[KOTKA-MAN]

I posted it on my local board but, wanted a wider audience-

I need some reassurance,
My flathead rod and reel is-
Okuma classic 300L (15, 20, 25)
30 lb berkley big cat
Ugly stick catfish rod 8' 15-30

Will this do the job, time and time again, or is it too light?

I'm leaning towards the light side but, need to have, again, reassurance that it will hold up.

 

[Angling Andrew]

It'll do the job, but I recommend getting a little higher quality reel.

 

[playin4funami]

It should be fine till you latch onto a big cat thats headed for cover and you don't have the muscle to stop them, that Okuma reel will be fine, it's the line weight and rod that worry me,but it kind of depends where you fish. classic flathead country involes an underwater jungle and the ability to stop and turn a large fish is paramount if you want to land the greater percentage. I have two of those classic 300's and they might not have alot of bells and whistles but they will do the job, fill them up with some heavier braid and a stouter rod underneath them and go horse a big fish in. for a lower end reel they do pretty good, I use mine all the time and leave the more costly reels sit,those arre my "beaters" as I'm not afraid to abuse the crap out of them.
Now it you fish somewhere where the fish don't have anything to tangle and wrap you on you should be fine with what ya got.

 

[USCA-RECLAIMED-ACCOUNT]

That should get ya started alright.If you,re gonna target big flats on a regular basis,i,d go heavier,way heavier!

 

[Catfishboy1995]

Id say that set up is good for Flattys up to about 20lbs or so...I would go with a ugly stick tiget if you like the uglystik rods....In med Hvy action...I dont know much about that reel...and line..I reccomend the Team catfish Tug O War no doubt

 

[KOTKA-MAN]

Hey thanks for all the info.
Soon, I will change line to braid, maybe,, 65lb or 80lb? What so you guys think?
Before buying a stouter rod, would a 15-30 line wt rod hold up to a 65lb braid? Are we talking apples to apples or apples to oranges? (when it comes to mono and braid) Just seems weird to put a 65 lb line onto a 15-30 lt wt rod, I guess just setting the drag accurately? (easing off)

playin4funami, thanks for the kudos on the reel!!!

 

[tightline_69]

I agree with the Team Catfish Tug-O-War line. I have that line spooled on 2 of my Bass Pro Catmaxx CM 80 reels and on one of my Eagle Claw Gunnison 60 reels. Great line IMO.For rods I would check out the Team Catfish rods or the TWC rods.

 

[Circlehook Jester]

I have reeled in some flats on the Ugly Stik you are talking about. I still use that pole today. My preference for an all around good rod/reel combo for flathead is the Ugly Stik Tiger in the MH action. 7' in length. I have a Shakespeare Tidewater on one spooled with 50 pound PowerPro braid and use 40 pound Trilene Big Cat as my mono leader. My second Ugly Stik Tiger is same in length, but I have 80 pound PowerPro braid on an abu 7000 with 60 pound Trilene Big Game mono leader. This bigger line is for my river set up. So far, I haven't broke a big fish off with these outfits. But, I am hoping to meet the fish who can do it some day. :wink::wink:

 

[flatheadhuntin]

Not sure about the reel, but I use Abu 6000's up to 6600 c4's spooled with 30 lb. Berkely Big Game and BBG 50 lb. for my leader, all mono. I have had no problems bringing in flats up to 45 lbs. The one in my avatar I caught on 20 lb. P-Line. Your drag plays a big part in landing a fish! I have all my Abu's mated to a 7' white ugly stik MH 1 piece (15-30lb.) and the combo is absolutely a dream to fish with. Of course I have a monster set-up I always put my biggest perch on, it's an Abu 10000 (50lb. mono BBG)with the Shakespeare Tiger 1 piece MH(30-60lb) 7'. I took it with me to Matagorda and was able to land some 4'-5' sharks with it! I would think that as long as you played the drag right, had good knots and used a minimum of 50 lb. mono for your leader that unless your draggin' in 60 lb.+ flats that you would be more than ok! And you should even be able to 60 lb.+ if conditions are ideal!!! You will find out if you fish long enough! Good luck and cross their eyes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[ramon06]

I would step up to the Okuma 450L, 80LB-100LB Braid, 60 or 80LB Mono Leader, Ugly Stik Tiger MH, TWC MH, Surge Elite H, MeatHunter or a Custom Rod. just givin you some options

 

[playin4funami]

well just realized my okuma reels are the 450's not the 300's, so with a little changrin I am sorry, so I can vouch for the 450's and not the 300's, but that don't mean they won't be fine,sorry! the all around combos that will pull in anything with the right conditions are great, as long as you can live with the once in a lifetime fish that you hook in less than ideal conditions and lose. go big and be sure if you wan all those hours of flatheading to pay off someday with a monster, guess alot depends on the size potential of the fish in your areas.

 

[byron9393]

The Ugley stix catfish rod is what i have been using for sometime. As long as you are fishing straight down out of the boat it can do the job in moest casses. But if you are lobbing your baits out and away from you your in trouble.[we are talking Flat heads?] You will literally have to turn your back on a fish over 30lbs. to stop him in a run. (Rod is to limber) Also I was haveing a lot of trouble w/hook ups using circle hooks. (Hate the things) But since getting my new TWC rods I have been trying the circle hooks agin w/a much better hook up ratio.

 

[KY KATS]

I really like my Flamekeeper rods with 7000 reels, 80lb braid, 50lb hook leader. The reels hold alot of line and leader line resists abrasions. I use 8 circle hooks during my daytime fishing because I am fishing heavy cover and know he will retreat back into that cover when hooked so the circle hooks will turn corectly. I use kahle hooks at night because flats are cruising around and feeding and could pick up a bait and come toward the boat or run sideways so with a kale you can set the hook in these situations. Main thing is have confidence in your rig.

 

[jasonminitruck]

I agree with the ugly stik tigers i have three at home im using and just ordered three more to replace the ugly stik catfish rods i currently have. The tigers also have a sensitive tip so you can still catch the smaller ones that bite as well.