I teamed up with Whisker Seeker Tackle in 2013 to build the “ultimate” line of catfish rods. After a year of testing and development, the first rod in the series was released in July 2014.
There are now two rods available in the Chad Ferguson Signature Series lineup from Whisker Seeker Tackle and more on the way to be released in late spring 2015.
Currently available in the Chad Ferguson Signature Series Catfish Rod Line:
- MH 2 Piece Casting – 7’6″ Moderate Fast Action
- MH 1 Piece Casting – 7’6″ Moderate Fast Action
- MH 1 Piece Spinning – 7’6″ Moderate Fast Action
- H 1 Piece Casting – 7’6″ Fast Action
- H 2 Piece Casting – 9’6″ Fast Action
I wanted something like no other rod on the market today, something light and sensitive enough to hold in my hand for extended periods of time when using techniques that required it and something strong enough to winch monster trophy class catfish out of their holes or off the bottom when I needed brute force strength.
Plus I wanted innovative materials and features that nobody else was using in catfish rods, so that’s what we built!
Catching big cats, finesse fishing for smaller ones, drifting, trolling, tightlining or slinging stink bait, this rod can handle it all (plus it’ll turn heads with its killer looks).
It’s the only fishing rod worthy of carrying Chad Ferguson’s name, Catfish Edge and Whisker Seeker brand, it’s truly a cutting edge catfishing rod.
Chad Ferguson (Bait Caster) Catfish Rod Specifications:
- Proprietary blank construction built to our stringent specs as we do not use mass-produced blanks.
- S-Glass, Graphite & Carbon Fiber composite blank construction resulting in a rod that shares the strength benefits of glass, but with the lightness/sensitivity of graphite and carbon.
- High visibility rod tip shines like a laser against the water so you can see every bit of activity when Mr. Whiskers comes along.
- Revolutionary composite blank with a strong backbone for winching in monsters and a sensitive tip for circle hooks or detecting lighter bites.
- 7’6″ rod length provides the ideal balance between leverage over big cats, casting distance and versatility for a variety of techniques, 9’6″ two-piece model also available!
- 10 steel line guides for super-smooth long-distance casting and long term durability with monofilament or braided fishing line.
- Heavy reinforced reel seats lock and hold without backing off or walking and built for long term abuse.
- Extra-long handle and foregrip to control big cats, bottom bounce sinkers or finesse fish. Tuck it under your arm and lay down on a big cat and you’ll feel the difference.
- Cork composite handles provide the look and feel of cork but offer a no-slip grip and durability like no other, catfish slime and shad scales wipe right off and it doesn’t weather and breakdown like cork.
- Light enough to hold all day and strong enough to lay the smackdown on a monster cat.
- Large SS hook tender is there when needed.
- Industry-leading “Trophy Tuff” warranty exceeds all other catfish rod warranties because we’ve built a product we’re confident in.
- 1-6 oz Trophy Tuff weight rating
- 10-50lb Trophy Tuff line rating
Trophy Tuff Warranty
The Chad Ferguson “Signature Series” Catfish Rod is so tough that it’s backed by an industry-leading warranty. The Trophy Tuff Warranty covers your catfish rod for a period of two years.
The “Trophy Tuff” warranty goes beyond manufacturers’ defects and exceeds all other catfish rod warranties. Nobody else comes close to standing behind their catfish rods.
Break it, damage it or do something stupid? We’ve slammed rods in a truck tailgate, stepped on them and made mistakes and know you will too! We’ll ease the pain because we’ve been there!
The “Trophy Tuff” warranty has you covered when bad stuff happens, even if it’s not our fault! It covers your mistakes for a period of two years. We’ll swap your rod out for 50% of retail no questions asked for a period of two years.*
Manufacturers defects are 100% covered during the first year, all you pay is shipping and handling.
*Product registration and proof of purchase required. Warranty limited to the original owner only.
GFX vs FMJ Rods, What’s The Difference
Since we initially released my Chad Ferguson Signature Series Catfish Rods we’ve made a number of changes over the years and in 2019 we added the FMJ rods to the Whisker Seeker Tackle rod line so the rod is now available in the GFX and FMJ models.
This is one area I get tons of questions about, what’s the difference between the GFX and FMJ rods?
GFX stands for “Graphite Series” and FMJ stands for Full Metal Jacket.
The GFX and FMJ rods are the same except for the reel seats.
The GFX series rod has a graphite reel seat and the FMJ rod has an aluminum reel seat. Both reel seats are capable of handling all of your favorite catfish reels in all sizes and both reel seats have a double locking nut. The biggest difference (outside of aluminum versus graphite) is the GFX series rods have a trigger and the FMJ rods don’t.
Which is better?
It’s really a matter of personal preference. The GFX and FMJ rods are both great and both reel seats are capable of handling any catfish reel you want to use. We just had an overwhelming number of anglers requesting the aluminum reel seats so we added them to the rod line.
I’ve used both the GFX and FMJ series rods since they’ve been released and I love them both. It really comes down to personal preference and whether you want a trigger on the rod or not and whether you feel you need the added insurance of an aluminum reel seat.
Check Out All Of The Rods At Whisker Seeker Tackle
- MH 2 Piece Casting – 7’6″ Moderate Fast Action
- MH 1 Piece Casting – 7’6″ Moderate Fast Action
- MH 1 Piece Spinning – 7’6″ Moderate Fast Action
- H 1 Piece Casting – 7’6″ Fast Action
- H 2 Piece Casting – 9’6″ Fast Action