# catfish rods



## Ferg11 (May 20, 2010)

thinking about getting a new rod and reel for catfishing. nothing to expensive though. any recommendations? what line too? thanks


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## leftfordead88 (Oct 22, 2007)

Catfishgearusa.com


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## lark101_1999 (Apr 12, 2004)

tell us more about where you want to fish lake pond river. from a boat or shore? and what size fish you want to catch helps.


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## SeanStone (Sep 8, 2010)

Here are my two favorite set ups. 

Abu Garcia Amabassaduer 6000/6500 Paired with an 8' Ugly Stick Catfish Series MH rod. Spooled with 15-30lb test.

This set up is good for channels and mid sized blues and flats. The rods have a real soft tip which is good for running circle hooks. The back bone starts at about halfway down the rod, which is a little soft/limp for going head to head with the big boys. The rods can be purchased for around $40, and the reels can be purchased for around $90. I have caught blues and flatheads just over 30lbs with this combo, so it will work for the big guys as well. 

http://bottomdwellerstackle.com/reels_abu.htm

Abu Garcia Ambassaduer 7000 paired with an 7' Ugly Stick Tiger (MH). Spooled with 30-50lb mono or 30+lb braid/super line. 

This is the set up I go to for fishing in thick cover when I need to keep the fish from taking an inch of line. This set-up wouldn't be much fun for channel fishing, just in case you wanted an all around rod. The rod itself is super stiff and has a ton of backbone for man-handling fish. The only negative of this set up is that you only have 17lbs of drag. So if you wanted to spool up with super heavy line and go head to head with big cats or even take these rods to the ocean, you would find out that the drag will slip well before the line breaks even at its highest setting. Other reels such as the Abu Garcia Alphamar offer up to 27lbs of drag, however at that point you had better be sitting down or in a fighting belt. For most cases in Ohio you will be fine with the 17lbs of drag that a 7000 offers. The rods are $55 and the reels range from $110-150 depending on the model you get. 

The above rods and reels are the standards of catfishing gear. They last forever and are very durable. Abu Garcia reels are easy to work on and most bait stores will have a few parts in stock for when you need them. You will find out that the line pawls, (pin that drives the levelwind mechanism) will go out every now and then and need to be replaced. I could go on and on, but I'll stop here.


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## Ðe§perado™ (Apr 15, 2004)

Well put Sean. I use same reels with different rods.


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## BanksideBandit (Jan 22, 2010)

For an all-purpose rod I like to use medium heavy or heavy action musky rods with a Abu Garcia 6000/6500 with 65/80lb braided line. I have a Quantum Alliance heavy action musky rod with a 6000TGC that I like. I have used this combo to catch a lot of channels this year and can't wait to test it on some big flatheads here soon. A big boy might be a challenge on this setup but I think it will handle 20-30lbers well.


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## aeosu55 (Mar 27, 2012)

Can't ever beat trilene.

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