OKUMA'S AFFORDABLE CONVECTOR CV20L LEVELWIND

In a market saturated with different types of reels and companies producing them, people in the market tend to do alot of head scratching when shopping. And why shouldn't they? We have the wonderful world of the interwebs to flood our craniums with accounts of the performance and accolades of these products. The product in question on this review is from a company that is no stranger to quality catfishing equipment, and as with most of their products, they deliver in a way that will fit most catfish anglers budgets.
The Okuma Convector CV20L is a lightweight (16z) levelwind baitcaster that packs a heavyweight punch when squaring off on a big catfish. I had an opportunity to pick up two of these reels which have been paired up on Okuma Battle Cat rods and put to good use in the Tennessee River. The very first thing that stood out to me on the first outing with these new reels was the fact they cast well. Very well! Having tried both 50lb mono and 80lb HiSeas Braid, I'm going to have to say with the braid especially this thing casts like a rocket, on the same level as many traditional reels. Mono capacity is 290/14 (0.35), 230/18 (0.40), 210/20 (0.42), so for its size you get plenty of line capacity for most any situation. While rated at 18lbs of drag, it isnt quite as much as some competitors but remains very smooth, and when combined with its line capacity is more than enough to tangle with some monster cats. At 5.0:1, it has the highest gear ratio of the Convector series. Spool engagement is easy and smooth and the drop down gearbox added with its ratio makes for easy reeling. It uses brass main/pinion gears inside the corrosion resistant body and also has a durable dual anti-reverse setup with both mechanical and rollerbearing. A nice wide levelwind allows for easy spooling and reduced friction casting, while the coating is designed for braided line and wire. The width also allows knots to pass through smoothly withut becoming snagged up. A large Ergo-grip knob on the power handle allows a comfortable purchase for your hand and has proven to be quite nice. The final piece of this product that really bring it all together is the outstanding price. With an average retail of around $84.99 it should fit most budgets and this is all the better if you are needing to purchase multiple reels. I foresee these reels being in my service for quite sometime after the impression they have made this year and I encourage you to check them out along with the other great equipment Okuma has to offer us catmen.

Budget gear special : Shimano TLD Star reel by Chuck.

This will be the start of what I hope to be a new series of articles covering budget friendly gear. Something not really found much on the pages of this website. Over the last couple of years I've spent most of my time testing expensive saltwater gear. But testing top end gear is one of the main reasons I started this website. To expose catfish anglers to gear they wouldn't hear about otherwise. However, I get asked quite often to recommend budget gear.
Sure, there is some budget gear out there that is top shelf gear, but I haven't used much of it. The Catfight series of rods from Bottom Dwellers being a perfect example of gear that punches way above it's price point. There are plenty of decent rods out there at a similar price point that will get the job done, but not very many reels that I can reccomend for pulling monster flatheads out of heavy cover.
If you have read any of my articles in the past, you know I think 20# of drag is about the minimum I would recommend for this type of fishing. Finding an inexpensive reel that will do 20# of drag has been a difficult task. From the factory the Shimano TLD Star is rated at 13.2# of drag. Certainly adequate for most catfishing, but far from the 20# I looking for to battle monster flatheads in heavy cover.
The cure for the low drag numbers is where carbontex drag washers from Smooth Drag comes in. For $17 you get 4 carbon washers that will pump up the drag on these reels to over 20#. Exactly what I've been looking for. Slap on some Cal's drag grease and install the new washers, and you will be ready to tangle with big fish in heavy cover.
The 15/30 size of this reel (a 20/40 size is also available) is the subject of this article. The reel is all graphite, and weighs about 17 ounces.
Pretty light for a big fish reel. It will hold about 340 yards of 80# braid. With a 5.2:1 gear ratio it will put about 38" of line back on the reel with every handle crank. This should provide a reasonable amount of power for fighting big fish. With only 2 ball bearings this isn't the smoothest reel on the market, but I really haven't noticed that much of a difference. The reel cast great! The tension control for the spool gives a wide adjustment range, making casting of different weight a piece of cake.
So far this reel doesn't sound all that special, but open the reel up and see what makes this the best budget reel I've ever seen. Under the side plates this reel is almost all stainless steel, and as easy to work on as an old Penn. Dead simple on the inside. All the extra parts not really needed have been left out of this design, leaving the absolute minimum parts to get the job done. This is how they made reels in the old days. Long term reliability should be off the charts.
Yes, I know, it doesn't have a level wind. I know people get all worried about it. I'm not really sure why. Before using my first non level wind reel I was worried too. Then I tried one and couldn't figure out what all the fuss was about. It really isn't hard to put the line back on. It doesn't have to go back on like a level wind reel puts it on. It doesn't have to be perfect. Just don't bunch up 100 yards of line on one side. No big deal. If you don't believe me, pick up an old Penn non level wind from ebay for $10 and try it out. Put on some cheap mono and give it a shot.
Soon you will see it becomes second nature. Not long after that you won't want level winds on any of your reels. This will open up a whole new world of reels to try. Most of the best reels made today are non level wind. For catfishing duties a non level wind reel truly shines fishing vertical.
Whether it be drifting for big blues, or fishing vertical over structure for flatheads, the Shimano TLD Star 15/30 will get the job done. Short lob casts to nearby shallow water structure from the boat is another way I've utilized this fantastic reel. I have also tried this reel for bank duty casting 3 ounces of weight with a good sized piece of cut bait. It's a wonderful casting reel. Something it has in common with almost all of the other Shimano reels. For bank duty the clicker works great. About the same tension as an old Penn reel. More than most of the Abu's, but certainly not the tightest clicker I have used. I would call it just about right. Nice and loud as well.
The one thing I didn't like about the 15/30 is the handle. If you like the old Penn reels with the football handle you will be right at home here. Me, I didn't like it. So I found an upgrade handle on Amazon. With the new handle and the carbontex drag washers, these reels are as good as anything I have used short of the $500 Okuma Makaira's. I liked them better than several reels I have used in the $2-300 price range.

I haven't found anything this reel isn't good at. It's casting ability is every bit as good as any reel I have ever used. My old Abu 6500s have nothing on this reel. Neither does the Shimano Tekota. The Shimano TLD Star reels are just fabulous reels. Not just fabulous for the money, but fabulous period.
The Shimano TLD Star 15/30 modified with carbontex drag washers and the upgraded handle get my top award for an inexpensive reel for any kind of catfishing. As a matter of fact, if you aren't thinking of spending several hundred dollars on a reel, I don't think you can do much better. This reel strikes me as an all graphite non level wind version of the Shimano Tekota with less parts. Look around on eBay and you can pick these up for less than $75 used, or grap a new one for $110. I got a steal on mine for $35 each! Even with the upgrades it's no more expensive than the popular big fish reels today. You can always pick one up and upgrade it over time if money is tight.
So just forget about the fact that the Shimano TLD Star doesn't have a level wind. Just pick one up for cheap and try it out. You can thank me later.
Chuck.

No One Said It Would Be Easy...

The obsession; the sickness.  The highs and the lows that come with pursuing any great passion in life.  The struggle to balance that life to a healthy level while still following the call, the draw you feel every single day. No matter how you slice it, it’s work to keep a dream like that alive. A severe love hate/relationship that’s capable of showing you some of your best and worst sides. Anyone stricken by the bowhunting virus or spring turkey plague can relate. Hours, days, weeks and months of preparation and planning. An entire season lying in wait with the trap set, begging for just a chance. One opportunity to scratch the itch and justify the madness that has led you to this point rain or shine (and it’s usually rain). Welcome to trophy flathead fishing.
Most will never understand this concept. But how could they? Such a large percentage of the world’s population today lives day to day without passion, or at least without pursuing the passions that they may have had at some point.  There are excuses, reasoning, even common sense that turn most away as they continue on without any great pursuit.  True, die hard trophy catfishermen are a rare kind. “You fish all night, X amount of nights every year, just to catch a fish you’re going to immediately let go?!” I’ve heard it before, countless times. The answer? Yes. I’d explain further but they won’t get it and I don’t care to waste my time trying to make them.  It’s truly an addiction and unless you’re part of it, no explanation can justify these means. This may sound cliché, but it’s more than fishing. It always has been. Anyone can fish. Hell, you’ve got to be a decent stick just to consistently catch your bait trip after trip. But it takes more than that to consistently tame the largest and most misunderstood fish swimming in our water.
Timing.  Timing is everything here.  Radio telemetry studies have shown that lake flatheads are sometimes very inactive. It can vary throughout the season but once settled into their post spawn routine, these studies have shown that large adult flatheads may only roam to feed one night out of 14 consecutive nights.  How’s that for odds? Anyone with their chicken liver and spincast reel can get lucky now and then, but it’s a widely held opinion that consistently catching trophy flatheads in freshwater lakes is one of the hardest challenges in freshwater fishing. So you’ve put in the time to narrow down a potentially productive area to fish. A likely path of travel that one of these giants MIGHT use to get from A to B while foraging.  You pack your gear (you’ve acquired quite a bit by now), fuel the boat, pack food and drinks, buy bait to catch bait, spend an entire afternoon (or several leading up to a night of fishing) gathering other live fish for bait, all in hopes that the one night you’ve chosen to fish is the night Mr. Lowjow decides to get off of his butt and feed.  That amount of work for a 7% chance? Yes, every damn time.
Now, there are factors that may (or may not) increase your likelihood of engaging them on an active night. Weather patterns, lake level, time of year, baitfish activity, water temperature fluctuations, moon phase…I could go on. Even then, it’s speculation.  The endless combinations of these factors are what keep us awake at night, along with the ultimate fear that you may be fishing the wrong area. The best location on any given lake fished on the wrong night is still a blank, as is the wrong spot on a great night.
Fishless nights are an accepted part of this game, though. Most agree that if you’re finding a solid fish every 3 or 4 trips (and yes, that’s entire nights spent fishing) then you’re doing very well. Dry spells are common and painful, some lasting quite a while. Some of the best known flathead fishermen around will go 15-20 trips without a decent adult fish on occasion. They test your will and crush your confidence. You’ll question everything you thought you knew, and every careful note you’ve taken over years of experimentation.  But you can’t quit. The only way to end the streak is to keep fishing. You keep telling yourself that you’re in this game because you love it. You go because it’s fun and you live like a gorilla soldier in the bush for countless nights because you enjoy it.  That’s true, to a point. But there’s more to it. You can’t let the obsession defeat you. You hate to lose. You’ve come this far and you won’t let a few fishless nights keep you from realizing your goal. Or weeks, or a month…
But then, it happens. You’re rousted from your sleepy daze by the steady humming of a reel slowly being stripped of its line.  You know what’s there. You’ve been at this long enough to know it’s not another channel cat, or a turtle lumbering off with a bait that’s expired too soon. You creep over to the rod in total silence/darkness, slip off the clicker and feel the line paying out under your thumb. Thousands of thoughts cross your mind in a single blink of an eye as you engage the reel and wait for the slow pull. The line comes tights and you drill him. The rod bows hard against the angry brick wall shaking his damn head in a rage somewhere out there in the dark. Then, your line starts to peel again, this time against the drag. How big is it? Can I stop it? Is he hooked well or skin hooked in the roof of the mouth, again…? He slows as you gain line and work him closer to your position with your knees shaking thinking about how you’re going to fit this leviathan in your already oversized landing net. After several more runs and angry, bull dogging head shakes, he’s there. You slide the net out in front of you and drag ol’ grand daddy funk-mouth into the net that’s sat dry in the bushes for too many nights before.  It’s done. Season justified. Crazy obsessive preparation, lack of sleep, ass busting totally justified. So now what? Here you are standing with your prize at your feet, finally defeated. He hangs in the sling as the scales tip to new numbers you may never have seen before while chasing a freshwater fish.  You get your grips and grins with the big guy, and then he’s gone. As any good cat man knows, catch and release angling is the only way to ensure that our sport will live on to any degree.  The fish that’s kept you awake for nights in a row, season after season, was there and gone in a few minutes and is already back to sulking at the bottom of that muddy water you’ve spent your summer living on.
Was it worth it?  If you’re still reading this babble, the answer is most likely yes. You’ll be back, fresh notes in the notebook, and a new PB to break. And you will, eventually. You just have to keep fishing, right?  That’s the funny thing about passions.  They never stop. Each goal accomplished is simply another goal set. The bar is higher now but you wouldn’t have it any other way. Most will see your photo hanging on some bait shop wall or on an online forum and think “wow I’d love to catch a fish like that some day,” never realizing how much is behind that simple picture. And that’s just fine. If they want it bad enough, they’ll learn to make it happen. “Let each man find his own way to flatheads” is the best way I’ve heard this put, as quoted in an In-fisherman publication by an elderly die-hard that has since passed on having landed the world record flathead more than once. It’s been a slow spring season for our group, with small fish and fishless nights starting to pile up. But we’ll be back. We’ll always be back. This is as much a part of us as anything else and there is no “quit” in our vocabulary. Keep the faith boys, it WILL happen. Won’t it?

Tails From The Past

[caption id="attachment_1206" align="alignnone" width="1137"] getting a great start to the year thus far[/caption]
by Matt Lynch
Catfish. One word that can stir up emotions ranging from hardly a furled brow, to a quickening heartbeat. Who hasn't caught Mr. Whiskers before at some point in their angling endevours? The question becomes how much was this end result pursued? Was he merely a byproduct of another targeted species? Was he the focus of the angler all along, adding to the sense of accomplishment in landing the targeted ictaluridae? In either case, when you met him, you probably were a little suprised at his tenacity and his penchant for suprising you at the boat when he made his final drag stripping run back for the gloomy depths. For some of us, these traits he possesses leads us to target him specifically. And we all have our stories as a result...
Although my first encounters with Mr. Whiskers predate my early obsession, my story and memories start out around the age of thirteen. Although not getting to go very often, nothing was more exciting than getting to pursue backwater channel catfish in my early youth. The beauty of catfishing is it can be as simplistic or as technical as you want to make it. Naturally in my earlier endevours simplistic won out and the technical part progressed. For a time I was content with my Johnson Century, Rhino Rod, and some outdated 8lb mono, throwing a simplistic unpainted lead jig with a nightcrawler wofting in the current. However at some point when you are fishing for a family of fish that can grow in excess of 100lbs, those little skillet size offerings give way to the urge to have a moderate saltwater rod doubled over with a true giant frothing the water and sending a mixture of slime and water all over the boat.
I began working at age thirteen at the marine store where my father works to help support the addiction and to keep myself occupied when not in school. It was a fun and simplistic time, usually spent stocking shelves, cleaning boats, and if I was really lucky helping my dad go do an on the water test where I keenly studied the banks seeking new hiding spots for a big cat. It was also a time that catfishing was beginning to bud in the eyes of the young media. Well before social media and tournaments, I can remember about three different publications at the time, the primary one of interest being In-Fisherman's Catfish Insider. I still have every one of these ever printed and even still have some old decals/patches to this day. I scoured the pages trying to learn more. I wasn't content just picking a shoreline and guessing at what it might hide. I wanted to know what attributes would offer the proper housing to a nomadic cat seeking rest. I remember staring in awe at pages and pictures of Doug Stange and his catfishing adventures and feeling a connection. I even began calling him at the In-Fisherman office to ask for advice because this man was far greater a celebrity to me than anyone else. Luckily, being such a kind hearted person, he was more than happy to entertain my calls, questions, and letters, and always had the proper guidance from his vast years of fishing to point me in the right direction and to this day I'm still very thankful to him for it. Even being kind enough to let me write some small articles with hopes of gracing the pages of his magazine. As a byproduct of my early job, I was able to finally upgrade some gear. No more would I pick up a Zebco spincaster, no more would I use cheap equipment that would at some point lead to heartbreak when it failed in a brawl of boy and whiskers. I remember my flagship rod and reel combo which at the time felt like I was putting down money on a mortgage. If only I knew then how cheap it would be today in hindsight. I finally was able to go to battle with a brand new Ugly Stik Tiger and Penn 209M loaded up with 50lb Big Game, a setup that as I now type this, is setting on the rod rack behind me waiting to hit the water in a few days. I was very quick to learn the concept of "get what you pay for" and I never skimped out. I remember my father questioning my very high priced catfish bag with its $50 price tag. A day when soft side bags were just beginning to catch on along with the Plano boxes, but I don't regret it for one second. Why do I not? Because it's still the only catfish bag I've ever had or needed and every shad scale deep within it and every stain from dipbait has a story. That bag has saw many triumphant returns to the ramp with huge flatheads waiting for a quick photo before the release, days baking in the sun on the Clinch for a quick skillet sized channel cat, and hectic days on the Tennessee River brawling with blue cats. That same bag sets patiently at my feet right now waiting to supply me with my tackle whenever it is needed.
I also remember a more simple outlook with boats. My first boat, being a 1958 Norris Craft 13ft tiller with an only slightly younger 7.5hp Mercury on the back. This was before downscan, side imaging, and GPS. A time when generic black and white 2D graphs and flashers ruled the water. However I lacked even these crude devices, instead relying only on local knowledge of the water and the aquatic terrain during winter pool, when the vast aquatic canvas was subdued by the TVA dams heavy generation into smaller pockets revealing an otherwise alien landscape. I was always watchful for old creekbeds and drops that would serve as the roadmap to the underwater predators as they moved between haunts. Always daydreaming of what a deep cut in the bank or hollow log would look like with the bulk of a 50lb flathead protruding from it during high water times to come.
There's enough smaller stories from these times to write a book about, but these are just a few memories from the beginnings of an addiction. These days the world is much more high paced and hectic. A family and work occupy the majority of my time and I've also become engrossed in the world of muskie angling with a venture with a couple friends in the latter years. I have to admit, I've been slacking alot on putting a hook in Mr. Whisker due to this but as I gear up for this year, I think I'm going to go back to a distant time and promenade more often with the big cats. It's a good step back from the crazy part of life and also gives way to great opportunity to get my wife and kid in the boat with me when the sun warms the air and the towering concrete leviathans constructed by TVA allows the waters to rise back into the shallow lairs where no panfish is safe from hungry eyes of a lurking catfish. Yes, Mr. Whisker, you best ready yourself. I'm coming back more motivated than ever with some new tricks up my sleeve, for the same ol' song and dance.

UNFATHOMABLE PERFORMANCE FROM PENN FISHING

[caption id="attachment_1197" align="alignnone" width="1137"] Some Battle Cat Rods and Fathom ready for combat[/caption][caption id="attachment_1198" align="alignnone" width="1137"] FTH12 Penn Fathom cranking down on a big blue cat on the TN River[/caption][caption id="attachment_1199" align="alignnone" width="1137"] Another big flathead that got the beatdown by the Penn Fathom in the hands of UT Catfishing Clubs commander-in-chief, Marc Cooper[/caption][caption id="attachment_1200" align="alignnone" width="1137"] Palms so well![/caption][caption id="attachment_1201" align="alignnone" width="1137"] 25lbs of drag make sure those runners don't run very long[/caption][caption id="attachment_1202" align="alignnone" width="1280"] At one point, this musky actually thought it had a chance against the Fathom.[/caption]
By Matt Lynch
At the young age of thirteen, I threw down my first hard earned money on the counter at a local tackle store. Grinning ear to ear, I was finally buying my first "serious" catfish reel. Having had my fill of lesser equipment wavering in the presence of Tennessee's behemoth catfish I elected to purchase a Penn 209M Levelwind. I didn't know much about reels yet, but I did know that anytime I looked at pictures of the old hardcore cat guys that knew what it took to muscle up those volkswagon sized flatheads from the snags they called home, they usually had a big Penn reel. Same for all the pictures and shows with saltwater guys needing the best of the best. They turn to Penn, so surely it had to be the answer to my own delima.
Fast forward to today and I've had alot of catfish reels over the years. Although the Penn was a brute, I was often enchanted with some of the other more, shall we say...refined reels. Reels I won't name in this article as they are still great reels but I've noticed something. They've all been either rebuilt/upgraded or they are in a state of disrepair just waiting for their time to finally give up the ghost and go off in the mail for an overhaul. That old Penn I first bought sixteen years ago that I only oiled for the first time last year though? Why it's still doing just fine with little more than some cosmetic wear to its stalwart surface even after all these years with zero maintenance and squaring off against so many monster flatheads. Sure, it's abit behind the times with its slower gear ratio, but my son will be using this reel long after I'm gone. Infact recently I acquired a few old antique wall hanger rod and reel combos from a good friend. When loading them up in my 4Runner I noticed one was infact...an old Penn. Jokingly I told him this one just needs some new line probably, but little did I know, it was no joke. After removing an ancient birdsnest of heavy dacron, I engaged the spool and it began to rotate freely. Just as smoothly infact as my own original. How many decades of abuse it had witnessed is beyond my knowledge but it was a mixture of colors from green, gray, brown, with plenty of crud hiding its original color. Two hours worth of detail stripping and scraping out crusty old grease and polishing with a mixture of chemicals, it was now about as nice as it was going to get. So I threw some Big Game 40lb on it and put it in the stable with the other old warhorses.
Now the reason for all this backstory is a good one, because although the same old 209M is still in production, Penn has a new range of offerings on the table. Meet the Penn Fathom series. The Fathom series is available in both lever and star drag, 2 speed, levelwind, and non levelwind. Although I'll be adding more to the inventory, I opted for the small Fathom FTH12 initially. I was looking for a reel to outfit with 80-100lb braid for both catfish and muskie and I wanted a non-levelwind. Now to many muskie guys this is quite an oddity, as Penn typically isn't even thought of in the muskie community, and I know only one other muskie guy personally who prefers non-levelwind. Because of this part of the requirement, I needed a reel I could palm, as that's how I muskie fish. the FHT12 fits snugly in the palm of your hand and is a beauty to fish with all day long. With its 6.0:1 gear ratio it also makes easy work of any muskie lure you need to crank in or other large baits. It also boasts the HT-100 drag system with a 25lb drag, heavier drag being available on the larger models, and the first muskie that squared off against it found out the hard way.
Now for its secondary duty, catfish, it shines equally with a very audible baitclicker that is also recessed so that it don't become accidentally engaged. It has Penn's Live Spindle design so rest assured if you need to launch an 8oz sinker and half a skipjack over the horizon it won't be a problem on the Fathom. At 15.5oz with all metal frame and sideplates it won't wear out prematurely either and should be more than capable of lasting a lifetime or two. Line capacity for catfishing is usually abit more critical than for muskie since a big blue in open water current may rob your spool of more than half its capacity during a brawl. The capacity for the FTH12 is 360/10 300/12 230/15 for mono and 525/15 420/20 320/30 for braided line and the spool is marked with lines to have a visual reference for how much line you have out. It also features a very large but comfortable power handle with a rubberized grip surface. Nicely knurled surfaces on both the spool tension cap and the lever ensure your fingers won't be slipping.
After spending abit more time with this setup, the one and only thing that was abit of a letdown, was when flipping the reel over and looking at the foot I noticed a small sticker saying "Made in China". Initially this felt like a slap in the face after always knowing Penn as the all American reel company but I guess everyone has their price when outsourcing becomes an option. Even with this on my mind before my first use on the water, it never let me down and never betrayed its strong roots from the same place my other unfailing Penns came from. It takes little effort to get use to engaging the spool manually after the cast which it doesn't do for you unlike some other reels but if you're familiar with these style of reels it's common and more importantly it's simple. And because it is simple, it is one less thing that can go wrong. There isn't alot more I can say about it at the present other than more praise of how well it functions and how solid it feels. I've had reels that I questioned when a big fish was on them before but this isn't the same. It feels as solid as a boat trailer winch clamped onto your reel seat. So far it's taken several sizable muskie, striper, and some true monster catfish on the Tennessee River without breaking a sweat. It leaves nothing short of great impressions on the other hands that get to fight a fish on it. If you're looking for a bulletproof conventional baitcasting reel that will outlast you then the Penn Fathom series may be the reel for you. You can check them out on Penns website and read more about the many models they offer. http://www.pennfishing.com/PENN-Fathom/PENN-Reels-Conventional-Reels-PENN-Fathom,default,sc.html

Barbel, an Introduction

A lot of you may be reading the title of this article and wondering what on God’s green earth is a barbel? I doubt it is a term that many of you have come across before. Basically it is a catfish, but not just any catfish but the biggest catfish found in our South African waters. Its official name is the African Sharp tooth Catfish, although that name tends to fire up the imagination and bring forth all sorts of imagined toothy catfish the Barbel doesn’t actually have any teeth, but rather 2 sand paper like pads on the bottom and top jaw, much like your catfish species have. Although the scars on my thumbs will attest that big specimen’s will rip into your flesh if you give them half a chance, but a risk well worth taking.
[caption id="attachment_1171" align="alignnone" width="640"] Rob Hellig with a good barbel.[/caption]
If I were to describe these fantastic catfish to someone, I would call it a cross between your flathead catfish and the European Wels catfish. A long fish, almost snake like but with a sizable heavy head that will eat anything living or dead put in front of it. Like most catfish it is a super predator, highly sensitive lateral lines to detect vibration, big whiskers to taste the water and the skin is made of taste receptors second to none. Basically a barbel is a swimming a tongue, adept at finding food in all of its domain. It can be found in almost all patches of water in our country and can see out cold winters and scorching African summers. Being an African fish it has evolved a very unique adaptation in the catfish world to survive the harsh conditions it lives in, imagine you are a catfish swimming around in a shallow pond in the middle of an African summer, rain hasn’t fallen for months and your pond is getting smaller and smaller the oxygen levels are dropping and the water covering your back is almost gone. Disaster right? Wrong, these amazing fish have evolved to beat the African weather, they have a lung, that’s right they can breathe air!!! These fish breath in oxygen much the same way we do, this is due to the fact the Barbel’s swim bladder is basically about as useful as our spleen, the fish use their lung to regulate where they sit in the water column and can be seen coming up to take a big gulp of air before returning to the depths. This allows the fish to either wait till night fall and wriggle to a new deeper pond or to bury itself in mud until the rains come and continue to breath. Amazing adaptation to what can be harsh living conditions.
[caption id="attachment_1173" align="alignnone" width="588"] Peter From Highveld Charters with a beautiful Vaal Dam sharptooth catfish[/caption]
Actually fishing for these fish can be as easy as scratching your nose or as difficult as answering that dreaded question from your wife, Do I look fat in these jeans? As with all catfish the smaller ones are not that challenging to fish for and rather dumb when it comes down to it, but as these fish grow so does their intelligence. These fish have to contend with hungry locals, fish eagles, crocodiles and other barbel to reach a good size. Seeing as these fish can reach past 170lbs getting that big with everything trying to eat you, you learn a thing or 2 about staying alive. Although skulls of fish over 170lbs have been found and I’m sure we will eventually find or catch a 200 pounder, a really good size for this fish is around 40 to 60 lbs with the IGFA all tackle record being a mere 100lbs. One of the reasons we have battled to get our big fish out has been fishing techniques and tackle, cant bring a 150lb fish out on tackle meant for a 20lb carp, and also the popularity of the species among anglers, often considered a trash fish and not as valuable as a bass or carp there was little or no info on how to catch them for many years. Guys still laugh at me from time to time when I tell them I’m fishing for catfish, but that just leaves more catfish for me. This is slowly starting to change with more and more anglers going out to get stuck into one of these majestic fish. I’m sure in the not so distant future we will see our bigger specimens coming out more regularly.
Fishing techniques for these fish does not differ too much from what you guys will be accustomed to. We bank fish for them, fly fish for them and have developed our own method of lure fishing called klopping (That is a science in itself) and of course targeting them off the boat. The majority of the fishing is bait fishing, bait here ranges from everything to anything with us literally using whatever we can find. Personal favourites of mine are carp, bass( I know this may seem strange to folks, but we have thousands of them here) tilapia, platties (Ill explain these in a minute) Day old chickens (Dead of course) and doves. These baits can look graphic and a bit blood thirsty, but they drive Mr Whiskers wild and will get you the fish you seek. Our fish baits like carp and tilapia are prepared much in the same manner as what you guys will use. One difference I have noticed is that we seem to use bigger ground baits when bank fishing, it is not uncommon for guys to use a 3kg or 6/7lb fish as bait whole or cut in half and I know guys who use even bigger baits than these the adage being big baits equal big fish and it does work really well. We do use birds as bait ( I will stress that all birds are long dead before they are used). Birds may seem really strange to use as bait, but we look at it like this, what is the fish eating naturally? I can tell you now if I take you to an overhanging tree in spring and cast a weightless day old chicken under the tree I’m going to go tight. The fish sit under the trees waiting for hatchlings to fall into the water, so why not use this to your advantage? One of our best baits and many guys go to bait is a platanner, or the African clawed frog. These frogs are found everywhere, although there is a rare sub species which we do not use, and readily available if you know how to trap them or know a guy who will sell them to you. These frogs are catfish candy and the fish just can’t leave them alone, fished alive or dead you are almost guaranteed a fish with them.
[caption id="attachment_1172" align="alignleft" width="449"] Barbel caught while drifting.[/caption]
Targeting these fish is where it really becomes interesting with guys having varied opinions on where and how to locate them. I’ve been fishing for these fishing as my main target for 8 years and I’m still no closer to giving a definitive answer to guys questions when it comes to that. But some simple rules apply, this is a predator, so what do predators eat? Find a food source and you will find fish, an area I know will always hold fish is a reed bank, and usually the reed bank is in shallow water with a small or steep drop off into some deeper water. This will always be a good spot as smaller prey, whether it be fish, snail, frogs, insects etc. will be hiding in these reeds and the fish wait below until they move into eat. It is a good place to start fishing. A big advantage to knowing if you are in the right spot is the fish using that lung it has, you can see and hear it come up for air blatantly giving away its position. So at least you know the fish are in the area, getting them to bite is another story. Although when fishing open water from the bank with little to no structure I fish baits at different depths to try locate the feeding fish. Ill fish one very shallow, one really deep and one in the middle. I do move them around based on my thoughts of where they are but this gives me a better idea of where the fish are moving around an I can position baits accordingly after a couple of runs. Drifting off boats is really becoming popular; although not a new technique it was just rarely used. We drift in water from 4ft deep to 30ft. These fish will often hold together in shallow water warming themselves in the sun, it’s an awesome sight to behold when a 30 pounder smashes a bait in 3 ft of water.
I hope this has shed at least a little light on the majesty that is the African Sharptooth Catfish and that you enjoyed reading a little about this fish. I hope to share more with you in the future.
Tight lines.
Rob Hellig (CatFish Africa).

Okuma Komodo 350 Low-Profile Reel Review

As anglers, like other skilled tradesmen and women, we have developed a diverse set of tools to serve a very specific purpose or function. Some of these implements can be extremely useful in one area, while lacking the necessary qualities or attributes in another. Bearing that in mind, a third group consists of multi-faceted machines that possess a very diverse array of useful qualities. After having an absolute blast in Chattanooga, Tennessee bottom-bouncing with rod in hand for brutish blue catfish this summer with two great new friends Richard Simms and Ty Konkle, it became apparent to me that my current arsenal at the time didn’t fit the bill for that specific form of catfish angling. Large and at times overly bulky reels simply weren’t ergonomic enough to be comfortably manipulated for a long period of time and thus my search began for a solution to suffice the need. I immediately began to talk to Charles Luck, our founder and mentor, about finding the right reel for the job and he almost seamlessly advised me to look into the Okuma Komodo 350 model number KDR-364 P, Okuma’s new low-profile reel.

Like the vast majority of Okuma reels, the Komodo is built to last with solid internals made up of stainless steel gearing and shafts, aluminum side plates and frame, along with a non-disengaging level wind system, and a solid power handle for cranking in large catfish. I will touch on these points independently as you move through this review.

To say this reel is simply just a bottom bouncing reel would be a gross understatement of its overall capabilities. Over the course of two months I personally have used this reel for musky, striper, and catfishing duties. Several nice blue catfish have been landed on this reel without any complications whatsoever, and it seems to be much easier for new people to catfishing in general to use effectively. As a leader in the Catfishing Club at the University of Tennessee, I regularly introduce new anglers to the sport of catfishing, therefore, multiple hands other than my own have come into contact with the Komodo. The vast majority of the users preferred the Komodo to my larger reels. It was much easier for them to manipulate and use, while also having 25 pounds of stopping force to put the brakes on any fish that it came into contact with.

If you are diligently searching for a well-oiled machine that can “do it all” the Komodo KDR-364 P is what you’re looking for.  Its casting ability is strikingly superior to my larger Abu Garcia 7000i reels. The non-disengaging level wind helps to lessen the amount of friction caused by braided line as it passes through the level wind, and less friction will lead to further casts.  Often times, the distance that you are able to cast from shore exponentially increases your odds of catching fish. With 4-6 ounces of weight and large gobs of skipjack herring most breaklines can be reached within a single long-bomb cast.

I was extremely surprised with how loud the bait clicker was. There have been multiple occasions on night shore fishing trips where the clicker awoke me from a deep slumber. It is pleasantly smooth to turn on and off, while also not being easy to inadvertently engage mid-battle with a fish. As for line capacity, braid is necessary for this reel. My reel is pooled with 65 lb. Suffix 832 braided line and conservatively holds 165 yards of that. Line capacity has never been a problem.

Throwing large swimbaits and jigs for flatheads has recently become a topic of intense debate and discussion. I believe that this reel would also be incredibly useful for that specific purpose as well. After all, throwing 10-12 inch musky jerkbaits and soft plastics is a breeze with the Komodo.

The high gear ratio of 6.4:1 and 31 inches per turn helps you to keep constant pressure on a catfish making a mad dash towards the boat. Slack + circle hook = possible heartbreak. We have had fish totally load a rod up in its holder and burn straight at the boat. Within a few cranks we could put tension back on the fish. I will include a link to Okuma’s website with all of the aforementioned specifications on it.
http://www.okumafishing.com/product/view/reels/baitcast-reels-low-profile/komodo-350

Tight lines and welcome to the Quest for Monster Catfish!