I'm sure this has been asked many time. I searched and couldn't find any threads though, so I'll ask.

What rod do you consider the best for catfishing?

Also, what reel do you consider the best, and why?

I have looked and read reviews and am thinking of Shakespeare Medium/Heavy Ugly Stik Tiger Rods. They seem to get good reviews. Are there any better?

I wasn't sure about the reels. I was with a friend on the Brazos the other night, and he was using Abu Garcia Ambassadeur 6000 Casting Reels. I looked at what I think is the same on Cabela's site, and those rascals run $159.99 � $169.99.

Is the Abu Garcia Ambassadeur Record Casting Reel the same as the Abu Garcia Ambassadeur 6000 Casting Reel or are they different? I will greatly appreciate any help and suggestions you can give me on catfishing rods and reels.

Thanks!!

Ray

The record reel is the Cadillac of the abu line. The 6000's are around $50-60 dollars.
As far as rods are concerned, the two best all around are Team Catfish and the Pro Angler rods. The Pro Angler is better priced. The yellow Tournament Choice rods are good for the money ($12) but not the best IMO.
Do not skimp on line and hooks. I prefer braided line. All of my reels have Team Catfish Nuclear yellow braid or Power pro. I will use either Team Catfish circle hooks or Gamagatzu kahle or octopus hooks. I like the Triple fish leader material as well.

Im sure some of the sponsors will send you links o\and their articles or stores. So while they have great deals and advice..youll be even more confused.
In most things what a person can afford is usually the best for them.
However keep in mind inexpensive is not always inexpensive about 2 or 3 frustrated broken or non performing rods is a waste of money you could have spent on one or two decent ones.

I like the Ugly Stik Catfish Rod. It has a lot of things I like for only $30. 7' or 8' you pick.(I like the 8').Has plenty of guides for sensitivity and 7 year warranty. Hard to beat this rod for its price.

Right now there is a sale over at cheapsinkers for the Team Catfish 2010 1/2 ton. These are less expensive than the Tiger Rod your talking about.
http://cheapsinkers.com/Team-Catfish-1-2-TON-Casting-rod-new-2010-model-TC1-2C.htm

However...I do actually like the Tiger Rod your talking about and had one under a Abu 6500 and it was my favorite rig for quite some time.(the tiger rod is actually a saltwater rod but hey those catfish dont care.)

Bass Pro Cabelas,Gander Mountain all have House brands that are good for around $40-$60

And academy has some Tournament Choice rods and Egale claw Big Water rods that are not all that bad for around $20 or less.
Dont know how well they hold up to hard use though. Some here really like them.

For reels..hard to be the bait casters. I like Abu Garcia,Penn and have heard good of Okuma and Ocean Master.Shimmano makes great but expensive reels too. Even have a BP Catmaxx and so far so good but not sure it'll hold up for a third year. The Garcia and Penn reels will last for decades if serviced.

Well that's my ramblings ....

I believe go with the gear you can afford.
The Cat's aren't tight lipped on a $12 TC rod apposed to a $100 Catfish Safari rod.
Some places I would Check out are-
CatfishConnection.com
CatfishSafari.com
SouthwesternParts.com
Tight Lines!!!

Ray, I just noticed that you are from Waco. Feel free to call and come look at my catfishing gear.
I have everything from $50 combos to $200 rigs for you to look at.

I have some older model Penn Sentors, along with some smaller Penn casting reels, older from the 50's, 60's, 70's, but in great shape. I am a reel nut when it comes to old collectable Penn reels.

Would these types of Penns work, or are they too old? Do their reels with newer features offer any sugnificant advantages over their older reels.

Thanks again!

Ray

James,

I am the man who fished with you Monday night with my grandson, Tate, and granddaughter, Elizabeth.

I have also fished the Brazos a couple of other times over last week and this week with some old classmates from Lorena. Now, I've gotten the bug. They and I used to catfish all of the time, but they don't have near as nice a boat as you.

Ray

Too funny. Did not know that you were on the forum. I will email the pics to you tomorrow.

You get what you pay for! Service your rods and reels don't go thrashing them around and they will last longer I'm a Garcia fan and still trying rods to find what I like!

You can usually still get parts for most penns if you want to use your old ones. Goggle pennparts and you will find one site. Also Alan Tanni has tutorials on working on a lot of them.

If you want Abus stick with the Swedish made. Really anything 5500 on up would be fine.

Did you catch any fish with James? I bet he worked hard for you.

My best rig is a pro angler rod with a Garcia 7000. Hard to beat that combination.

i will have to say that my favorite of all my rigs is a swedish abu 5500 on a 7' tournament choice yellow rod. it works for all kinds of fishing and with the 50 lb power pro braid, it will handle just about any fish! just my .02

Read choosing a rod and reel on my website

Ugly Stick and a Garcia 6500 with power pro line

We only caught one fish but we had a blast.. James worked extremely hard and was a total pleasure to be with. I brought two of my grandchildren, Elizabeth, 10, and Tate, 7, hoping they could catch some. As it ended up, Elizabeth caught the only one actually brought in, but Tate got two other larger ones nearly to the boat before they got off, so everyone ended up happy.

James is really enjoyable to fish with and a gentleman. Tate and Elizabeth had a great time with him, as did I. I have told them that was only our first trip with James; there will be more. He has a great Carolina Skiff that I don't have, so I'm depending on him for my ride! : )

I thought I would let you all see Elizabeth's cat; its not big, but it made her happy. That's me beside her. Look at how happy Tate is his cousin got to catch this one. It was a race to the rod; Elizabeth won!


We were out from 6:00 pm until about 10:30 that night, and it was hot and humid. Neither Tate or Elizabeth complained at all, but they did sleep until 9:00 am Tuesday morning.

We were talking about our trip this morning; they are ready to go again.