I'm a full-time flathead catfisherman. I started

flathead fishing when I was eight years old using Penn 209 reels. I prefer to fish as close as i can to gnarly brush piles, sometimes so close to them that my line will actually be rubbing against the logs! This kind of fishing is no nonsense no BS, one weak link WILL, NOT MIGHT, BUT WILL make you lose a fish of a lifetime! When that big cat hits the bait you have to set the hook and get the fishes head turned away from the brush pile, and if you don't get that done you will only have another "fish story". When I was using my Penn 209 when I would torque the hardest to get the fish turned away from the brush I would crank the handle but the spool wouldn't move and that when I needed it the most. I was young and didn't have a clue about gear ratios. I was complaining about my problem with my Penn 209 not reeling in with a bait shop owner in Kansas City he had the same problem that I had with Penn reels. After his advice my fishing would never be the same. He told me he switched to Abu Garcia 7000 C3 and because of the gear ratio he never had that problem again. And because of Garcia 7000 C3 I never had that problem again either! Now every friend of mine that flathead fishes is using Garcia 7000 C3s. Thank you for a bullet proof product!