Big Cat Fever Heavy rod review. By Ryan Guffey.

I received the BCF Heavy rod as a birthday gift in 2015. Needless to say I was very excited as Catch the Fever and BCF had just recently introduced their line of rods. With the hype comes expectations, and here's how the Heavy measured up to mine.

Right out of the beautiful velvet sleeve the rod proves itself striking in aesthetics. The gloss black finish and silver under wraps look beautiful, as does the fine cork handle. Add in a double locking aluminum reel seat, 9+1 double footed stainless guides, and the components make up a fine piece of equipment that is clearly very well put together.
The action of this rod may not be as "Heavy" as one may expect. The S-glass provides an interesting property. The rod holds up 12-16 oz very well, even when suspending in current. But, apply much load, and you'll get a quick bend to the second guide. 15-18 lbs of drag had it bent pretty much to the cork. This is where my expectations of the rod fell a little short. I had "med/heavy" rated rods in my boat that I felt offered more control under 15+ lbs of drag than this Heavy model. I prefer the feeling of a noticeable backbone on any rod I am targeting large fish with, and with this particular model you will get more of a "full bend" blank. I believe on lakes with BIG blues, and rivers with a more fishable current than I find myself on, most guys will love the casting ability and circle hook setting properties of this blank. However the current I find myself in will sometimes load the rod itself more than I prefer.
Rather than using the 16 oz rating I tend to use this as a med-heavy  application with 8-10 ozs whenever I can get away with it.
As a disclaimer I will say that the area I fish in KS lends itself to some very, very fast current situations that most are not accustomed to. Therefore I always find myself looking for that perfect rod with power, yet reserves some action. For most rivers, this rod will do great, especially for blues! Add in an amazing company (Catch The Fever) that is making leaps and bounds in the catfishing community, industry, and catfish conservation, and you really can't go wrong.
My 68 lb blue I caught with the BCF Heavy in summer of 2016. Was a new PB for me at the time! More reviews coming soon!