A friend has asked me to make a catfish Rod. He will be fishing the Senaca River near Syracuse NY so I can't image the catfish would be over 10 pounds. Any suggestion on a blank to use. I was thinking about getting a 7 foot MH fast MHX white blank.

What type of bait/technique is he using? Boat or bank fishing? Grip length? spinning or casting?

I've used AmTac bushido blanks on my last few catfish builds. The one that may be in your range, is ls76/12-25. It's a great blanks and will handle a variety of fish weights. I've built on the ls76/20-40 but it is for big blues and flatheads.

Also, if you looking lighter, look at the mb in the 12-20 and 12-25 range in whatever length you like.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/31/2014 04:49PM by Jeremy Reed.

Thanks for the input. That gives me some options to discuss with the buyer. I asked him if he wants a spinning rod or casting rod and am waiting for his answer.

If the fish are more in the 8- 10 pound range you may want to consider the MB844- MHX in white. Or even the MB874 which is a great casting rod with lots of power, If he won't use the 7'3" cut 3 inches off the butt.


Tom



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/01/2014 08:21AM by Tom Wewerka.

Any update on what direction you're headed?

Thanks to everyone for your suggestions. It gave me some good choices since I didn't know the first thing about making a catfish rod. I think the MB844-W-MHX fits the bill for the size catfish he is likely to catch. I decided on the H rather then the MH since he may hook into a big carp where he will be fishing. Each year they have a 3 day carp contest in the Seneca River and catch some real monsters.
One of the reasons for selecting the white blank is because the dad who is buying it for his son as a surprise for Christmas said his son is color blind and only sees black and while and suggested we keep it simple, i.e. Black and white. Thanks again for the help. It is the first time I have ever use this forum.

Good choice on the rod blank Bill. Thanks for your reply and if you can, put some pics up once you fisish it.

Tom

Tom: I just finished the catfish rod and will try to post some pictures. It really turned out nice and the client can't wait to give it to his son for Christmas. I ended up using dark blue thread trimmed in bright orange. Being a graduate of Syracuse University I like the color combination.

Bill

That's great Bill going to be looking forward to seeing the photos of it. Sounds like a great color combination too.

Merry Christmas,
Tom

Tom:
I was able to upload two pictures of the catfish rod and they are in the guide thread section. The orange is actually much brighter than the pictures show. I couldn't believe how thrilled the client was. In fact his wife give me a huge plate of cookies for Christmas. She makes cookies as a hobby and they were fantastic. You never know some of the rewards you get making fishing rods.

Happy New Year,

Bill

Hi Bill

This is great news. The white blank and those colors really jump !! Nice job on the wraps I can see why they were so happy. And getting cookies is always a nice reward for us rod guys.

Happy New Year too

Tom