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Low profiles for cats

46K views 187 replies 45 participants last post by  DanL 
#1 ·
Hey guys, hope everyone is enjoying their week! I was wondering if anyone uses any catfish setups with low profile casting reels. I know a lot of the guys do their custom stuff around here so if you got any pics feel free to post.
 
#5 ·
The Komodo 363 and Daiwa 400cc have 25 pounds of drag and the Komodo 463 has 30 pounds.

These three reels have bait clickers which are helpful for some catfishing applications.

The Komodo and Lexa low-profile baitcasters are compact, powerful and designed for casting heavy lures or baits with big fish in mind.

I very seldom use my 6500 c3 or 7000 c3 reels since the introduction of the Komodo's and Lexa with bait clicker.

Lee
 
#84 ·
I have a couple Komodo 471's, they tough as nails. I tried to break one this past winter by cranking down the drag as tight as possible; I then hooked it up to my fishing scale and pulled.

The reel was handling 35lbs without issues. I ran the reel through this stress test multiple times and still not a single issue with the reel.

The only thing is the live line feature, while loud and very useful, is not strong enough for use in heavy current. It works great in lakes and reservoirs though.
 
#6 ·
I used to use the Shimano Curado 300E all the time for channels and some flathead fishing. I loved it! Unfortunately a Catfish drug that reel and my rod into a river a few years back. $250 reel goes bye bye. Sad day it was. They work fine, just no need at all for me to spend that much money in order own an Excellent catfish reel. Too many great reels out there well under that price. Plus the High Gear ratio might be tough with Really big cats.
 
#7 ·
............Plus the High Gear ratio might be tough with Really big cats.
Let me start by saying that this is by no means aimed at you Ray, just a comment in general and one that some might take issue with.

High ratios and big fish are not mutually exclusive!
The high ratio vs. big fish thing comes up regularly and it's one of my pet peeves; I always cringe when I see people holding the rod rigidly in one position and mashing down on the reel handle like they are winding up a full bucket from a well.
To me, a reel is not a winch! It's place to store to store line and house the drag and anti reverse mechanisms.
If the rod is used to gain line and then that line is gathered by lowering the rod and winding the reel, the ratio of the reel isn't really part of the equation.
There are some obvious caveats. Using a high ratio reel for halibut where you might have to bring 3lbs of lead up 300 vertical feet would be very tedious using the lift and wind method.
High ratio reels, as long as they have a stout frame, strong anti reverse and a good drag are fine for even big cats in reasonable depths using reasonable amounts of lead. Whether they are worth the $$ they might cost is a different question.

...W
 
#20 ·
I hear ya. I have had good luck using their sharky III series for cats. But people have had very good luck with the Rover series and it seems like kastking is starting to get into the more expensive market which means better quality products. I use the sharky III as my smaller live bait setup and I have caught many many cats on it without it ever giving me a problem.
 
#25 · (Edited)
Could the new Shimano Tekota's be considered low profile?
Seems like they could be a good multi-purpose reel.
I haven't seen many reviews though.
They do look like it. May go that route instead, forgot about those [emoji848]
Only worries are the old 500s were Abu 6500 sized and 600s were Abu 7000 sized so I dont want to get a giant reel for the rod but in a rod holder who cares lol they'll be for Trophy Cats only
 
#27 ·
My wife has the sharkey bait feeder and I can attest to the fact that that thing is trash...
Yeah i dont use the baitfeeder model. When i reviewed it the baitfeeder was extremely quiet. I use the regular 3000 model sharky III and haven't had a problem with it. To each his own though. Maybe I got lucky with a good model. If anyone does happen to try the Kastking Kapstan though for catfishing they should do a review.
 
#52 · (Edited)
That's what drew me to them, they look different and promising. They were always a good reel and Shimano has never let me down. I was gonna do the 500 but decided to go big or go home lol Mine was supposed to be in yesterday but I see USPS has shipped my reel from Va, to Tennessee, to Northern, Va and now it's in Maryland smh geesh hopefully I get it next week.
 
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