My step dad said this is better for catfishing on bottom because the wieght is on the bottom and less likely to get hung up by the hook what are yalls thoughts on this?

I have caught catfish with this setup, but I will be interested in what the trophy guys have to say.

When trying different methods for catfish from the bank I always like to have "options". I will have 1 set up like yours and another with the bait directly on the bottom. Both presentations work, just have to figure out what method works on the day and body of water you are fishing. One of my son's biggest catfish (33 lbs) was caught at night under a float. Nothing on bottom was even touched.

I always use a peg float to keep my bait off the bottom. My theory is it helps spread the scent quicker.

I’m not sure there is ever a “most” as far as effectiveness goes-
I mostly used the sante cooper rig and just changed how far the bait was off the bottom-

When I was drifting I remember having one bait with no weight on it where the bait was drifting close to the surface and that would get hit sometimes-

I use my dragging rig for bottom fishing too. It works both ways and I don’t have to be changing rigs. Catfish aren’t always swimming along scraping the bottom. I’ve caught them suspended at 7’-8’ in 25’ of water. Personally, I don’t see any problem at all floating your bait 6”-8” off the bottom. The two keys to keep from getting hung up on the bottom are using a dragging weight and keeping your hook off the bottom. That’s my opinion anyway.

My opinion also-

Yeah, I've been using the Paternoster rig forever.

I use a drop shot rig much like what you showed in your picture, but with less tackle. I don't use a leader, swivel, clips or beads. I take my main line, tie an overhand loop knot in the end (I may go through the loop twice for extra strength sometimes), then tie a dropper loop 6-12in above that. 1-2oz weight goes on the end, and a hook on the dropper loop. This is great for vertical fishing, but it works well for me casting out a distance from the boat/bank. Sure, I could use a swivel to eliminate line twist, but I like to keep it simple. I use 10-12lb test which is why I can get away without the swivel, but if you have braid or heavier mono as your main line, you should probably add a swivel and a leader. Another thing you can do is instead put the weight on the dropper loop, and tie a uni-knot (or whatever you prefer) on the end for a hook. In this case, you can add you can add a cigar float if you want to keep the bait suspended off the bottom.

Mr Osborn I consider you a Big fish/ Trophy guy.

I use #20 main line , run it thur the brass eye of my 3 oz no roll, weight and a bead then tie it to my swivel. I make a 24" leader of #15 with a 3" cigar float staked 7" to 8" from a 5/o circle hook. I don't tight line, I leave a little slack. This works well for me. Just my 2 cents worth.