Thread: set ups for channel cats

I personally use a very light action rod, an old 7.5 ft browning rod from the 80's and a quantum round baitcast reel, with 65lb braid. I normally use a CJ's slipcork and CJ's punch bait on a treble hook, if you don't get a bite in 20 minutes the fish ain't there. I use the braid and a slip cork because my home lake is very rocky and if your line sinks, you're gonna get hung up 9 times out of 10.


When I fish one of the sandier areas I use 9.5 ft downrigger rods to cast far from the bank if need be (if my friends who have boats are busy), with some of my surf/trolling reels and a big hunk of whatever bait I can get on a Carolina rig with 5/0 to 8/0 circle hook. The rods are only 30$ and they have a really fast tip so they work very well with circle hooks. The reason for the heavier tackle is because there are some very large blue cats in my area.