Tackling up for catfish
You need to catch a catfish to see what all the fuss is about. If you want a hard fight and the excitement that goes with it - hook into a catfish. Even a modest 20 pounder will feel like it's trying to pull you in. The fight is often long and brutal and a degree of physical strength is essential.
With this in mind, tackle choice is paramount. You might get away with carp or pike gear on small waters where they can't run very far, but mostly you will need to be adequately prepared. On a bigger water you might run out of line.
The set up I have has been ideal for my UK catfishing and even so, there's been times when I've wondered if I will ever get the cat back as it's making an unstoppable run.
Rods are 4 3/4 lb test curve Fox Pelletmasters. Reels are Fox Warrior 1200, loaded with 65lb braid. Where braid is banned, I use 20lb mono. Hook links are 100 lb b.s and very strong Eagle Claw hooks in size 2/0 normally. I am still using my old stock, but nowadays there is a huge choice of hooklink material and hooks. Circle hooks are now very widely used.
You will need a very big landing net. Fortunately, catfish seem to give up when they reach the net, and you can man handle even a very big one into a 50 inch net. If you can get a bigger one, so much the better.