Reel for 100 lb catfish

[gone fishin]

Ossipeter   

Why not the Avet Raptor?

alantani     

great reel, just expensive!

alantani     

an andros would get the job done, but at a $400 price tag.

wallacewt   

i would ...go with the andros 2 sp. it will handle any catfish with ease 120lb or more.$400 im not sure that is expensive or not.when i bought mine for $400 it was expensive,but after 2 years continious use,still going strong,and the fish i have caught on it would pull a catfish backwards, im not so sure it was expensive. makes you think dont it.

Yes, it does make me think.  That is a very convincing arguement.  I've pretty much decided on either the SX Raptor at $396 or the Andros at $400.  Unless I get the narrow Andros with 80% spool capacity, the specifications are about the same for each reel.
Norm

[alantani]

if you catch something that big, we are going to want to see pictures.  hey, i'll bet a jigmaster would work!   

[Alto Mare]

if you catch something that big, we are going to want to see pictures.  hey, i'll bet a jigmaster would work!   

I don't see why not. Lots of 100lb fish have been caught with those, some  over 400lb.
A 501 with all the goodies we have been adding here, would be a good choice.
No need to worry about servicing it, you could do it  in 5 to10 minutes...if it needs it.
Keep $350 in your wallet and go enjoy some fishing with the 501, or 500.
Just my two cents.

[tpilk]

Wow, just found this thread.

I live in Bangkok and spend all of the weekends I can't get out on the ocean wrestling Giant Mekong Cats.

To date, I have tried a number of reel & rod combinations and now have it down (for the most part).

First, I highly recommend avoiding the "long" catfish or carp rods many Europeans try to use on these fish. These fish are not rockets like big salt water fish, but they will run long and hard and strip reels if you can't lean into them.

As to reels, the locals here who can afford them, prefer Saltists, Saltigas and occasionally a Stella pops up (lots of GT fisherman out to get a fix). I also see Saltiga conventionals as well. There are endless Chinese copies of the big names sold in Thailand, but I've seen endless failures, resulting in rigs getting pulled into the water (and sometimes the fisherman...Just kidding).

First, my wife's setup is really simple - it's a 7' Tiger Stik one-piece spinning rod with a Cabela's 6500 bait-running Salt Striker on it. It's loaded with 50lb rip cord and I can't count the number of 40-50+ kilo fish that setup has landed. She uses a rod belt (she's about 45 kilos herself). This reel has been working hard for two years with absolutely no issues. Laugh if you want - it is the absolute truth. Line, rod and reel...this has been a great setup for her...I can't get her to try anything else.

I have experimented with a number of reels - my favorite is my MX Raptor (purchased in Singapore). It's loaded with 300yds of 50lb Tuff Line XP and a top shot of 40lb mono (the best Japanese stuff I could find). My rod is a Jananese manufacturer also - it's a Verger JRJB 58/6 Jigging rod. Short Jigging rods are by far the most popular setup for these fish and you can cast them a mile. I have also used (and abused) my 1980's 7000C, which is holding up better with the Carbontex drag washers. I have played with an old 320 GTI - it worked fine, as did two older TLD's, a 5 and a 15 from the 80's. The TLD 5 is on a Diawa Saltiga G, SAG-J 511HF and it's a super smooth and super fun setup, if you're comfortable making long casts with a TLD.  

As mentioned in posts above, you don't need a huge amount of drag. My reels (including the Raptor) are only set in the 9-10lb range, which means I didn't really need a Raptor.... The TLD 5 has 30 lb XP, as does the 7000C...and as long as the area is fairly clean of structure (Thai water is notoriously trashed with concrete, old pilings, etc), 30 lb is all you need and so you can base your reel selection accordingly. Once again, 30lb line with 9 lb or so drag. It's all about technique with these big, powerful fish.

Other reels I've experimented with - Penn Sargus SG6000 (great and has held up), also a Cabela's (blue) metal Salt Striker in the 6000 size range. These setups are "loaners" when friends/family come to visit. I have a few locally made spinning jigging jods in the 5'8"-6' range. The Penn Battle is popular and with the HT-100 drag washers seems to be holding up for my friends. None of my crowd will spend the big bucks on spinning gear, unless it's a popping outfit. The 320 GTI is also great for beginners...

Hope that helps a bit...

BTW, I really love the MX Raptor. Yes, it was expensive and I had to pay a bit more in S'pore than you all do, but I have wanted one for some time now and it was my b-day present to myself. It's smooth, pretty and casts a mile....We have some decent billfish, tuna and wahoo in the area so it see some decent action.  

[alantani]

looks like ol' norm found himself a fishin' buddy!

[Tile]

The Fathom 20LW is just the ticket for large catfish because of its excellent design. You won't break the bank with this reel and for 400$ you can arm yourself with a nice pair.

[Newell Nut]

There are a lot of nice reels that would work but I would still go with something like a P229 or P332 Newell on a Tiburon frame to be extra robust but the Tib frame is not a necessity.

[Alto Mare]

Newell nut, not arguing with you or anything like that, what makes you think that the newell is a good choice? Norm is moving to Thailand. I'm sure you and others here are having a tough time finding parts for that newell reel that doesn't exist anymore , imagine how hard it would be for Norm. I would also stay away from levelwind.

[Newell Nut]

I have used newells for over 20 years and never broken one. I have worked on several but they never have broken parts. What they have is missing parts after weekend worriors tinker with them. The missing parts are the little circlip at the end of the bridge sleeve or the screw is missing depending on the vintage. I have found a dog missing, the 3-18 and 3-16 washer missing and even worked on one with a missing bearing. I have yet to work on one that actually has a broken part. Newells are tough until somebody takes it apart and can't remember how to put it back together.
I do think the Carbontex drags are smoother than originals.

That is why I am a Newell Nut. They work and work great for a long time.

[Alto Mare]

Not going into a discussion of Penn vs Newell, even though newell is a bad copy of Penn 
I have never used one, but have friends that have used them. Just make sure you service them frequently or things will get welded in the inside .

[tpilk]

I would agree to that logis - it is difficult to find any brand name products, much less piece parts in Thailand. The surrounding areas are just as bad, with the exception of Singapore, where you'll pay 20% more just due to their rediculous tax structure.

As to the level wind comment, as I mentioned before, the 320 GTI is bulletproof, holds about 300 yds of #50 braid and is available in the region. My only issue is it's a big, clunky fit for my smaller jigging rods. The 7000C does really well with the carbon fiber drags, but I wonder what damage I'm doing to gear, bearings and the rest.

I've also seen some Tica products here (also made in China), including level-winds...I believe the Caiman line? The larger Striper model available in the US looks like it might work as well, though I can't speak from experience. Tica is sold and supported in the region. My next trip to the states I plan on picking up a fathom. I would agree that price and features, as well as great reviews make it quite attractive. I would lean toward the non level-wind models for my use...  

[gone fishin]

looks like ol' norm found himself a fishin' buddy!

Heh heh!  Too bad I'm going to be living about 450 miles from you, tpilk, I doubt if we can get together very often

I found your post to be most informative, especially regarding the proper rod to use.  I don't know if you read my first post here, but I was intending to use my 9 ft Lamiglass rod, with my 7 ft Okuma Nomad Travel Rod as backup.  The Lamiglass rod is only about half the weight of the Nomad (but double the cost) and is very strong with a line rating up to 50 lbs.  From your post, it appears the Nomad would be better.  It is much stiffer than the Lamiglas, too.  Perhaps the Nomad should be my first choice?

The thing I took away from your talk about reels was that you really 'loved' your mx raptor.  I also want to 'love' the reel I buy!  

Oh, by the way, what lakes do you fish in around Bangkok?  Ever go to Hua Hin?  The ones I've seen around Bangkok seem to be more expensive than around Chiang Mai.

Ole Norm

[tpilk]

Hi Norm,

Yea, I noticed you were way up North - too bad, it would be fun to have a farang fishing buddy!

I should probably clarify my short rod comments. Many of the more experienced folks I fish with, have migrated to both conventional and/or spinning rigged jigging rods in the 5'8"-6' range. The most important aspect of the short rod is that you can end the fight much more quickly and efficiently than the long rods. I began with long rods (9-10 ft) and for the striped catfish, pacu, etc, they're perfect and lots of fun. Problem is with these big fish, if you finish the fight, it often takes so long the fish can't recover. It's a shame to see these beasts floating belly up after an hour long (or more) battle on a long rod. The short rods can reduce that to 15-20 minutes. I've not had one fail to recover. Though my biggest have been in the 50 kilo range, they go to 80 or so in these lakes. The wild fish in the river can go way over that.

The lake I go to is very low-key. I very seldom see foreigners there and so the price is only 140 baht on weekdays and 160 baht (about $5 USD) on the weekends. I'll get the name and info for you. Just so everyone understands...there is a charge for anything and everything a foreigner does in Thailand! The good news is we usually catch 3 or 4 Mekongs and about that many striped cats (in the 10-20 kilo range) in a 3-4 hr visit. There are a number of high-end lakes where you can catch record sized arapiama, many species of cats, Siamese carp (my favorite), giant snakeheads and of course barramundi.         

As for the MX, I do really enjoy it. I've got a lot of equipment that I've drug over here from the states - some has worked well and some has no application over here. Most of my stuff I've had for a very long time and is "working class" but quite functional. Soooo, the price tag was a bit painful...partly because the products and prices have changed so much since I've shopped for good stuff. I also wanted a US made reel - I've had my fill of junk over here. That said, who isn't making reels in either China or Malaysia these days...and some are quite good. It's also kinda nice to see the full line of Japanese products in the region. I didn't realize we were only seeing a select group of products in the US.

Good luck with the fishing - we both need to post a few pics so these guys can see a giant mekong. They really are lots of fun (especially when you can't get to the toothy blue water critters!)

[gone fishin]

The most important aspect of the short rod is that you can end the fight much more quickly and efficiently than the long rods. I began with long rods (9-10 ft) and for the striped catfish, pacu, etc, they're perfect and lots of fun. Problem is with these big fish, if you finish the fight, it often takes so long the fish can't recover. It's a shame to see these beasts floating belly up after an hour long (or more) battle on a long rod. The short rods can reduce that to 15-20 minutes.

You sound like my kind of fisherman; I had no idea that they would fight to the death.  So many things to consider!

160 baht sounds real reasonable.  What I've seen on the internet around Bangkok are 5000 to 6000 a day and around Chiang Mai are 1900 to 2800 per day.  Sure hope I can find some less expensive places around Chiang Mai.  I'm interested in the lake where you and your wife fish.  I figure I'll have to go to Bangkok once or twice a year; we should get together then.

I've had my fill of junk over here.

I've heard that good tools, etc. are hard to find there.  That's why I want to have really good equipment before I go over.

Norm

[tpilk]

Hi Norm,

The trick is to find out where the Thai's are fishing (Thai's won't pay much) and avoid the tourist/foreigner locations. The exception being some of the barramundi lakes. Around here there are a few great places you can really hone your skills taking big barramundi on flies or lures.

As you probably know, most of the lakes and rivers here are not managed in any way. Lots of South American species were introduced decades ago and have been breeding quite successfully in these waters. The native Asian species do extremely well as you might expect. That said, the expensive "pay" lakes you refered to are managed, as are the barramundi ponds...when they charge hundreds per day they'd better have some trophy-sized fish.

As far as the catfish dying, they are actually extremely tough. The locals don't have much respect for any form of life, much less fish, and tend to treat them pretty rough. Long fights take a lot out of any species and I'd say it's more of a "best practice" to keep it as short as possible with any fish you plan on releasing.

I will send you my contact info so we can hook up when the opportunity rises.