The BEST Flathead Catfish Rig? (Very in depth)

I FINALLY made this tutorial for you guys. This is my favorite rig to catch flathead catfish here in Arizona. Suspended Bobber Rig/Helicopter Rig. I've caught tons of fish with this guy!
I've been asked for numerous years and finally made it haha sorry for the very long wait!
Thanks for watching!! Please like and subscribe for me. I would appreciate it!

[@lurkingarachnid7475]

What cause your mono to snap is actually the braid cutting into the mono, braid is very abrasive to mono or any leader Material, 10 lb braid can cut clean through 200 lb mono leader if it gets wrapped around while you're reeling. What you wanna do is braid to leader and connect the two with the PR bobbin knot method then connect your rig

[@alfredliggins8510]

PR bobbin knot ? explain please

[@rangeraficionado87]

Dude is the MVP for showing that rig in action under water. I've been various versions of this rig my entire life for all species of catfish, just because it's what I came up with as a young bank fisherman with no one to teach me.

[@TDFishing]

Haha much appreciated! I’ve been wanting to show the rig in action for years now and finally did it 😂

[@p.c.7853]

The TD Fishing Rig, thank you brother this is going to help a lot of us catch a flathead. Be safe brother and your videos are fire👊🏼

[@TDFishing]

Good, I’m glad to help!! Hope you get on some big flats brother! 🤝

[@TheFishinMagician20]

Great tutorial 🔥 I can confirm this works well people!

[@TDFishing]

Let’s goooo 🫡

[@Arizonafishing]

Insane technique

[@TDFishing]

Yesssir 🤝

[@caniaccharlie]

Is the line taught from the reel to the bobber or do you want a little slack so the bobber stays at it's maximum height from the bottom? Do you always go with the 5-6ft distance between the led and bait line?

[@TDFishing]

I do like slight slack like but barely any. I don’t always go that long. But in general I stay around that 4/5ft length or so

[@dorado1543]

I loved this type of content! Thank you for posting this.

[@TDFishing]

Thanks man! Happy to help!

[@Arizonafishing]

Can’t let gng know I fw this

[@TDFishing]

🦝💨

[@AskLeRoy]

I'm in Havasu. We catch flats year round. Hit me up sometime!

[@kennethwalton5465]

Tie the rig backwards... = all palomars... tie the hook and swivel to leader using palomars... then tie swivel to main line using palomar and pull leader through... i really trust the palomar knot.

[@TDFishing]

Haha I’ve done that before as well. Definitely can’t go wrong with all Palomar! Quick, easy, and very strong knot

[@thomasmathea2306]

That's how I tie my dropshot rigs. I use heavy braid and when I get snagged, I can get some slack, wrap it around the handle of the rod lean into line pop it through/out of most snags. The hook straightens out before the.knoy gives.

[@ronniebotteron9924]

I call this rig your running a southern Kentucky rig

[@scubadkins]

So bobber isn’t actually floating on water surface? It’s “kinda” like santee rig where bobber is completely submerged

[@TDFishing]

Correct! The entire rig sinks to the bottom because of the lead weight. Bobber keeps the bait off the bottom and the lead weight keeps the whole rig in one spot (compared to a big bobber on the surface with a small weight where the bait can swim around)

[@ChristinaLemke]

Thanks for sharing!! Have you tried any of the new floats for cats? Demon Dragon etc?

[@TDFishing]

I personally haven’t but some friends have had success with them! 👍

[@rafaellepe2052]

Love it. Of course, I will try this rig. Thank you so much for sharing.

[@TDFishing]

Nice! Let me know how it goes when you try it out!

[@markbartolowits5354]

Great video. Thanks for taking the time to show the real presentation under water.

[@TDFishing]

Thank you!

[@MAJIC2044]

Really good video i have started doing some flathead fishing and all of that heavy gear is definity needed for the resivors and some rivers.

[@TDFishing]

Thanks man! Yep, heavy gear in the bigger lakes and rivers when you know structure is near by. Urban is fun on light stuff

[@itllkeal]

I put some hellgrammites on a 200lb bankline and tied between 2 docks as a trotline, and the next morning, when I retrieved it from the docks, I thought it was loaded and I removed 1 side and went to pull it in and there was 1 catfish on it and I saw about 4ft of it before it roled and pulled but it snapped the main line like a shoe string. Don't ever wrap the line around your hand.

[@johnknapp6328]

Have you ever used catfish rattles?

[@TDFishing]

I have. They definitely work as well!

[@blackdeath5026]

I crimp all my tackle i attach to the line

[@TDFishing]

That’ll work!

[@73suburban]

I just got a chubby watching this.

[@TDFishing]

Amen brother 😂

[@vichaithao2012]

Finally! Been waiting a long time for this! 😅

[@TDFishing]

I bet 😂😅

[@weekender38]

Excellent presentation. Extra credit for the underwater camera shot. Tight lines to ya!!

[@TDFishing]

Thank you! Tight lines to you as well my friend!

[@maxcoatlhunter4322]

Great video and thank you very Sr. I just asked you on another video about your hooks and you answered my questions with this vid and gave me much more Sr. Thank you very much.

[@TDFishing]

Happy to help!! Thanks for watching man

[@toodoggplays]

that rig looks good for me, where i fish i have crabs that always eat my bait

[@TDFishing]

Makes sense! Definitely should help with that!

[@MexicoPescadoro]

I'm poaching this rig for Grouper for sure! Thank you!

[@TDFishing]

Heck ya! Do it!

[@fishybiz]

Thanks for the tutorial. I haven’t targeted a flathead since moving to AZ but maybe that time is now.

[@TDFishing]

Happy to help! Gotta give it a try some time man! Tight lines if and when you do!

[@208flatheads3]

65lb powerpro with 65lb braided dacron leader plenty beefy enough for any flathead

[@TDFishing]

Definitely agreed in pretty open water! We have very sharp rocks and shelves here in AZ that will slice that like butter haha it’s happened to me and friends too many times to keep using that light of line unfortunately

[@chrisrocha7908]

Great for fishing lakes but we fish flat heads in rivers same set up basically minus the bobber! Any ideas

[@TDFishing]

That’s exactly right! When I fish rivers with decent flow, I’ll take the bobber off and use the exact same thing. If it’s slow current, the bobber rig still works fine

[@FlatheadObsessionGuideService]

Very intersting man! Looks like it would work beautifully we'll try er out and get back to ya.

[@TDFishing]

Yessir! Give it a try for sure!

[@raulosorio8337]

I’ve never fished your style before for big kitties but really enjoy the content man 🤙🏼

[@TDFishing]

Give it a try some time man and thank you, I appreciate it! 💪

[@mrbrooks502]

Kentucky rig- pretty sure

[@yumannature1523]

Great video. Heading out to buy 3-way swivels and foam floats now!

[@TDFishing]

Nice! Tight lines! 👍

[@tclift1670]

Why do you need knot protection below a styrofoam float?

[@TDFishing]

That’s a fair question. The bobbers I use (and pretty much all bigger bobbers) have a brass eyelet in them where you run your line through. Over time they kinda break off though. You still have a hard plastic rod going through the float. I use my rigs/knots for a long time because I know the knot is protected. I’ll retie my hook leader when needed but often times will keep my mainline to the swivel for numerous trips/months. If I didn’t use any type of protection, I’d personally want to retie fairly often just in case

[@tcox8729]

What's your thoughts about using 2 smaller treble hooks with pinched barbs kinda like a pike/musky rig

[@TDFishing]

That definitely could work! I used to do something similar in the past. These catfish aren’t sensitive so I’m sure they think the treble hooks are fins

[@thomasmathea2306]

I did this the other day with a big rock bass, I caught a 48 inch musky instead of a catfish.

[@michaelbailey4442]

I've been thinking about trying this rig for a while but my river runs around 4+ miles per hour. Have you tried this rig in any significant current?

[@TDFishing]

I have and done decent. The main difficulty is if you have debris in the water, it can get caught in your bobber and bait easier. If you check your bait fairly often you’ll be fine 👍

[@michaelbailey4442]

@@TDFishing thanks man

[@NathanButler-d6m]

Use same rig for years now and firmly believe in it

[@TDFishing]

Nice! Definitely one of my favorites

[@dot3furniture]

Thank you so much for all the info. Picking up the rod now, do you like the M/H 6.0 or 6,6ft version? love your content!!!

[@TDFishing]

Thanks man!! I have a 6’ MH spinning and a 6’6 MH in casting. Absolutely love both! I don’t think you can go wrong with either lengths. They have a nice light tip and strong back bone. Very light weight but strong

[@dot3furniture]

@@TDFishing Thanks again!

[@dot3furniture]

One more question, I was searching for a large collapsible fish basket but cant find one as big as I see you using to hold the big ones till morning. Is there a brand I could look for or are they called something different?

[@kimbrigreen950]

How high above the swivel are you setting your bobber stop? Dig your vids!

[@TDFishing]

Make sure it is at least a foot or so longer than your hook leader so the bait can’t wrap around it. Thanks for watching man!

[@kimbrigreen950]

@@TDFishing thx

[@Digglerdirk79-l4y]

I doubt any catfish cares what rig you use they don't have a preference 😂

[@TDFishing]

All about keeping your bait visible lol I’d say they prefer seeing your bait 😂

[@Gstar5150]

​@@TDFishingyeah suspending your bait is always a better idea, you can just use a heavier weight and tie the hook on top so it's suspended. There's no need to make the rig complicated with slips, swivels and bobbers.

[@TDFishing]

@@Gstar5150 that definitely works in some applications (like deep water and close to the boat). That rig is all about having a vertical angle to keep the bait up. I run baits out far and often times shallow so the angle of that lead can be very steep allowing the bait to still touch bottom.

[@dustincrooks602]

Flatheads are a bit different I’d say.

[@Gstar5150]

@@TDFishing you can always just put a slip bobber on your line below the hook if thats an issue and the knot itself will keep it secured, no need for a T swivel or slips.

[@jessejamesmcguire]

I think some crimps would greatly improve this rig

[@TDFishing]

Probably haha I’ve just never been a fan of crimping

[@jessejamesmcguire]

@@TDFishing it works well and is really helpful when you start losing your vision with older age lol

[@bginvestor101]

yup, been using this rig for years!

[@TDFishing]

Yesssir! 🫡

[@BetweenMyDream5]

Awesome in-depth video man! curious as to what type of reel your using on that rod though?

[@TDFishing]

Thanks! The one in the video is a Penn Squall 40. Mine is a left hand retrieve and lever drag

[@BetweenMyDream5]

@@TDFishing Hey TD you're like the only person I can think to ask these questions. In your experience when it comes to rods do you think the way to go for flat heads would be MH rod or Heavy?

[@TDFishing]

No worries lol happy to help! On true flathead/saltwater rods, MH is the way to go. Heavy is definitely overkill and feel like a broom stick on those types of rods for flatheads. It’s a little confusing when you can have a Heavy bass rod but they aren’t even close to the power of a true catfish/saltwater rod so just be careful with that. If you have a basspro/cabelas/sportsmans warehouse near you, see if you can find Penn Rampage rods. Those are awesome rods for flatheads. They are light, strong, and not too expensive. That will also give you a feel for the style you’re looking for in case you don’t want that specific rod. I’d stick between 6’ and 7’ or so.

[@LiuFishing7]

we need to know what size billy boys lmao

[@TDFishing]

Haha I just checked BassPro’s website and it has a 4” and 4.5” bobber. I just measured mine and it’s 4.25 😂 so I think either of those would fine haha unfortunately they don’t have model numbers on them

[@LiuFishing7]

@@TDFishing Hey bro, did some research... the ones you are have the #045 AKA the 4 and 1/2 inch ones. They do indeed measure in at 4 and 1/4 and not 4 and 1/2 as labeled...LOL

[@TDFishing]

@LiuFishing7 haha awesome! Thanks for that info 😂

[@JarrydMitchell]

Love the rig video definitely gonna implement something similar when I fish reservoirs here in Indiana

[@TDFishing]

Nice!! Should work there for sure. It works great in zero to slow moving water. Any faster moving water and I do Carolina or this same rig without the bobber

[@GwillE100]

Good ol’ SKUNKO!!!

[@TDFishing]

Haha you know it!!

[@larryd1296]

The whole rig is overkill!

[@TDFishing]

Haha seems to work great for me! I’ve caught tons of fish on it and done multiple comparisons against Carolina rigs. It does better 🤷‍♂️

[@codydial112]

……………….. I’m pretty sure that’s the point….🤦🏼‍♂️

[@dboyMMA7100]

You fishing for Marlin? Catfishermen Crack me up. You don't need a fuken reel that big for a fish that may pull 20yrds of line. Lmao

[@actionnjacksonn]

Why comment fam cmon not necessary bro .. let people do what they do

[@dboyMMA7100]

@@actionnjacksonn you just did

[@TDFishing]

Then why’d you click on a video with catfish in the title 😂 We run baits out over 100 yards away and use heavy line because of the under water structure so I need large line capacity. Myself and several others have lost big fish because we weren’t using heavy enough gear. This is the result of actual experience 👍

[@dboyMMA7100]

@@TDFishing lol. I've been catfishing for 40 yrs now. Still learning from guys like you. Thanks.

[@TDFishing]

I’m young but have 20 years under my belt now. Trust me, if I could get away with it, I’d only be using 20lb test and bait poles cuz the fight is way more fun haha. Arizona has super sharp rocks so even a small fish can break you off which is really annoying. I hate losing fish as I’m sure you do lol I use lighter gear when I can.

[@actionnjacksonn]

I’ve been waiting haha I remember asking John Osborn about this rig thanks Trevor 👍🏾.. would this work in the river?

[@TDFishing]

Haha I gotchu 💪 tightlines bro!