfish.

Chunking a wad of bait out, popping the rod into a holder and waiting on a bite does not require state of the art gear....I'm not even sure "state of the art" gear is going to help you one bit....but they look nice and are fun to use.

Low Profiles are very nice for chunking and retrieving big baits....does not mean a hill of beans to chunking out a 12" skipjack for flathead bait and waiting for hours.

You do what makes you happy to go fishing with....but the low profiles are not necessary for catching nice fish

I have some...and I could easily live without them
 
#35 ·
i got the abu garcia 6500 c3 catfish in yesterday and got it spooled up with some 15 pound mono and took it for a test drive.
in case anyone cares my opinion (keep in mind i am very new to fishing)...

i think it is an amazing reel. the adjustment is pretty easy to get it setup to not backlash. i only fished for about 2 hours, and really i was more casting and reeling in to get a feel for the reel then actually trying to fish.

i was able to put the hook where i wanted it, for the most part. i got a couple of backlashes early when trying to find the sweet spot between to tight and too loose. i didnt actually find it yet. however, it was starting to rain and i wanted to get home for dinner. i suspect the next time i go out, i will find it.

comparison to the revo winch i got....
the revo winch is much lighter to hold, easier to adjust, and i found that "sweet spot" after two casts. For some reason i am able to cast much further out with the revo, but i suspect that will change once i get used to the 6500c3. I definitely prefer the thumb button over the side button. Obviously these are just my personal opinion and i am not saying that either is better or worse, just i like the feel of the revo better.

overall, i think i prefer the revo winch over the 6500 c3 as far as feel and casting, but honestly, i havent caught any large fish on either yet, so this is a to be continued...
 
#36 ·
Couple things about the 6500C3.

When adjusting the casting brake, you are removing the entire side plate assembly of the handle side of the reel, right?

The centrifugal brakes come greased up from the factory, make sure to remove all the grease from the brake assembly.

Your 6500C3 should be able to put the Winch to shame; I have used the both.
 
#39 ·
OK, i definitely have a problem with buying gear.

i ordered the revo toro beast 60, which i read here and other places as a much better reel vs the regular revo winch i got.

Amazon, had it available on the warehouse deals section with as new but box damaged for almost half price of what bass pro shop was selling it for. to save that much money, i wouldnt care if it doesnt even have the box.
 
#40 · (Edited)
OK, i definitely have a problem with buying gear.

i ordered the revo toro beast 60, which i read here and other places as a much better reel vs the regular revo winch i got.

Amazon, had it available on the warehouse deals section with as new but box damaged for almost half price of what bass pro shop was selling it for. to save that much money, i wouldnt care if it doesnt even have the box.
That can happen. Lol!

Sometimes, just getting on the water and fishing with what you have will tell you exactly what you need or want.

The Revo Toro Beast is indeed a really nice reel and should work well for catching any freshwater fish we have in North America.
 
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