Have you been searching for the ultimate monster catfish rod?
I know I sure have. It's been a 20 year journey for me. I've tried so many, I don't even remember them all. St. Croix Classic Cat, E-Cat, Big Cat, Ugly Tiger, Takedown, the list just goes on and on. Most of them were adequate or better, but none of them the ONE.
Well, that has all changed now, kind of.
The Okuma EVx Musky 7' 4" Heavy casting model is as close as I have ever gotten to the perfect monster catfish rod.
The Evx Musky models are built on an IM-8 graphite blank using Fuji premium graphite reel seats, Alps stainless guides with Zirconium inserts (the inserts are exposed), Alps welded Tungsten Carbide tip, and cork grips. The total weight of this rod is a feather light 10.4 ounces. Price $109.99.
While the components used on these rods are certainly top notch, and exactly what is needed by musky anglers casting heavy lures all day, I do prefer a slightly different (and more expensive) set of components. I would prefer the Alps XN deep press guides used on the more expensive Okuma rods, as well as their Alps aluminum reel seats. If you have read my other rod reviews, you know I don't like cork grips. I would prefer any other material for my grips. The shrink tube grips used on the Okuma Makaira rod series are my favorite.
But for a musky rod, these components are perfectly fine, and preferred by someone casting all day.
It's the blank used in this Heavy action rod, rated 30-80#, and 2-10 oz. that's the star here. If I could get several of these blanks and have them wrapped with my preferred components listed above, these would be my ultimate monster catfish rods without a doubt.
Catfishermen like to talk about how much backbone different rods have. Well let me tell you, if you think your rods have good backbone, you really don't know what that is, until you try one of these. The EVx Musky 30-80 while light as a feather, has a backbone that just won't quit. If your average catfish rod has a normal human backbone, this rod would be like having a titanium backbone.
The top 2-3' of this rod has a beautiful bend under heavy pressure, and in the mid section it just shuts down. No bending back to the front grip here. This is the very definition of stout. What does this titanium backbone do for you? It makes fighting average sized fish just a little too easy. While I didn't catch any true monster on these rods, I did catch some flatheads approaching 40#'s, and the EVx Musky made it no contest. At any time I could do whatever I wanted with the fish. Flathead heads for cover, nope, stop him on a dime. Flathead tries to dig the bottom, nope, you're coming up buster. Flathead tries to run around the anchor rope or motor, no way. All of these happened to me while fighting big flatheads using the EVx, and none of the fish were successful.
The backbone of this rod also makes for an brutal hook set. You will definitely want to watch the force you use when setting the hook in shallow water, unless you want to pull 20# fish out of the water without a fight. This rod is the opposite of a feel the fight type rod, with their mushy feel, and floppy tip, and backbone that bends back to the front grip.
Here is the only pic I was able to get of this rod in action, as all of our flatheads this year came in the dark. This pic is late in the fight with a 17# channel cat. This fish tired fast, but tried to make one last dive for the bottom, right at the boat when this pic was snapped. You can see the bend of the rod pretty well, although earlier in the fight it was bent a little further down the blank.
Now for casting. As this is a musky rod, it was built with casting in mind. It did seem to prefer a heavy weight when used with 50# mono. To put a good bend in it for a cast, 3 ounces really isn't going to do it. 5 ounces plus bait is when it starts to come in to it's own. I used this rod with 18 ounces plus bait on the Wabash River this fall, and it handled it just fine, and casted very well. In short, this rod casts just fine for what I need, and handles more weight than I normally use.
So what we have here is what I consider to be the best monster catfish rod I have ever used, without a doubt. While I wouldn't change a single thing about the blank, I would change the other components for catfishing duty, and the grips for personal preference. If you can't move a big fish with this rod, it simply can't be moved.
For right now, as of November 2014, the Okuma EVx-C-741 gets my highest recommendation for a monster catfish rod. 2 of these will be in my boat on every single trip in 2015. I am in the process of testing a few other rods, but these will be with me for sure. Finally a monster catfish rod with the perfect bend.
Chuck.
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