Berkley Big Game™ Casting Rod, 7' Medium Heavy Fishing Rod, 2 Piece

Some setups may work better than others, but any setup can catch you fish. Key is to not tell yourself you can't. Plenty of people have caught on jug, limb, or trot lines for decades! When it comes to a rod, we all have visions of massive fish but in reality even a bass rod will catch most catfish you'll find. If you're lucky enough to live in prime catfish territory something a little bit heavier will work best though not required. For just getting started but on something dedicated a cheap Berkeley big game rod (https://www.walmart.com/ip/Big-Game-Casting-Rod-7-Length-2-Piece-Rod-12-30lb-Line-Rate-1-4oz-Lure-Rate-Medium-Heavy-Power/17017928) outfitted with a Sharky 6000 baitfeeder (https://a.co/d/06XMXbDB) will get a fishing for under a hundred bucks. Note - the sharkys go on sale frequently but aren't on sale now. You can often find the 6000 for 50 bucks if you can wait it out a bit. You can spool up to 50 lb braid with no issue but 30 lb would probably be better. Plenty of time to go big later, no sense spending a ton of money if you're just getting into it and aren't sure if it will be your thing. Honestly, fishing can be a lot like car racing. It's much more fun to drive a slow car fast than drive a fast car slow. Similarly, it's much more fun to catch a big fish on a little rod than a little fish on a big rod.