Got enough christmas money left to buy 2 rods probably. something like lippin rips, pro angler etc.

DeerStrangler always has some for Sale......

for sure. i can call bob, figured somebody might have upgraded at christmas and wants to sell some at slightly less than retail

I can discourage you from getting the Bass Pro CatMaxx. Bought one to try, reel seat spun on the blank while spooling up my reel. Returned it no problem, used the replacement this weekend and snapped a Medium Heavy in half pulling an 11-pounder out of the weeds the first time out.

I've not broken any of the Cabelas King Cats. But it sounds like you may be looking at a different level of quality and price for rods............

I Really Like both my ProAnglers and my Rippin Lips rods....... Rippin' Lips - $39.99........ I Amazon'd mine.........

Do you boat or bank fish the Rippin Lips rods?

Asking as it looks like the 2-piece casting rods top out at 8 feet. I have some 8' Big Game rods that are OK but for banking I mostly use the King Cat 9' casting and 10' spinning rods. I have a Catfish Warrior 12' with a 7000 on it, but that combo is a little dear for the extra casting distance it provides over the 9'/Abu 6000 combos.

I'm usually throwing a 3oz no-roll with another couple or few ounces of cut shad. Tried 4oz of lead on the 12' rod but that needs a shock leader, 65# Power Pro didn't stand a chance. Glad nobody was downrange.

Stubby can make some for you!

Boat Rods. I have 10' ProAngler, Meat Hunter and Eagle Claw Water Eagle Bank Rods.

Ok, I had some Christmas money also. So yesterday i decided to visit the best guide in the world For channel catfish Stubby. I have been fishing with Stubby many times on lake fork and he guarantees his customers a limit of fish. I some times think that I am a good fisherman but Stubby is the deal. I decided to mimic what he does. So Stubby has started making his own line of catfish rods. I don�t know this for sure but I would bet he does this because nobody will reliably build rods that he likes everything about. So I told Stubby to build me a rod. He asked me to pick a color. I told him I did not care what color it was but I wanted a rod that he wanted to fish with every day. I have not met Shannon but I do know he has a rod Stubby built. Yes if you want to catch catfish bigtime you need to be picky about your whole setup.that goes all the way down to what rod, line and hook you are using. I currently have eight pro-angler rods in my boat and they are great rods. Pro Anglers don�t break but I wanted more sensitivity because when the water gets cooler the bite is barely there. So I am waiting somewhat patiently for my Stubbys rod. If you are going to be fishing with your rod yourself do yourself a favor and call Stubby for one that he builds.

I really like the one he built for me. You are correct, it is unreal the things he can teach you if you just pay attention. I have been extremely fortunate being able to learn through him. We do need to meet up sometime for sure. One of the things that he and I love to do is meet people.

Yep! I have three 7 1/2 ft pro anglers MH with cork handles, they are well used but still good rods. Shoot me a PM and I will give you a great deal for all three. I also live in Saginaw which is only a couple of minutes from you.

I just know that I don�t catch fish if I am fishing on credit or another way to say this without bait. With Stubby fishing rod you can feel if you have bait or not. He placed the tip of one of his rods on his neck while I was holding it and started talking. Yes I could feel the vibration from his neck while he was talking. So when you are fishing in 40 feet deep water you need to be able to feel when a catfish breathes on your bait. All I can say is save some money and get a quality rod to begin with. I suspect that Stubbys rod will be a warrior on the boat for many years. I cannot say a bad thing about my regular pro angler rods and they are tough. I have done everything to break them. Yes that includes slamming rod box on them.