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Budget Cat rod

H

Howard Hutchins

Senior Member
Am booked up to go to france next year,and one lake has cats to about
100lb,so thinking i may have a couple of nights trying for one.
Most powerful test curves i own are 3lb,so think i need a more powerful
rod,dont want to spend mega-bucks as may never use again,may possibly
need a reel to match......again cheapish.Any help appreciated as know
nothing about cats,or how to catch them :D
 
Howard, many of the Ebro guides use Fox Warrior Spod rods, pretty cheap option
 
Ian Crook said:
Howard, many of the Ebro guides use Fox Warrior Spod rods, pretty cheap option
Click to expand...

Ian,many thanks, have just checked out some fox warrior rods in
go-outdoors and for 54 quid nice looking build,they diddent have the spod
but will deffo source one and buy....bonus really as i dont own a spod
for carping,so can kill two birds with one stone.
 
Howard, not sure if they still do but they did a 4 1/2 and a 5 1/2 test curve, get the 5 1/2lb... if you can
 
Howard, I use fox warrior 5.5lb spod rods when i go to France and have had cats to well over 100lbs on them. I use them with penn live liners which are sea reels designed to use with braid. For line i use 100lb berkley braid. The other set up i use in France for carp are jrc 3lb rods about £30 and wychwood bait runner type reels with a big pit spool, these reels have been faultless and have also had cats near to 100lbs on these but you are a bit under gunned. good luck
 
Picked up my Fox Spod 5.5 today and real pleased with it.perhaps paid a tenner
over the odds at £65 but dont mind as like my local little tackle store.
just need to now source a decent budget baitrunner big pit to go with it.

Cheers for your help Ian and Paul,spot on advice:)
 
Howard, Have a look at the penn 760 live liners hold 300m of 100lb braid, baitrunner and super smooth front drag. They are designed for sea fishing and braid line. Trust me you won't break them they are bomb proof.
 
Paul Cooper said:
Howard, Have a look at the penn 760 live liners hold 300m of 100lb braid, baitrunner and super smooth front drag. They are designed for sea fishing and braid line. Trust me you won't break them they are bomb proof.
Click to expand...

Paul, cheers ill have look at them,the trip isent till september 2013,so have
plenty of time to get organised and swot up on cats as well as carp,and the list of must buys is growing day by day,new bivvy,campbed,and set of decent
alarms,and as im a heavy snoring sleeper,will need a receiver to shove next to my earhole:D

my first and prob last time ill ever get to fish france for big fish in good
company.....so thought sod the expence.......ill go prepared:)
 
Paul Cooper said:
Howard, Have a look at the penn 760 live liners hold 300m of 100lb braid, baitrunner and super smooth front drag. They are designed for sea fishing and braid line. Trust me you won't break them they are bomb proof.
Click to expand...

I've been looking for a spod / catfish fixed spool reel and was interested in the Penn 760L given your recommendation (and the price). I'd also considered a big Okuma and obviously the Shimano 8000D.

How does the Penn compare to those?
 
Re Pauls advice about the Penn. I never got the chance to check it out
as my son bought me a shimano Aerlex xta spod 7000. It looks good and has
a baitrunner spool.Not sure wether to go for braid on it or mono,as lots of fisheries are banning braid,and some French fisheries including the one im going to seem to have rules specially designed for lining the owners pockets.

Eg:No shelf life boilies,frozen only that we sell

no pellets cept the ones we sell

No particles,,,,,,,cept the ones we sell

Starting to lose interest in the trip as dont like being told ive to use the same
couple of boilie types that all have used before me:mad:
 
There are plenty of lakes and rivers in France with no rules other than those on a rod licence.
 
Clive. Im wishing now that my son and his mates had spent more time
choosing the venue.:mad:

THESE ARE AS FOLLOWS:




No unattended rods and only 3 in use at a time.

Barbless hooks only, no crushed barbs - buy the right hooks.

No long shank nailer or bent hooks of any type.

No litter including cigarette ends.

No sacking.

Large unhooking mats must be used and antiseptic must be applied.

Landing nets minimum 42 inches.

Unhooking mats may be hired for a small charge. Please remove any sharp jewelry and watches.

No standing with fish during capture and photography.

Minimum 15lb line.

No nut baits or shelf life boilies.

No particles unless prepared by us or arranged with us in advance.

Only Carp pellets supplied by us may be used or those agreed by us in advance.

No Trout pellets.

Bait boats by prior arrangement only.

No transfer of fish between lakes under any circumstances.

Gates on property must be kept closed.




2. Shower, Toilet, Cabin, Caravan and Swims must be left in the good condition they are found. Please advise of any defects or breakages as soon as possible. The toilet in the caravan is NOT to be used.

3. Please do not arrive before 2pm and we ask you to be off the lakeside by 10am on day of departure.




4. A 200 euro deposit per party must be left on the day of arrival, refundable on day of departure.




5. All accounts must be settled in full on the day of departure.




6. Windmill Lakes cannot be held responsible for any theft of or damage to personal items, equipment or vehicles whilst on the site.







7. Windmill Lakes cannot be held responsible for any personal injury sustained, or illness contracted during duration of holiday.




8. The row boat is on site for your use. It is used at your own risk and a 4 Euro charge per person will be made, this also contributes towards gas, electricity and battery charging. Buoyancy jackets must be worn.




9. In the advent of adverse weather, (serious storms & high winds) we suggest anglers seek shelter away from the large trees, or in extreme cases at the house.




10. After unloading, vehicles must be parked in the designated spaces we choose. Vehicles must not be driven around the venue during your stay without our express permission.




It is strongly recommended that all customers have valid travel insurance AND an E28 European Medical card (Available at http://www.ehic.ie/onlineapp2.htm), without which you will be expected to pay for any hospital, medical treatment or ambulances.







If you have any questions about the rules, please do not hesitate to contact
 
Just strikes me that they are just wanting to look after their fish stocks Howard. I've looked up their bait prices on the website and agreed, they are not cheap. You mustn't loose site of the fact though that this is being run as a business and it's their livelyhood, they've probably tied up a lot of money in this venture.

PS...I don't know them and have no vestide interest in anyway.
 
You mustn't loose site of the fact though that this is being run as a business and it's their livelyhood, they've probably tied up a lot of money in this venture.

Agreed Bill,but find it a little sad that i cant take some quality bait of my own choosing with me,so have to use exactly the same baits as all who have gone before us.
 
I agree Howard, I used to prefer a quality bait in my Carp days but they only stipulate "no nut baits no shelf life" if your bait is home made or a bait company and is either frozen or air dried by their own rules I can't see how they can say no unless I'm misreading...It's always worth asking the question, but I don't think you need to....you only need say e.g. "Nutrabaits freezer bait" or whatever...if it's particle you want to use you're knackered but if it's pellet they are open to questions also....good luck and I hope the trip is a total success for you and the lads...
 
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Cheers for your good wishes Bill :D
Am hoping all will turn out ok,so will reread the rules to see what bait/boilies i
can get away with taking,also gotta work out what to take for the cats
to eat:D

Howard
 
Reads like the rules of a working men's club. Not for me. There are plenty of free lakes with stocks of big carp and catfish where the only rules are those on your rod licence and you will not see another angler all day, let alone have your nuts checked :eek:

Windmill Lakes are what I refer to as MacFishing. Turn up and fish in a place where they guarantee that there are X number of thirties, Y number of forties and Z number of fifties. You would be unlucky not to bump into one or two especially as they are being weaned onto your enforced choice of bait. Total numpties go home with trophy pics of huge fish and claim to be specimen hunters. Madness. :(
 
Been looking further into this and managed to find a Penn 760L Live Liner for £75 delivered. Seems a good price for a spod / occasional catfish reel considering the Shimano Baitrunner I was considering would be another £40 at least.
 
The Penn 760L arrived today from Germany and man, what a beast! If I ever loose my big hammer I'll use that instead :D
 
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