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Despite being a fun thing catfish fishing is a struggle as well as the fight too much after a bite. You want to go for flathead catfish it is even more harder because its a sub species of catfish. And finding them can be difficult sometimes and it is even worst when you are at the hotspot and you do not have the right tackle. And most of you know what that means right? A fishing disaster day and waste of time and efforts. So before you show up at the spot you need to have the right tools and tackle to be ready. So for flathead catfish rigs, rods, reels are the most important things to be equipped with.
Here is a complete tackling guide for flathead catfish fishing tour. We will take you through the most important flathead fishing gear you need to be ready to catch trophy size flathead catfish.
In this article we will cover all the different types of rods, reels, rigs, lines and lures that professional anglers recommend. And in each section of the post we will share the best items we have found through experience.
Note: You may already know that flathead catfish fight a lot after it gets hooked. It can sometimes be risk to break the line or leader so don’t miss the leader and line section. Also leaders rigs are pretty important in many situations to be successful.
Flathead catfish tackle
Knowing the right depth of flatheads is crucial in any spot. But unfortunately it is very hard to figure out the exact depth of fish anywhere. As flathead catfish lives a little more deeper we can’t also see them from top or catch from shore. The solution to this problem are the best flathead fishing rigs. Rigs are usually several feet long and they are capable of attracting fish to the lure. When a rig comes in all we need to find an estimate of depth of the fish.
As much as rigs are important they are dependent on several other things. Like the line you use and the lures you are using with the rig as well as the rod and reel.
A flathead fishing rod could be either inspiring and motivating to spend more time and catch plenty of more fish. Or it could be the worst nightmare of an angler when you just hate handling it because of its size or shape.
Again at the same word it is crucial to have the right flathead gear. Moving on to detail guide on each of flathead catfish rigs, rods, reels, and equipment you need.
The length of a fishing rig depends on several aspects on different fishing spots. If you can not determine the depth of fish in your spot or you expect wider area. In this situation the length of rig will be different. If you have found the depth then rigging up your line will be pretty easy and simple.
Before you go ahead here are some great catfish fishing spots.
Best flathead catfish rigs
Here are the best flathead fishing rigs every angler should have in the bag.
- Float rigs: These rigs are often attached with a bobber and a light weight line with a three way swivel in the middle. As the bobber keeps the line floating the other side of the rig has a sinker and a hook. You can either put some flathead catfish bait or a lure at the hook. These work amazing in lakes and clear water. These works with normal size flathead catfish rod and a usual reel and nothing special. The length of line from sinker to the hook should be enough to reach the range of fish in the water.
- Three way rigs: If you use live bait or any other sort of bait you want to be using three way rigs. They are super helpful with live bait. As flathead catfish are bottom feeders and they often feed near the bottom of the lake or waterbody. The purpose of these rigs is to reach the bait to bottom. Again a three way swivel and a sinker at one side but no bobber this time to help the hook go deep enough. This time a longer fishing rod with more grip and a heavy but thin line is the requirement. Braid should be the choice as it is the hardest. This rig has brought the most flathead catfish as it works with bait that’s why the fish is well attracted.
- Carolina rig: This one is a combination of braided line, a slip sinker and at the end a fluorocarbon leader. This one works the best for me as the fluorocarbon line disappears even in clear water.
Best Flathead rods
If we talk about catfish there are several rods that are very famous for general catfish species. The muddy river is one of them which brings large cats for may anglers out there. It is one of the best rods you will ever find for professional fishing catfish. Most of the professional anglers having experience will also recommend the same rod for a lake.
As well as the ugly stick tiger rod is cheaper and also has a better price. But the line guides in the ugly stick has are not that smooth and the muddy guides are steel made.
All those are great rods for the fish but if look at the subspecies flathead catfish. We see a little different rods than those for catfish. We will go deeper in the details of what rods we recommend for flathead catfish while fishing in a lake river or even in a creek.
The only tip for beginners is that be sure to use a rod with quality and thickness. Flatheads are can easily go well over 5 pounds even up to a hundred pounds sometimes. The rod you use should be able to tolerate the unexpected larger weight. The line should also be a good one with higher pound test if there are larger fish in the spot with a matching flathead catfish rigs. And of a spinning reel should be on the rod as well.
Rippin lips flathead rods
These rods have been performing really well for all catfish anglers. Having a medium weight these MH rods are special gifts for all flathead fishermen. Having a Rippin lip you will be able to hold and keep casting again and again. These rods are well known for their quick action and light weight comparing to the other flathead catfish rods.
This comes with among the best ability of casting and is always as one of the best bait caster for anglers. The best polymer quality will let you hold it with good grip. It also has split grip which helps the rod to be more consistent and lightweight. The sensitivity of the tip will let you know if your biat is still there and alive.
Despite being cost effective Rippin lips is absolutely one of the best rods for flathead catfish however there are other rods that can perform better.
Ugly Stik rods
These are not famous for no reason, the best catfish rods ever. People have been catching more than 70 pounds of flathead and other cat species. If I have to pick one and the best rod for any species of cats I will probably go with ugly Stik. From smaller to the biggest size it is perfect for all the fish in any lake or river. It is even more effective for larger size because smaller can be caught on other rods too.
The most reliable rod having bigger and strong line guides underneath it. The guides have the support by more than two connections with the rod.
Depending on the fish size you are expecting you can pair it with other reels too. Okuma ABF series bait casting reel is our recommendation and it will work perfect for you when you are casting larger bait.
Muddy river flathead rod
The second best rod after ugly Stik for big flatheads is the muddy river. It is even the best for some anglers and of course that depend on the spot you are fishing and luck as well. I also get a lot of fish with my muddy river rod, I even have a pair of same rods. So I am in love with them.
It has the best line guides I have ever seen in a flathead rod, they are made of stainless steel. Super strong and very reliable with the combination of a good reel you have in mind.
Flathead catfish reels
There are several catfish fishing reels that are perfect for flathead too. Just keep in mind that the weight of catfish largely impact the abilities of your reel. As flathead is best catchable with bait and fishermen love to use baits they usually use bait caster reels. But there nothing wrong using spinning reels as well for flatheads. So be sure to choose the right one, here is our list of best flathead fishing reels.
Flathead catfish line
As other catfish flatheads can also be pretty big many times. You have to figure out what size fish is usually living in the spot you are going to cast your line. When you have got an estimate of the fish size in the lake or river. You have to pick a little heavier pound size line to be sure it doesn’t break. It will also support the rigs so you have to be careful with knots.
Braided line is always recommended for flathead catfish. Up to 50 pound test is usually the right pick for an average size lake. If you can catch bigger size fish go bigger but keep in mind excessive line diameter will scare the fish away. You may also have a bad day due to thick line.
So this was a guide for flathead catfish rigs, rods and reels. If you like the post please support by sharing the post with friends.
