I was at the store yesterday and saw all kinds of catfish poles. They seemed gimmicky but maybe useful. They had glow in the dark poles that take batteries to light up, poles with reels that beep when a fish pulls the line, etc. Just wondering if anyone has tried these out and what your thoughts were.

yeah i have that 7 ft. zebco beeper pole, and yes it is good pole. if it is the right one, it should be yellow and black. but it works great. you can adjust the sensitivity on the detection. the beeping is is really convenient so that you dont have to sit and watch your pole every damn second. but it is cool to have. i reeled in a 9 pound blue cat on mine about 2 weeks ago.

i have a 9' berkley glowstik casting rod ... i like the length & action but the light quit working about a year after i got it ... i could turn the light on for about 30 minutes & the rod would glow bright for several hours

I use nothing but Ugly Sticks. Landed some huge cats with them, and they take the beating.

I use pro angler 7 1/2 ft rods. Cast like a dream, and have all the leverage you need to reel in the big ones. Also have used the Eagle Claw cat claw 8ft rods at academy. For the price, those are pretty good too.

Ugly stick catfish rods, the best catfish rod out there. imo

IMHO best bang fer the buck is the eagle claw water eagle 9' casting rod

I've got both, Ugly stik 7'MH, and Tuff Tip,7'MH made by Jarvis Walker. I like both and would recommend both. I like the Tuff Tip a little more mainly because they come with cork handles and they're a little bit cheaper than the Uglys. Academy sells both. I also have 2 8ft Catfish Ugly stiks I got on closeout at Academy. They're 2pc, and I would get more if I could find them.

I have tried several different rods over the years but not near all of them. I found the South Bend Mudville catfish rods several years back and really like them. They are a e-glass blank with good eyes, a good back bone, foam handels, and a good hook keeper. To date I have not broke one and I've landed flatheads up to 38lb on them. I use the 7' rods and fish out of a boat all the time. The price is good too. I ordered a case of six last week to add some new ones to my boat for 112.00 mailed to the house. I have spent more money on rods that did not come close to being as good as a rod. my .02

never heard of a South Bend Mudville catfish rod ... where ya gettin'um

Cabellas whoppin sticks (same as ugly stick 1\2 price)I like the 9ft med hvy

I have a couple of the mudvilles I got at Alco, Havent seen them since I bought them tho. they were on sale at 12 bux ea. They are a little stiffer than I like, but they take a beating. I also have a couple of the eagle claws, They are about a match for the southbends to me.

Sorry it took a while to get back been out of state working on storm trying to get people lights. The mudville rods I order from National sports supply. Shoot me an email and I'll hook you up. They are around 20.00 each plus shipping. I order them by the case so I get them a little cheeper.

Stay away from catfish rods. Most are a gimmick and not the best rod for catching catfish.

Take a look at the Berkley Lighting Rods for Steelhead in an 8'6 length Medium or MH action. I use these all year. You will probably have to find them online.

www.catfishbaitsoap.com
www.txcatfishguide.com
www.whiskerkitty.com

if u wanna try a really GREAT catfish pole, look up Catfish Safari. I have 2 of the Lake Rods and they are great. I use them for drifting with my okuma trolling reels, or if ancoring i switch to Abu 7000's or Penn 209's and toss up to 8oz weights with these rods, i usually wont use any weight bigger than 6 but had to try the 8 with some current and big perch the other day