Best Catfish Rods

Black Cat's Battle Cat Elite Bank is a limited-edition catfish rod, with only 100 made per model and each one numbered and hand-signed by Stefan Seuß. Its blank mixes 24-ton and 30-ton carbon, and the action is fast.

Fuji GM SIN guides and a Fuji DPS reel seat take the strain, and there's a cork rear grip with an X-Wrap EVA foregrip. The three models are a 2.80m at 180-300g, a 3.00m at 600g and a 3.20m at 200-400g, and each comes with an Oxford rod bag.

Heavy static baits on big leads are what the 3.00m is made for, and the range as a whole suits experienced catfish anglers who want premium fittings. Next to the Catfish Pro Top Cat 12ft, it's a crisper, faster rod with a higher spec, while the Top Cat's through action is the more forgiving under the tip.

To be fair, it's a big spend and stock is limited. For a collectable flagship rod fitted out by Fuji, though, I think it's a superb buy.

Catfish Pro's Top Cat 12ft is a specialist catfish rod with a 4.5lb test curve and a powerful through action, built in high-modulus carbon for playing big cats rather than carp.

Nine rings spread the load around the full curve, there's a tough Fuji at the tip, and a heavy-duty metal seat takes any big fixed spool. This Mk2b version also gets a slimmer Duplon butt, which is comfortable to hold when a fish is on.

Pit, lake and big-river anglers who want one dependable catfish rod are well served by it. Next to the Black Cat Battle Cat Elite, it's softer in the tip and far more affordable, while the Catfish Pro Top Cat Power trades 18 inches of length for easier handling in tight swims.

To be fair, the 12ft length needs room, and Mk2b rods won't match an older Mk2 A set. For most UK catfish anglers, though, I think it's the best all-round catfish rod you can buy.

Short and powerful, the Catfish Pro Top Cat Power is a 10ft 6in catfish rod with a 4.5lb+ test curve, made to stop big cats in cramped swims before they reach a snag.

A high-modulus carbon blank gives it a powerful through action with reserve power for heavy baits. It has a full Duplon handle for a secure wet grip, a heavy-duty metal reel seat for big fixed spools and a Fuji tip ring where line wear is highest.

River and small-pit anglers with little room to cast will get the most from it. Next to the Catfish Pro Top Cat 12ft, it gives up reach but is far easier to handle under trees, while the Wychwood Agitator CR-D adds braid-friendly SiC guides at a similar length.

To be fair, it won't cast as far as a 12ft rod on big, open waters. For cramped, snaggy swims, though, I think it's a very smart choice.

Designed by catfish anglers, the Wychwood Agitator CR-D is a high-modulus carbon rod with a powerful through action, offered as a 10ft 4.5lb or an 11ft 4lb model in plain black.

Braid is well catered for, with double-leg SiC guides that are impact resistant and anti-tangle, and a fibreglass-reinforced DBS seat sits between a custom foregrip and an EVA fighting butt. The handle is Duplon EVA, which stays grippy when wet and shrugs off knocks.

Anglers fishing braid on UK and European rivers and lakes, who want a hard-wearing handle, should look closely. Compared with the Catfish Pro Top Cat Power, it gives up a metal seat in return for braid-friendly guides, while the Wychwood Agitator CR-C pairs a cork handle with an 11ft 4lb blank.

To be fair, the CR-D stops at 11ft, so it's short of reach for long casts on big waters. For anglers who want braid-ready guides on a shorter, tougher rod, though, I think it's a very sound pick.

The Agitator CR-C is the cork-handled 11ft version of Wychwood's catfish rod, rated at 4lb. Its high-modulus carbon blank has a powerful through action, so it bends into the butt to soak up a cat's lunges.

Double-leg SiC rings handle braid and the odd knock, and a fibreglass-reinforced DBS reel seat sits between a custom fore grip and an EVA fighting butt. That makes it a full catfish spec rather than a beefed-up carp rod.

At 11ft it's easier to manage on rivers and tree-lined pits than a 12-footer, and it suits braid anglers fishing near snags. Next to the Agitator CR-D, the blank and fittings match and only the handle changes, while the Agitator CR-S adds a foot of length and half a pound of test curve for bigger waters.

To be fair, you lose a little reach on wide open pits. For most UK cat swims, though, I think it's the sweet spot in the Agitator range.

Wychwood's longest Agitator catfish rod is the CR-S, a 12ft model with a 4.5lb test curve. It's built on a high-modulus carbon blank with a powerful through action, giving you real leverage to turn a fish away from snags.

Under the extra length it shares its core build with the shorter Agitators, so you still get double-leg SiC guides for braid, a fibreglass-reinforced DBS reel seat and an EVA fighting butt to brace against your body.

Big pits, reservoirs and wide rivers are where it makes sense, as the length helps with line pick-up and steering fish at range. It's more of a handful close in than the 11ft Agitator CR-C, and next to the Skeater Unlimited you trade a choice of lengths and handles for a higher-grade blank and SiC rings.

To be fair, a 12ft, 4.5lb rod is awkward in tight, tree-lined swims. For open water and big cats, though, I think it's the Agitator to pick.

Skeater, the predator brand from Sonik, offers the Unlimited in five models across 10ft, 11ft and 12ft. The 11ft is rated at 4lb and the 10ft and 12ft at 4.5lb, so there's a length for every swim.

Each rod has an X-grade mixed-modulus carbon blank, double-leg zirconium oxide guides with an anti-frap tip and a fibreglass-reinforced DBS reel seat. Handles are camo EVA or AAA cork on the shorter rods and shrink tube on the 12ft, which adds a gimbal butt.

For me, it suits newcomers to catfishing and anyone building a set of cat rods on a budget. Next to the Agitator CR-S you give up the high-modulus blank and SiC rings, but no other pick offers this mix of lengths and handles, and a rod sleeve comes in the box.

To be fair, the blank and guides are a step below the Agitators. For anyone starting out with catfish, though, I think it's the best value in the guide.