Are You Buying Catfish Gear To Catch Fish, Or Fishermen?

Over the past few weeks I have had several conversations with some of my guide clients, other catfish anglers, emails through the ask a catfishing question page, and seen discussions on several fishing forums about catfish tackle (some of which become pretty heated and accusatory).

I have been fishing for longer than I can remember and certainly have made some bad decisions and bad purchases along the way, and have definitely fallen victim to some purchases designed to catch fishermen and not fish, but most were many years ago.

It always amazes me how passionate people are about what they use or what they think is best, which is often based on some preconceived notion that either a friend, family member or even someone they view as a mentor told them they needed to use. This typically ends up with the end user either a.) buying a bunch of junk that they don’t need, b.) buying a bunch of junk that is not going to hold up or c.) overpaying for a product that is really overkill and for more expensive than other products that will work just as well or better (for a much lesser cost).

I have said many times that I am not so naive to think that my way is the only way, or what I use is the only good option because I know there are many options out there that often times will all serve the same purpose.

When I look for tackle I have a couple of pretty simple requirements, it must be durable and it must be cost effective.

Through the course of a month or two I put my tackle through far more than the average angler will put their gear through in it’s lifetime, coupled with the fact that I have clients using my gear that are throwing and dropping things in the water, stepping on rods and who knows what else, I really put my stuff through some hard use.

Catfishing and the associated tackle market has really evolved over the past few years as has the sport as a whole. The evolution of the internet has allowed anglers to share information (like I do on this website) discuss catfishing (like on fishing forums). Just like anything else the internet has changed the game. Couple this with the catches of several world record catfish in recent years, and the increasing popularity of catfish tournaments, you have a perfect storm for a changing industry.

The result of these increases in information sharing, increasing popularity and increased organization (through tournaments) has created a perfect storm for emerging tackle companies to target catfish anglers, and existing tackle companies to shift (or direct some) of their focus to catfishing. Many of these companies had no interest in the catfishing market ten or even five years ago, and some even looked down on the group as a whole, or at least certain sectors of it.

As things have evolved more and more companies have emerged in the catfish tackle market selling tackle, catfish rods and catfish reels.

Catfish anglers will never receive the marketing and sponsorship that bass anglers do because there are limited products to sell. Next time you take a trip to your local sporting goods store, Bass Pro Shops or Cabela’s take a look around at the catfish section, and then look at the bass fishing sections. The catfish tackle section is probably several thousand percent smaller than the bass fishing tackle because of all the lures and whirly gigs that bass anglers use.

Truth be told, you don’t even have to go to the store, just click on this Bass Pro Shops Link or Cabela’s and go to the search box at the top. Type in catfish and do a search, and then type in bass, or lure and do a search. The difference is crazy.

The simplicity of catfishing tackle limits the amount of marketable products, yet it is that simplicity that attracts many people to catfishing in the first place.

I have had the pleasure of fishing with some amazing catfishermen throughout my career who I now call friends.Some are wildly successful catching small channel catfish in amazing numbers, some put incredible numbers of smaller blue catfish in the livewell, and some catch monster blue catfish and channel catfish and catch them in bigger numbers in one month than most will catch in a lifetime. One thing in common (which I have touched on before) among all of these anglers is they all have have very basic equipment, a good reel like an Abu Garcia Ambassadeur C3, a good rod, and an ability to locate fish.

I am cheap, if you have not figured it out by now with articles like making your own sponge hooks and making your own drift fishing weights. I have no problem spending money where and when I need to spend money but I again want value and durability in combination with necessity.

I am cursed (or blessed) to be one of those people that likes to “tinker” and mess around with things, and my mind is always running two hundred miles an hour.

The difference though is that when I decide to make something for my own use like sponge hooks it is because what I am making is better than anything else on the market. If I can find something of equal or better quality for the same price (or even a little more) I am all over it.

There is one thing that people who know or fish with me know is that I never have a shortage of opinions and people always know what I think and where I stand on things. I am not afraid to go against the grain (popular opinion), when I know what is right or feel that people are being fed a line of B.S.

Since day one of this website, I have been forthcoming about the tackle, gear and equipment that I use and am picky about the products that I “endorse”. I am (or have been) on the Pro Staff of just about every tackle company out there over my career as a catfish guide and have worked with a lot of really great people along the way, but have never “endorsed” something that I did not believe in.

Just about every product that I have written on this website are products that I use or have used, and where I haven’t used a product or had a questionable opinion on a product I have very clearly stated so, or have added disclaimers about the positives, negatives and what I think.

You probably are wondering where I am headed with all this and there is a point.

In the last couple of weeks a couple of events have occurred but one in particular “set me off” and triggered this post. One in particular involves the head of a very well known tackle company, a very well known catfish angler, me and a huge mess of drama which me and this tackle company head ultimately got a really good laugh over.

I rewrote this article three times including all the names, and details of what occurred and then at the last minute decided that I would take the high road and delete the details, because nothing good is going to come from me calling this person out and publicly humiliating him.

My point is this, and I am going to use fishing rods as an example, (there is absolutely no correlation between fishing rods and the issue that set me off). One guy fishes with a $7 knockoff off brand fishing rod, and one uses a $125 super deluxe high roller fishing rod that is supposed to be the greatest thing since sliced bread.

“Mr $125 Fishing Rod” thinks he is “the man” because he uses the super deluxe rod, yet “Mr. $7 Fishing Rod” catches more catfish than the other guy ever thought about catching.

It is not the gear that finds the fish and gets them to bite, it is the angler.

When “Mr $125 Fishing Rod” yet talks down to everyone else and constantly promotes this product all over the internet and by word of mouth, and suddenly there are 200 “Mr $125 Fishing Rod’s” walking around and “Mr $7 Fishing Rod” is still catching more fish that all 200 of the others because the think this fancy smancy fishing rod is what is what they have to have, and it goes on and on and on.

Now, wouldn’t all of these folks that are using the $125 fishing rod be shocked if they found out that the $7 fishing rod is made in the same factory, by the same company, using the same labor, using the same materials, and even imported by the same US company, and sold under a different name, and is even the exact same fishing rod minus the fancy logo, and with a different color.

WELCOME TO MADISON AVENUE FOLKS!

Day in and day out we are bombarded with advertisements from companies making us think we need to drink Gatorade because Tiger Wood’s does, wear Nike because Michael Jordan does, we need to buy a certain brand of this or that because that is what will make us successful and happy at whatever we are doing.

My point is this, look before you leap, do some research and make sure that you are making good solid decisions about what you spend your hard earned dollar on.

You have my pledge that I am going to shoot straight with you, give you good solid information and enough to be able to make an informed decision about what you are purchasing when I talk about something on this website.

Most of you will probably skim through this and not read it, and I understand, but it’s just something I wanted to get off my chest.