This review has been a long time coming. I purchased two of these rods late last October. I only had a chance to fish with them one time before calling it a season. That night produced my biggest flathead of the year. The Mak rod and reel combo handled the angry flathead perfectly.
Fast forward to this season. I've put the Mak rods to work in just about every type of catfishing situation imaginable, and they have performed admirably in every one. Whether it's casting live bait from shore, precision casting to within inches of structure, or fishing vertically directly above it, the Okuma Makaira MK-ST-801MH excelled at it.
As a matter of fact, these rods have become my favorite rods when I need a versatile rod that can handle anything. A recent trip the the Ohio River proved extremely challenging. The fish we suffering from lockjaw. We tried every conceivable location and presentation I could think of to pick up a couple fish. The Makaira rods handled these changes with ease. Fishing vertical with 8 ozs of lead and really big pieces of cut bait, or precisely casting 3 ozs and a small bait right next to cover, it didn't matter the situation. The Makaira rods performed flawlessly.
Another recent trip changed some of my thoughts on catfishing rods. The Okuma Makaira MK-ST-801MH showed me a rod can have incredible power, while still possessing a lighter tip section. That night I hooked into a viscous flathead right over some very dense cover. An epic battle ensued with the fish attempting to get back to the bottom and into the cover numerous times, and trying to go under the boat to the other side a couple times. The Mak rod was bent back about half way to the handle with a perfect bend. The mid section of this rod is very strong, put flexes well under heavy pressure. The backbone is also great. Almost perfect. I wish I had a picture of the bend in the rod during this fight. It would be an amazing picture, and show the power of this rod much better than I can describe it with words. The fight ended with the 50+" flathead posing for a couple quick photos with me, before returning to his home at the bottom of the river.
If you can't tell by now, I'm very taken with these Makaira rods. I normally won't use a rod longer that 7' 6", and I prefer shorter than that. But the extra length of these rods makes them so much more versatile than a shorter rod. The bend of these rods under heavy pressure leaves you with a fighting section that is more like a 4' rod than an 8' rod. Basically bending over the top 4' from the tip. Now don't misunderstand me, I don't mean to say they are weak in the midsection. It's actually quite the opposite. They have just the right power in the midsection, only bending over under heavy pressure, but providing just enough strength for casting heavy baits and weight. But the tip is light. If you take these rods out for some channel cat action, you won't miss a nibble. If you are drifting for blues, they flex just right. Casting massive live bait for flatheads, no problem. This is as close to a do it all rod I have ever encountered.
Now for the particulars. The Okuma Makaira MK-ST-801MH is an 8' rod designed for sturgeon fishing, thus the light tip. The blank is a high end carbon composite, and the guides are the top of the line Alps guides with Zirconium inserts, deep pressed into stainless steel frames. The reel seat is an top of the line Alps aluminum. The x-flock grips are my favorite of all the rods I have ever used. Simply the best components money can buy for this type of application. These components are what I have had installed on several of my custom rods. That leads me to one of the reason for the extended time involved to write this review. At this point, I see almost no reason to spend the extra money to have custom catfishing rods built. The only reasons I can see is if you want a certain blank that isn't available anywhere else, or if you want some sort of custom design touch only available by having a custom rod built. Otherwise you can have a custom quality rod with the absolute best components available for less than half the price of those components on a custom rod. That's right, these components on a decent blank would cost you double the $150 price tag of these Makaira rods. Trust me, I have paid the price for these components several times, and $250 is the least I have ever had to pay.
With several friends who wrap custom rods, I have struggled trying to write this review. I simply refuse to lie in a product review, or leave something this huge unsaid. A couple different times over the last few months I decided to put this review on the back burner. Not wanting to hurt my friends chances of getting orders for custom rods to provide for their families. But after serious soul searching I can't continue to be silent about these amazing rods from Okuma. The Makaira MK-ST-801MH is an amazing rod built with the best components money can buy, and capable of handling any catfishing situation. Use this rod locked down in the rod holder with circle hooks for big blues or dime sized cut bait for eater channels, or j or kahle hooks with braided line and massive live bait for flatheads, it doesn't matter. This brilliant rod from Okuma will shine.
Chuck.
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