Fishing for catfish has been the favorite of many anglers for years. They were one of the first species of fish to ever be caught as a sport. The catfish can grow to some amazing sizes and they will put up a fight that you will want to talk about for a long time. There is no better feeling than to reel in one or more of these monsters.

The rod and reel are extremely important when it comes to your gear and the amount of success you can have reeling in the catfish. There are certain steps you can follow when picking out the right combination of rod and reels. The first step is to decide which species of catfish you intend to go fishing for. Are you after the channel cat, flathead, blue cat, white cat or the bullhead catfish?

After deciding which species you prefer to catch, you need to learn as much as you can about the different types of rod and reels available. This will help you determine what would work the best for each type of fishing you are trying to do. Of course, if you are new to fishing all together and not sure which species you want to go after, then you should learn what type of catfish live in your immediate area or where you will be going fishing the most.

This way you can focus on buying a rod and reel to match the species of catfish in your area. Later on as you begin to advance your skills you will learn more about the different species of catfish and this will help you decide if you need to change or add to your gear to go fishing for another type of catfish.

Before you can choose the right catfish rod and reel it would be helpful to understand a little about the rod itself. No doubt you have heard much talk about the rod action and power of the rod from other anglers but, do you know what is meant by these terms? Below is a brief description explaining what is meant by the action and power of a fishing rod.

All about Rod and Reels

When you talk about the action of the rod you are talking about the amount of bend it has. The bend is most noticeable when you are casting your line or reeling in a fish.

Slow Action Rod - This rod will bend all the way down to the handle.

Moderate Action Rod - This one bends over the last portion of the rod.

Moderate-Fast Action Rod - These will bend just over the last third portion of the rod.

Fast Action Rod - The fast action rod bends in the last fourth part of the rod.

Extra-Fast Action Rod - This rod will only bend at the tip.

The bend affects the way you fish because the softer or slow action rods give more. In other words, they have more flexibility. These will hardly ever sling your bait from the hook but they will not cast as far as the fast action rods will. The fast action rods will cast further because they put more force behind your throw giving you a little added power.