Rods

Picking The Right Catfish Rod

Fishing for Catfish can be fun and exciting if you choose the right catfish rod for the fish you are trying to catch. If the rod is extremely stiff and strong you take all the sport out catching all but the biggest catfish. If the rod is extremely flexible a medium sized catfish will tear it up. Catfish are great fighters which make them fun to catch but they can destroy your gear if you don’t choose correctly.

To make I better choice when buying a new rod there are a few things you should know. When choosing a rod there are 3 main factors that will determine how the rod will perform in actual use.
 
Action refers to where or how much of the rod will bend. With equal weight a fast action rod will start to bend more toward the tip where as a slow action rod would tend to bend over the entire length of the shaft. A medium action rod would start to bend in the middle. The action is controlled by the taper of the rod itself. A fast or short taper would make a slower action rod and a slow or long taper would make for a faster action rod.

Power or strength is the amount of force needed to bend the rod. The thickness and type of rod material will determine this. A lot of rod manufactures and anglers get this confused with action. Most rods when marked light-action are referring to power not action. The best way to tell the power of a rod is to check the line weight ratings.

Sensitivity is the ability to transmit vibrations from the line through the rod and to your hand. By taping lightly on the tip with your finger you should easily feel the vibrations holding the handle of a sensitive rod. The thickness and density of the rod material will make a difference. Graphite is more sensitive than fiberglass and boron is denser and more sensitive than graphite. The ferrules also make a difference; metal ferrules are far less sensitive than graphite. A one piece rod of course would be the most sensitive. The rod blank should also continue through the lenght of the grip. Single foot guides add less weight and help retain sensitivity verses a double foot guide which is heavier and must also be wrapped in two locations. Also the rod action plays a major role, fast action rods will be more sensitive than a slow action rod of the same material. Don’t confuse a lighter more flexible rod with being more sensitive.

If you are new to catfishing a good inexpensive rod choice is the Shakespeare Ugly Stick. It is a medium action pole that is a favorite among catfish anglers. While this is a good rod to start with you should get to know what the other rod types are capable of. You will have a lot more fun catching a 5 lb channel catfish on a medium action pole than you will on a heavy action pole. Choosing the right catfish rod will make your fishing much more fun.

Need Fancy Rod Holders

I do a lot of bank fishing from rivers, lakes and ponds. If you have ever fished for catfish from the bank you know you have to have rod holders. Do you need fancy rod holders? No. You can use a forked tree branch stuck in the ground. However with a stick you may end up chasing your pole into the water if a big one grabs your bait.

Rod holders come in many shapes and design and are relatively inexpensive to purchase. They are worth the money and you would know this if you have ever lost a pole while digging around in your cooler for a cold soda. A lesson I learned a long time ago.

A few weeks back I purchased a rod holder that cost me $20.00. I wouldn’t ordinarily spend more than $5.00 for a rod holder but I was very curious about this one. This unique holder is spring-loaded under adjustable tension; when a fish hits, the motion trips the cocking mechanism, snapping the rod tip up and back for an supposedly instantaneous, hook set.

Well I tried this out this weekend. It has a tension setting that let’s the angler set the  sensitivity. You can set it anywhere from a hair-trigger to a trolling-with-heavy-tackle setting. Naturally I set it to hair trigger. Not a great idea as I believe every time a catfish sniffed at the bait it triggered the mechanism and the tip of the pole would be yanked rapidly upright.

I changed the setting and about thirty minutes later a catfish struck. The rod snapped back setting the hook as advertised. I just watched for a minute because the holder was also supposed to “play” the fish. Which I guess it did as the catfish struggled against the spring tension but it won’t do anything if the catfish is running toward you.

I am going to go back and get me another one. I believe it will help me get more fish. I have been taking a 12 year old boy with me lately and I can’t even count the number of bites where I had my hands full fixing his tackle and I just had to hope the catfish was hungry enough to hook itself.

Here is the link if you want to take a look   Lightnin’ Strike? Automatic Hook-Set Rod Holder