Skeater Unlimited Catfish Rods

How well is it built?

The blank is X-grade mixed-modulus carbon, which blends different grades of carbon to balance power with toughness.

It isn't quite the high-modulus carbon used on the Wychwood Agitator CR-S, but it's a sensible choice for a budget cat rod, as a blended blank should be more forgiving of the knocks a heavy rod takes on the bank.

The guides are double-leg zirconium oxide rings, which are smooth and hard-wearing enough for braid, and the tip guide is an anti-frap design that stops braid wrapping around the end of the rod.

The reel seats are fibreglass-reinforced DBS, and every rod comes in a green protective sleeve, which is handy for rods that spend a lot of time in the back of a car.

To be fair, SiC guides and a high-modulus blank would have pushed the score higher. For the money, though, I think it's a well-built rod with nothing skimped where it matters, and 8.0 feels right.

Power & Action

So, is there enough power for catfish? I think there is. A 4lb test curve on the 11ft and 4.5lb on the 10ft and 12ft are proper catfish ratings, giving you the backbone to stop a big cat and steer it away from snags.

The mixed-modulus blend should also give a little more forgiveness under load than a stiffer high-modulus blank, which helps cushion a lunge on braid.

The anti-frap tip guide matters more than it sounds. Braid is the standard mainline for catfish, and a wrap around the tip on the cast is a common cause of crack-offs, so a tip ring built to stop it is a real plus on a rod that'll spend most of its life loaded with braid.

For me, the spread of power across the range is its real strength. The 4.5lb 10ft rod gives you plenty of stopping power at close range, the 12ft adds reach to that same rating and the 4lb 11ft sits in between, so 8.5 is well deserved.

Handling

Choosing your length is the big handling advantage. The 10ft model suits tight river swims and close-range work, the 11ft is a good all-rounder for most venues and the 12ft gives more reach on big pits, so you can match the rod to the water rather than making do.

The handle choice is another plus. Camo EVA is grippy and hard-wearing, AAA cork has a classic feel, and the 12ft model's Japanese shrink tube gives a firm grip and comes with a gimbal butt that locks into a rod belt or boat gimbal for extra leverage.

The oversized EVA fighting butt gives you something solid to brace against your body during a long fight.

Even so, a mixed-modulus blank is usually a touch heavier in the hand than high-modulus carbon, which is why it sits half a point behind the Wychwood Agitator CR-C. For a budget rod, though, it handles well, and 8.0 is a fair score.

Is it good value for money?

Is it worth buying? For a budget catfish rod, I think it's very hard to fault.

You get a carbon blank, braid-friendly double-leg guides with an anti-frap tip, reinforced reel seats, a choice of three lengths and three handle types, and a protective sleeve in the box, all at one of the lower prices you'll pay for a dedicated catfish rod.

Next to the Wychwood Agitator CR-S, you give up the high-modulus blank and SiC guides, but you gain the choice of length and handle, plus the 12ft model's gimbal butt.

If you want a more specialist rod from a dedicated catfish brand, the Catfish Pro Top Cat Rod 12ft 4.5lb is the one to look at.

Overall, I'd recommend the Skeater Unlimited to anyone stepping into catfishing for the first time, and to cat anglers who want a matched set of rods without a big outlay. Pick the 10ft for rivers, the 11ft for most venues and the 12ft for big open waters.