150 or 200 size Curado for steelhead and salmon.

300 size Curado if it were salmon only.

I have a Lexa HD400 that has caught a ton of yellowtail, up to 40#. Sent it in for service this year and it still looked beautiful inside. Just needed cleaned and lubed.

Caught a pile of good sized sturgeon this summer with a Lexa 400. Fantastic reel…

Tranx 500 is ridiculous. So much power in that reel. My son uses it for yellowtail because I just love the smaller Lexa.

I even use a tiny Shimano Aldebaran BFS for trout stuff because I just love not using spinning gear.

Don’t get hung up on listed drag numbers. The reel manufacturers don’t technically lie about this, but you probably won’t achieve listed drag setting with a full spool of line. In fairness, you won’t need 15# for what you have in mind. Drag setting in the “25# range” would be what I’d set up for an 80# rig…. I don’t even fish that for halibut!

 

I used a $10 temu low pro that blew up on a 10lb carp 🤣🤣🤣

 

I like the Curado 150 for smallmouth. I am sure it would work great for cats. 200 size I use for steelhead and salmon.

 

My curado 200e7 has a couple hundred kings on it and still kicking with only basic maintenance and drag washer replacement

 

I use a Curado 200k for Chinook up to and over 30 pounds. Catfish should be no problem. If worried, get a Curado 300. Tranx is just a saltwater version of the Curado 300.

 

I fish coho when throwing plugs and spinners with a Daiwa Tatula 100, even landed a chinook last year with it. Summer steel, I use a Tatula 200 and landed a chinook with that last year too. I almost forgot the 6 ft sturgeon I landed fishing for summer steel this summer. Did release from anchor to chase that one though. I have a Tatula and Lexa 300 which I believe will handle any fish you'll catch in the Northwest with the exception of a large sturgeon. All mine are left handed which just feels right.

 

Any decent baitcaster is going to handle those catfish just fine.

I've caught hundreds of chinook on low profile Shimanos...a Curado 201 and an old Bantam Black Magnum.

If you want a beastly low profile reel then the Lexa 300s are outstanding. The Curado 300 is great too.

 

I steelhead fish with Curados (200). Never had a problem. Steelhead up to 40 inch. Incidental salmon once in a while. And a ton of bass fishing with them. 200 series no problem for steelies. I size up for the stinky fish😇.

M

 

So those guys using them, how large a fish would you try with one?

Like others have alluded to, low profile reels come in different sizes. A shimano tranx would subdue most fish in the PNW.

Bass sized low profile reels are fine for Oregon channel cats.

 

Watched 50# braid on a tekota 300 handle a 44" halibut while targeting mid-column salmon. Wouldn’t make a habit out of that but with a little boat chasing it did well.



Owl

 

Depends on the reel, some are barely big enough for bass, others will easily land salmon or even larger species.

 

Shimano Curado 300 E7 version is a real beast. Curado 200 series is more for Stealhead or Bass. Diawa Lexa and Okuma low Pro 354 can handle a 30 lb. fish I would guess, but not tested by me.

 

I run Daiwa Lexas and Okuma Coldwater low pros with 65 pound braid and 16 ounces of lead for salmon. If they can handle that I think they will handle anything a catfish is gonna throw at them.

 

It all depends on which make and model you are looking at. Example: Okuma CWS-354 series have 25lb max drag and holds 250' of braid. You could probably land a 50" Sturgeon on that.