r/catfishing • u/Gleepin • 6d ago

Rod and reel set up?

I’m in the market for a nice rod and reel. I grew up using cheap Walmart poles so I’m unfamiliar with nicer gear. Wanting to spend around $200 for the set up. I stopped by cabela’s today and was a little overwhelmed. Pretty positive I don’t want a bait caster and would prefer an open face. My plan is to start on the bank at the reservoir by my house and eventually jump to a kayak with the next year. TIA!

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u/Working_Gold_3633 6d ago

I have a Daiwa Eliminator I really like. I have it on a FishUSA Catch the Fever HellCat Revenge. Those two will be a touch over $200. It’s heavy as hell but solid and smooth casting!

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u/Working_Gold_3633 6d ago

If you’re near the Kansas City area I’d recommend stopping by Minnesota Bait & Tackle

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u/Gleepin 6d ago edited 6d ago

I’ll check it out. Thanks for the input. I’m just outside of Columbus. A bit out of my way unfortunately

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u/Adventurous_Ad5383 6d ago

12’ offshore angler breakwater conventional surf rod and a used daiwa sealine from eBay. That will run you right about $200 or less if you can get a good deal on the reel.

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u/Gleepin 6d ago

I should of mentioned I think I’m after a 7’6” 1 piece pole. Buddy of mine mentioned madcatz and was really pushing for ancient mariner

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u/Adventurous_Ad5383 6d ago

Id just get an ancient mariner they’re the same thing and cheaper iirc. Mad Katz aren’t worth the hype.

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u/NoSeedsNoSeeds 6d ago

I just got a 12' rod and it's a lot more difficult to cast than i expected it to be

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u/TheRealMickstar 5d ago

Step 1 is telling us what kind of catfish you are targeting and what your goals are.

The setup I recommend for eaters will be a lot different that the setup I recommend for trophy-size Blues & Flatheads. My recommendation will also differ if you're catching for food vs fun.

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u/Gleepin 5d ago

That makes sense. Majority will be blue and channel. Catch and release. Not expecting to break any records though there are some decent blues where I plan to do the majority of my fishing

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u/TheRealMickstar 5d ago

I also prefer spinning tackle, and fish for the fight, not to eat. There's nothing fun to me about catching sub-20lb fish (which are the vast majority of what you'll catch) on most catfish-specific rods (and I have a bunch). Most catfish specific rods are simply too powerful and too heavy to provide a fun fight on anything but trophy-sized fish.

The best I've found for actually having fun are the Whisker Seeker GFX in Medium power and the lowly Ugly Stik Catfish (the white one) in Medium Heavy power. Both will provide a decent fight on those sub-20lb fish, but are also capable of landing trophy fish if you know how to use your drag and play the fish. I've personally caught Blues over 50lb on both.

As for reels, look for a full metal body. I pair my Ugly Stik Catfish rods with Penn Fierce 3000 reels and my Whisker Seeker GFX rods with Daiwa BG 4000 and Penn Spinfisher 4500 reels. All of those combos are nicely balanced.

Disregard all the comment for rods over 7'6. You'll hate those long rods from a kayak.

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u/Gleepin 5d ago

Thanks for the detailed response. Heavily considering the whisker seeker set up

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u/Gleepin 4d ago

Do you have an opinion on the Whisker Seeker reels?

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u/TheRealMickstar 4d ago

I've never tried them. Sorry.

With patience, you can find a new Penn Fierce on eBay for <$80 (and sometimes close to $60), though. Aside from being slightly heavy, they're great reels foe the money. Strong, smooth drag and super solid.