About a decade ago I was a member of a catfish league. I was a complete novice to catfishing, and the more experienced members recommended using a spinning reel with a clicker if you were not going to use a bait casting reel (which also should have a clicker). I always used a bait casting reel, so I never purchased a spinning reel with a clicker.Now I have two grandsons who love to fish, but have not used bait casting reels. When they go catfishing with me, I'm sure one of them will be using this reel, and it will also be handy when I have other guests fishing with me. The clicker alerts you to the bite when a fish has taken the bait and begins to move.Since I have never had a bait clicker spinning reel, I am not sure exactly how they work. On this reel, the drag controls the line tension for both the bait clicker and also for fighting the fish. This means you set the drag lightly while waiting for a fish to bite, and then you tighten the drag when you begin to fight the fish. The drag setting is a round knob you turn at the back of the reel instead of the disk on top of the spool.The reel retrieves smoothly and also has an anti-reverse lever. I like that came equipped with line, but I'll change it pretty quickly to a heavier pound test braided line. The experienced members of the catfish league recommended at least 80 pound test braided line. Our river has many snags, and 50 pound flathead catfish are fairly common.