Which reel to buy?

[Stink Bait]

I am planning on buying a new rig to catfish with this spring and I am having trouble deciding which one to buy. I am looking at the Shakespear Tidewater baitcaster and I have heard good things about it but I have never been able to cast a baitcaster very well and I always get tangled up with backlashes. I have heard about some kind of breaks you can put on them to keep them from backlashing, anyone ever used or heard of using the breaks?
I am also thinking about just getting a nice spinning reel. What do you guys think?

[Pasquatch]

Well, I think most guys fish with baitcasters, but I'm sure you could fish with a heavy spinning rig.
The plus for baitcasters is that they act more like a winch.
The centrifugal brakes on some baitcasters help you cast them without as many backlashes.
I would just practice, practice, and practice some more until you figure out how to cast them well.
CatMaxx has spinning and baitcast reels and a Baitcast combo, meant just for catfishing. I don't know much about them, just see them in the magazine. Here's a link. CatMaxx Reels and Rods

[camo_fish]

Okuma Spinning reels are awesome. I have two and they are nice and smooth.
I don't use my baitcaster for throwing liver, you go baitless if you cast to hard.
But I love my baitcasters for bass, pike, striper, etc. there great for throwing plugs and plastics.
And yes you need to practice, practice, practice, and practice. The art of baitcasting is an ART.

[Hookset]

I agree with Camo, stick with a spinning rig, especialy if most of your catting will be after dark.  Fixing a backlash SUCKS in the middle of the night and it keeps the rod out of the water while you make repairs. I use a 7ft Ugly Stick(medium) and a Quantum SX spinning reel that I spool with light line(10 lb).  Many folks use the long noodle rods.  Bottom line, it probably all boils down to your personal preferences.  I like to battle with them so I go light.  I have a buddy that plays no games with a 7 ft heavy action rod and 50lb braid.  He lands the fish quicker, but is that necessarily better?  Again, personal preference.

[Pasquatch]

Okuma Spinning reels are awesome. I have two and they are nice and smooth.
I don't use my baitcaster for throwing liver, you go baitless if you cast to hard.
But I love my baitcasters for bass, pike, striper, etc. there great for throwing plugs and plastics.
And yes you need to practice, practice, practice, and practice. The art of baitcasting is an ART.

Camo is definately a more experience catfisher than me, I was just going off what I read in magazine, and I can definitley see a chicken liver go flying into the river with a baitcaster. I use a spinning Medium 7ft Ugly Stik, and a reel that I think is a Quantum, spooled with 14 lb test. It works pretty good for me.
I've used  baitcasters with no problem, but I'm pretty good with them. If you don't cast them well, I wouldn't do it without a lot of practice.

[bigredfishing]

if you decide to get a casting reel, the abu-garcia 6500 c3 is a great mid-priced reel that just will never quit.  The 6500 also has a bait clicker that makes an audible click when line is being pulled off the reel.

[Stink Bait]

Yeah, I was looking at the Abu Garcia too. I like they way the casting reels look and would love to try one but I suck at casting with them.

[bigredfishing]

they are not easy to learn to cast but if you just turn the casting drag up to limit the backlashes, it helps a bit.

[Mackdaddy21]

I have one baitcasting reel, a Penn. At times it casts very well, at times it doesn't nothing but backlash. I hate losing my liver on it. So really I prefer a medium heavy spinning reel. Even a big spincaster is a good setup.
It seems I used to not have as many problems with my Penn, but I do now often. I just have to set the spool tension right I guess.

Tyler

[camo_fish]

if you decide to get a casting reel, the abu-garcia 6500 c3 is a great mid-priced reel that just will never quit.  The 6500 also has a bait clicker that makes an audible click when line is being pulled off the reel.

yea I got a 5500-c3 and a 6500-c3 and I love my baitcasters. 
there grrreeat. I even throw it with the live herring and the guys around me think I'm crazy.  :blink:
Got to take a break and fix those hateful backlashes, I've even respooled due to backlashes so I could keep striper fishing. Those were the days the stripers were in large #'s around the dam, but not no more. 

[Pasquatch]

I love my C-3, it is a really good reel, durable as heck!

[TroutFishingBear]

I have a biga$$ rod and big@ss zebco spincaster reel that I use for cats. My rod is heavy action and is 7 ft. We used to get into some real big cats when I was a little kid up until I was about 11 or 12, then we haven't got many anymore because the drought moved them out of town because the water was too silty.(my brother actually caught several over 20 lbs) I am going in the canyon on sunday though and IF I catch a cat I will take a pic of it and I will take a pic of my setup as well.

[Semper Fi]

I have two Cabela baitcasting spinning reels with 8' mh rods. They are combos and set me back around $60. No backlash and cast about the same as any other spinning rods. I spooled with 30# Spyder Wire Fusion with 20# mono to the hooks. Seems to work well for me.

SF 

ps The reels say Cabala, but they are Okuma Saltstrikers

[Stink Bait]

LOL Semper Fi, I saw the Okuma 2 days ago at walmart and have decided to buy it. I am planning on going snagging for spoonbill as well this spring and figuerd I could just buy a surf rod and put the Okuma on it when I go. In the mean time I will put it on my 7' heavy and fish cats with it. How does it cast, I mean can you sling it out there a pretty good distance? The one I am planning on getting comes with an extra spool too. BTW, love your handle. Marines rock!!!

[wormwigglr]

try tying the livers with eggsack netting.