I thought this would be a good topic to discuss since we have so many new catfishermen getting serous about the sport, and many of us have been upgrading equipment over the last year.
What are some of the rods and reels you guys are using, and what are some of your likes/dislikes?
I started with more budget gear many years ago(all I could find at retailers) and used it for many years for catting. I started with a garcia 5000 and a pool cue musky rod.. it worked, but it had its limits.
I used several different cheap rods,the best I had found for years was a South bend catfish special… still a pool cue, but 8′ long and a 6500(graduated to a clicker) I could launch a heavy bait a mile… or beyond what the bait could live through. caught a lot of big fish on the rig, and its probably the reason my shoulder needs surgery now 
Modern day reels:
I retired my last 6500 in 05′ and switched over to spinning gear for a while. Cheap reels at 1st which soon broke, then we moved into Okuma epixors 50 & 65 series which are still working perfectly today when they get used. My casting gear I played around with a couple 7000’s, and also a few different trolling reels which would land fish fine, but very troublesome to cast. Eventually I invested in Shimano Tekota’s and they pretty much covered all the good things of any other reel, cast perfectly, and as smooth as glass.. they pretty much made the 7000’s feel like zebco 202’s(sorry Brian). I have found overall the Okuma Epixor reels and Shimano Tekota reels to be top of the line for flathead fishing, I dont have complaints with either. My 6500’s did serve their purpose with minimal failures, but the drags were the biggest downfall for me, just too light when you had to turn a big fish.
Modern Rods:
Theres lots of cheap rods out there that will work, but they really dont hold a candle to the better quality rods made these days specificly for catfishing. Most of these rods have some tip action to detect bait movement, and pick up moderate-light strikes, but have the backbone to lift the heaviest fish off th bottom in current. Lifting power is very important, its also *turning* power. Top choices I would recommend are Boss rods, the #3(17#-30#) & #4(20#-40#) rods both perform very well and have a ton of back bone, bu still keep a light blank weight, great quality eyes, and a quality fighting handle that lets you get great leverage on heavy fish. Tiger Rods(ugly stick) are also a top quality rod.. I hated ugly stick until these hit the market. All 3 rods have excellent actions for catfishing, the lightest rod still has a soft tip for circle hooks, but can handle 80# power pro, the middle grade rod is about perfect for flatheads, a bit more stiff, but you will never run out of power, the heaviest model is probably the best close quarter combat rod on the market. The power handle on all of these rods are equal to about 40% of the rods backbone = tons of leverage, and verry minimal fatigue(rod doesnt beat you up). The spinning rods only come in 2 actions, but are definately THE BEST choice out there for a good spinning rod for large fish that I have used.
A new rod on the market are Surge Rods, these are very high quality rods, a little heavy on the rod blank, but a very nice tip on the lighter rods, and a choice powerful action that will be great for catfishing.. one of these will be my next purchase, they seem like an excellent rod for the money, and they have a white blank that is much easier to see at night. These rods also come in spinning rods(Boss doesnt) and should be right up there with the best.
I really recommend anyone looking to upgrade to check these rods out. Drive out of the way to find them on hand and make the choice that best suits your needs. Too many rds that look good in a catalog and turn out to be junk when they get there, and sometimes a good rod slips by we thought would be junk and they are great. I am not saying the most expensive are best, but most often when it comes to heavy fish gear.. expect to get what you are paying for in quality and performance.
I did not say the 7000 was a POS. I was only saying I need to cast far for the places I have been fishing, which the tekota is better for IMO. 
