I love catfishing. There’s no way for me to deny it. And no one has any hope of breaking me of that obsession. It doesn’t matter if I’m bank fishing, kayak fishing, or fishing from my little boats. If I’m putting a line in the water there will be at least one catfishing rod in use. At the end of the day, you can confidently say I’ve put some hours in behind catfishing rods.
My obsession for kayak fishing is as great as my obsession for catfishing. So even though I’ve fished from a variety of platforms, I fish the most from kayaks.
There’s 5 characteristics in fishing rods that make the perfect catfishing rod for kayaks. Overall length and grip length can affect casting, staging, and fighting your fish. The types of eyelets on your rod have almost as much influence on your cast and retrieve as the rod itself. Their quality, endurance, and positioning can make you a confident angler or a trainwreck on the water. Deciding between spinning and casting is a fine balance between species, size, and waterway when kayak fishing. Your rods action decides if you’re fighting the fish or the fish is mopping their front porch with your kayak. You can have the largest budget imaginable, or the slimmest budget barely scraped together. No matter the size of your budget, the rod you choose needs to be the best possible value for that dollar spent.
When you’re choosing your kayak specific Catfishing rod, consider these factors before dropping all that money on the counter.
Rod Length for Kayks is different than Bank fishing
Kayak setups are different for the size and type of kayak you’re using, the type of fishery you’re in, and the style of fishing you employ. As a new angler, you’re not dead set on your fishing techniques or requirements yet. Use that as an opportunity to explore and experiment.
For most kayakers, the ideal rod length will allow you to reach all the way around your kayak from your seat. It will give you leeway for quick adjustments when the fish makes sudden directional changes you weren’t expecting. You want enough length in your rod to make confident casts, but you are not going to have to make as distance defying shots as bank fishing requires. All these factors combined, most kayakers like the 7’6 to 8’ rod lengths. Now keep in mind, this includes your entire rod (butt seat all the way to rod tip). If you haven’t kayak fished yet, you’ll be surprised to discover just how important that grip length becomes while kayak fishing.
Grip End for Kayaks are very important when fighting that big catfish
The grip end of your fishing rod is designed to counterbalance the weight of your overall rod. This gives you a balance that allows for comfortable casting, steady controle while fighting a fish, and a solid foundation to seat your rod while staging and waiting for a bite. The factor often overlooked is that you are typically fighting a catfish from a seated position in a rocking kayak while wearing a sweatshirt or jacket or bulky clothes complicated by a PFD.
No matter how long your arms are, these complications will interfere with your interactions with the fishing rod. This is what led to the growing demand of kayak anglers for kayak specific rods that focus on a shorter rod grip that accommodates these complicated conditions. Catfish rods, traditionally, have a 12-16” butt end. While the 12” length is manageable for many kayakers, those of us with shorter arms are continuously fighting with the rod more than the fish. Despite the overall length of rod that you opt to fish with, I highly encourage you to look for a grip length under 12 inches.
Eyelets make a Wold of difference fighting Catfish
Most of the catfishing rods on today’s market are using double footed guides most of the way up the rod if not all the way up. Catfishing rods are meant for fighting strong, large fish that put up a significant fight. As the eyelets are what guide your line and secure your fight to your fishing rod, you want to ensure you’re using the best aid possible. Try to ensure you select a rod that has, at the very least, the double footed eyelets. Even more sturdy for the big fighters are the trolling guides that are designed to withstand prolonged pressure and sudden impact.
Spinning vs Casting Catfish Rods
Casting rods give you more targeting control and better drag settings than what you will find on a spinning reel. They are the reel of choice for most bank and boat catfishing anglers. While they are a great option for kayaks as well, I will caution you on using these larger baitcasting reels on a kayak. New anglers are generally reluctant to use baitcasters in general.
Kayak fishing adds an even more complicated element to this equation that can make any day of fishing a particularly bad day on the water. With these concerns in mind, it’s my recommendation to start with spinning rods. You will hone your casting skills, learn to fight from more varied positions, and develop a solid understanding of your drag system. Remove the reel complication from the equation until you have perfected your kayak fishing skills. Then you can add the casting reel factor into your process if you decide its value is worth it.
Parabolic Action can Help or Hurt Casting & Hooksets
Your middle of the road, general rating rods will offer the most versatility for a new or inexperienced catfish angler. This would be a moderate action rod. If you are looking for smoother casts and more steady hooksets, you’ll want the fast action rods. What’s the difference?
Moderate action rods have more disbursement of the bend to your rod. The tip and a fair portion of the rod will bend giving your a more balanced and slower curve to the rod. A fast action rod, on the other hand, will bend almost exclusively at the tip of the rod. It will absorb a larger portion of the velocity which helps keep your bait on your hook as you cast and will help direct the power into your line when making your hookset.
Cost Concerns are Diferent for Catfishing
The most painful lesson every kayak angler learns is the value of their gear. When you kayak fish you will lose gear and personal possessions to the vast water monster below. You can mitigate this by using rod leashes, magnets, and other safety devices that will help keep your gear secure while fishing, but no method is 100% foolproof. This is why you must be prepared to lose whatever rod you choose to take out onto your kayak. Keep this in mind when deciding how much you are willing to invest in your kayaking gear.
You can easily go to a local box sporting good store or your local Walmart and get a basic $20-50 catfishing combo that will serve you perfectly well on your first kayak. You can go the other route and get a custom matched rod and reel from one of the specialized catfishing rod experts for $3-400 or even close to $1,000 depending on the bells and whistles and customization you want added. Your budget and your choices will decide the value you are willing to put on that rod and the money you are ready to potentially lose.
Selection can be simple once you make these decisions.
No matter what route you take to get yourself on the water and catfishing, you’re going to be happy with your choice if you take these factors into consideration. To help you narrow down your decisions, here’s a few options to start your exploration course.
Budget friendly Catfish Rod Options:
The Uglystick Catfish rod combo is a very budget friendly spinning rod option. At 7’ structured as a 2-piece that includes a size 50 5.1:1 reel with a 16 pound drag this combo is about as close to ready for the water as you can start with.
The Zebco Big Cat is a 7’2 to 9’2 catfishing rod with size 60 reel that is a common brand choice for new anglers learning to fish. It is budget friendly and comes as a 2 piece for easy transportation.
The King Kat is a budget friendly rod that can be suited to kayak, boat, or bank fishing. A word of caution, however, be cautious using it in a kayak. The grip is significantly longer than you would expect as you go to cast. I have this rod and have used it several times. It was one of my first catfishing rods so I used it regardless of where I was fishing.
Unique catfishing options you may find intriguing:
Kayak Catfish is a YouTuber that provided a lot of valuable information for me when I was starting to catfish from my kayak. He has partnered with Catfish Sumo to create the Golly Whoper which is about as true a universal rod as possible. The extendable but grip makes the rod adjustable to accommodate casting styles necessary for kayakers, boaters, and bank anglers all from just one fishing rod.
Monster Cat Fishing has the Mad Katz Kayak shorty casting rod that still carries the traditional qualities of the Mad Kat line but is shrunk down to a very kayak friendly length.
If you’re ready for a higher end catfish rod with proven quality:
Mad Katz has a few different lines of catfishing rods to accommodate various price points.
Whisker Seeker has adapted their fishing rod lineup to provide solid options for catfishing and carp fishing.
Catch the Fever has the Big Cat Fever Catfishing line and the Hellcat series. Both are popular options for catfishing adventurers.
If you want to pursue further details about understanding fishing rods in general or how to choose your kayak specific fishing rods, be sure to read up on the other fishing articles we have provided here at The Outdoors Quest.
When you’re ready to join the craze and discuss your catfishing and kayaking experiences, join the discussion going on The Outdoors Quest Group on facebook.