Catfishing 101 is all about giving you enough information so that you will be dangerous. I am preparing this information so that you can pick up a rod and go catfishing… and be successful. I’m not a guide, nor am I a professional fisherman. I’m an average guy that just enjoys fishing and wants to give you the best information possible. You can take my word that I am not trying to sell you anything since I am not sponsored by anybody.

So Where is the Best place to start? Fishing Tackle. I want to give you the best possible tackle for the average condition. That to me is to be able to catch many fish that range from 5-20 lbs. How would you enjoy that?

Ok so what do you need in order to catch catfish? Here’s a quick list of the basic areas to look into.

• Rod
• Reel
• Fishing Line
• Fishing Weights
• Hooks
• and Swivels

If you can get something decent for each one of these areas, you will be in great shape. I love to preach about keeping your selection within your budget. You can get a fancy rod or reel and only be a slight bit better than a decent rod and reel. Sure you might feel an little more or you might be able to cast a little farther. But that is no reason to spend an extra $100. You can build up a catfishing arsenal that will last you many years for just a few hundred dollars investment. You can get started for much less. Being reasonable and make good judgements on reviews is the best way to go.

So Let’s get started!

Rods

Basically in a rod, you want a rod that is 6-8 feet long. If you fish from the bank, you should have a longer (8′) rod. You need this because you need to cast a farther distance. If you fish from a boat you should look for a short rod. You don’t need to cast as far. Pretty simple right? Now if you are a smaller guy, you might need to have a shorter rod. When I was younger, I weighed around 100 lbs and I struggled with a 7′ rod. I moved to a 6′ rod and I was tough to beat.

If you are casting alot, you want a lighter rod. Now you can spend an extra 100 dollars on an expensive rod that weighs less. If you have the money for it, I completely recommend you getting one. I fish on a tight budget so I have to make do with shorter and cheaper rods. Now that I’m older and of course bigger, I can handle an 8′ rod. My fiance recently bought me an 8′ catfishing rod. How much did it cost? $35 plus tax. It is wonderful for the cost.

This rod is an Ugly Stik. They last for a long time and are nearly unbreakable. My daddy has been using one for 30 years. I’ll post a picture of it one day. Basically an Ugly Stik is the rod that I suggest for any new catfish guys.

When it comes to the action of the rod, you should stick with the medium-heavy action rods. This action offers alot of power to fight a fish. Not to mention you can set the hook better on long casts. You can move to the heavy action rod but for the basic catfishing day, a medium heavy is perfect.

If you can find a rod within this range and this action for a good price, you will do well. As a Quick note, you should aim at getting a baitcasting rod. I’ll cover the benefits of a bait caster in the next chapter. Thank you for reading this chapter on Catfishing 101.