What's your catfish setup?

[walleyeking19]

Got my first catfish tonight, probably a 10 pounder, and now I'm hooked! So I'm looking at getting a rod made for catfish, cause I dont really have much besides bass/walleye rods.

So what do you guys use? Rod/Reel/Line? I dont have tons of money, but I dont want to be cheap if I get one. Thanks for your help!

[dan z]

Well there's a guy named "rushing" right here at hso that'll make you a great custom rod. He may chime in he may not.

I have a couple setups from ABU's to shimano's line ranging from 60-100lbs and rods from 6.5' to 9'

My favorite rod and reel setup is a tackle industry 8.5' with a 400a Cardiff. With 90lb line

[Gordie]

I have several set ups cause one is just not enough

Abu Garcia 6500c with 65lb. suffix with a Fenwick heavy 6'6" cat rod. This has pulled in many big flats including the one in my avatar and will work for just about any size cat on the water.

Good Luck and welcome to the addiction

[Brad B]

Got my first catfish tonight, probably a 10 pounder, and now I'm hooked! So I'm looking at getting a rod made for catfish, cause I dont really have much besides bass/walleye rods.

So what do you guys use? Rod/Reel/Line? I dont have tons of money, but I dont want to be cheap if I get one. Thanks for your help!

for now I am just running the shakespeare catfish series ugly sticks and 6500 series Abu Garcias(6501c3) with 40 and 50lb suffix braid for channel cats. for my flathead rod I run the 7000 series Abu Garcias(7001I)with 80Lbs Braid and a custom rod made by A.W. Wolfram. I have since started to build my own rods and have a idea for a channel cat rod that will run me around $75.00 for the components. I just need to order the components and get started building it. I also plan to build a flathead version using the next heavier blank then what I plan to use on the channel cat rod.

since you're in Buffalo and I am in Monticello and the river is right here we should meet up and chase the channel cats sometime when things start to warm up. it might still be a little early right now. send me a PM if interested in meeting at the river sometime.

[BigJakeL]

Welcome to the addiction is right. When I first started for cats I bought a twenty dollar heavy duty rod and reel combo at walmart for 20 bucks,150 yards of 65lb line, some swivels, some mono line for a leader and a bunch of hooks. Total cost 40 bucks maybe still got the pole and still catch fish just use a little different set up

[Rick G]

The great thing about catfishing is, you realy don't need the best of equipment to have success. A $30-$40 combo, and another 15-20 in tackle and line will get you started. Many years ago I started Catting with a old Eagle Claw reel and a big heavy Ugly Stick As time passed, I upgraded my gear to suit my fishing needs, or I should say, my wants after all, I could still get by with that $30 combo if I had to. But imo using the best equipment you can afford is more fun

[JeremyCampbell]

That's the similar set up I been useing for catfish.So far I broke one cheapo reel and replaced it with one a little better.I'm an Amature fishermen so I'm learning as I am in the fever too.

[DTro]

Skimp on the rod before you skimp on the reel. Cheap reels will succumb to hard fighting fish and the elements we river bottom dwellers put them through.

Penn

Shimano

Abu Garcia

Okuma

These are all fairly well respected brands in the catfish world.

As with any species you can spend as little or as much as you would like, but the best bang for your buck is usually somewhere in the middle.

Good Luck

[Shack]

Many years ago I started Catting with a old Eagle Claw reel and a big heavy Ugly Stick

I remember when the Ugly Stick was an upgrade in itself.

Mid nineties: Splurged and upgraded my river cat/carp combo and bought an Ugly Stick rod without reel for close to $50, which by the way was insane money at the time for any rod for me let along a river rod. I was shore fishing the Mississippi North and Pool 2 hard, morning, lunch hour and after work 3rd shift at the time back in those days and for one reason or another (hatchback cars and walking in woods to spots) I just could not keep from busting my rods. I think I even had a couple cheap rods snap on me while fishing and reeling fish also.

Ok, bought the Ugle Stick and swear to Gosh on the first time out I set the rod down on a Y stick and turned around for second and looked back only to watch it go flying right into the river. Even today I still see it plain as day in my minds eye sailing off the Y stick and into the air and right in the river. Never did by another Ugly Stick let alone any rod of value for a decade or so later.

[harvey lee]

First rod was a Cabelas King Kat rod, have used it for sturgeon and flatheads. For a reel, I have a 7000i ABU. This set up I still use and can handle anything in the Mn river.

I have since purchased others and built a few but the King Kat has and will get the job done in the future.

[Mr Special]

the KingKat/saltstriker "okuma Avenger" combos with baitfeeder are hard to beat for the price. U'ld go 8' with 65series

I agree with Harvey the kingkat rods alone are hard to beat and will wrk for anything that swims fresh n saltwater. I've own a few different version of them for yrs now and i plan to pik another one up to pair it with a 7000 as well

[nsnutter]

I have owned several king kats as well ... They're pretty decent sticks. The ugly stick catfish rod is a decent choice as well, will handle flats, channels, and sturgeon. Both would be okay as entry level rods paired well with an okuma avenger or epixor baitfeeder, or larger baitcaster such as an Abu 7000 or the like. Don't skimp on the reel, but if you're on a very tight budget, okuma makes a decent level wind called the classic xl300 that can get the job done for around $40 bucks.

[dustybaker]

I have an Abu Garcia Ambassador 6500 c4 paired with an Uglystick Big Water Medium-Heavy action rod and 50 pound Power Pro braided line, costs about 165$ with line. I cant afford a pole for everything, so I use this for Catfish, Northerns, and Musky...im sure it would be fine for Sturgeon too.

[Shack]

I looked through my plethora of cat rods and one cheap option I have had no complaints with is Cabela's Whuppin Stick. It's a polymer fiberglass blank and has held up on several larger fish now. I have a Salt Stalker bait caster on it (I believe it has a flat spot on one of the bearings though) but I believe I set this combo up for around $50/$70 in Cabela's Bargain Cave.

Has plenty of backbone for big fish:

[RedRiverLuke]

I run 6500c3's also, I have yet to leave my ugly stiks behind. It is acceptable to have a reel that costs 3 times more than your rod In all reality, I do want to upgrade to custom rods, I'm just lazy. Like Nutter said, the xl300 reel is not bad at all for the money, I got 2 of them to try, and for $32 you can't go wrong. Stop at Gander or Cabelas and buy a combo if you are REALLY short on money. Glad your hooked, its a great time!

[rockman]

For those that prefer a spinning reel, does anyone use a 'baitrunner' style reel? I have a couple baitrunner/freespool reels that could be used for a cat rig, but my 6500's, or the 7000's, will likely see more cat action right now.

[Brad B]

For those that prefer a spinning reel, does anyone use a 'baitrunner' style reel? I have a couple baitrunner/freespool reels that could be used for a cat rig, but my 6500's, or the 7000's, will likely see more cat action right now.

one of the next rods I plan to build for cats will be a spinning rod paired with a Okuma Baitfeeder. now I just need to decide if I want to build it for flatheads or channel cats.

[Gordie]

I have a shimanno 650 baitrunners series reel and it has worked very well for me over the many years of service. I bought this reel in 1986 and my son still uses it, I have it on a ugly stick cat rod

[rockman]

The Shimano 3500B I have is a bit on the small side for flatheads, but could work for channels. I also have a Abu Cardinal freespool reel- model FS 57, that is a bit larger than the 3500. I think those FS series Cardinals were orignally sold in the UK, and European markets. I am not sure if the 57 will hold up in the long run, like the Shimano will. Time will tell.

[bobbymalone]

I would kill for whatever blank catfish safari built their no longer available channel cat rod on.