Beating the Banks for Winter Catfish

[Huntrava]

As the temperatures dip I find myself spending more time working the banks than with my kayak. Compared to the summer months when dropping my yak in the water means bringing sunscreen, donning my fleece and drysuit for winter fishing is more of a novelty than a regular weekend occurrence. When daylight is limited, it lets me focus on the fishing.

This year I set up three NGT Bite Detector alarms on a piece of aluminum angle iron that clips into my tripod via a Manfrotto quick release. So far I've been pleased with the results, but I need a few more catfish rods to fill it up. I currently use a Penn 11' surf casting rod to chunk the bait, but that leaves room for at least two more.

I've been keeping my eyes peeled on Craigslist and Ebay for catfishing equipment, but frankly whatever the sellers are smoking must be strong stuff. Who pays more for used/broken fishing gear than they'd pay for new fishing gear? It doesn't make sense.

My question for the experts: what is a good ~10ft spinning rod/reel for the bank fishing, price conscious angler targeting blues and channels?

[rugbyfish]

The Daiwa BG surf combo is great. I own a few BGs and they’ve held up well to a variety of fish over the last few years. The 10’ combo is about $160 and should be great for handling big cats.

[nhunter344]

Ill second the quality of the BG reels. Havent used the rods. To be honest, a solid reel with 20lb line on a Walmart beater rod will put catfish in your cooler. You can probably find a 70 or 80 dollar combo at Dicks that will do the job. If youre fishing from shore I would probably go with a 5000 size reel. Should be more than enough. Winter catfish aren't going to be going on any extended runs.

[BarefootPetr]

I'm a huge fan of the Penn Fierce II live liner. I hate changing my drag settings while I try to fight a fish, so this allows for the loose drag to let them pick up the bait and run with it, then you flip the switch and you are ready to do battle. It is reasonably priced (best value for a live liner reel), especially if you search eBay, and the price for the II is now going down with the introduction of the Fierce III

[thedutchtouch]

I've enjoyed using my Penn spinfisher vi live liners this year. Paired with ugly Stik elite rods (because I don't think you need a super sensitive rod for catfish). Been a fun setup and the reels work great.