Catfish Bait

[zzdlee]

When fishing for catfish what bait that would easy and quick to make or bought at a store would be good?


What is a good live bait for catfish?

and

What is something you suggest bringing on catfish fishing trips that u woundnt bring for bass or regular fishing?
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[allingeneral]

Herring, Shad or other oily fish...live or as cut bait.

Chicken livers wrapped in a piece of old panty hose (to hold the livers together)

Those are a couple that immediately come to mind.
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[tubeN2]

Catfish do tend to like smelly baits.

Out here on the West coast, we like to use Shrimp from the Oriental markets. It is not washed as well as the normal Shrimp that you find in the regular meat markets.

Chicken livers are good (as was mentioned) in most other states. Wrap em up too.

A good live bait for Flat Heads or Blues are live gold fish. Some of them will also hit on Nightcrawlers too.
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There is something that I would usually take to a Catfishing trip that I won't bother with on a Bass trip.

Plenty of Beer. My hands are too busy when fishing for Bass.[]
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[FrankN4]

This actualy works:
Put chicken livers in something to drain, and drain very well. Put aluminum foil on a plastic, not wood, cutting board. Put two or three layers of paper towels on the aluminum foil. Put well drained, well spaced livers on paper towels. Completely cover with garlic salt. Check back in a couple hours to see if more salt is needed. Leave these out as long as your wife allows. This will actually toughen the livers to the point that casting is much easier, adds a new scent, and really catches channel cats.

Over the years, I have tried about everything that anyone has suggested. Most work, some better than others. I have settled on three things that are, for me and my experiences, far and away the overall best. The first is crawdads. Go to the creek, river, branch, whatever, turn over rocks, catch crawdads in dip net used for aquariums. I think this is number one. Raw, unpeeled, tail on, large shrimp Less than $5.00 a pound at Wal-Mart. A prepared dough bait called Magic Bait chicken liver and chicken blood. You can get it at Wal-mart for less than $3.00 a bag. This stuff, sometimes, out-fishes crawdads and shrimp.

Someone mentioned being "on the fish." I have fished 40-50 feet from someone else that was catching fish until tired and I caught nothing. I have had it the other way around also. Many years of experience has put the odds in my favor and I "usually" catch fish, but not always.

I haven't bass fished since the 1970's but I also think it is an especially good idea to take cold beer and a warm jacket. []
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[Scruffy]

I reccomend Lucky J or anything you can pickup at a tackle shop that is in the freezer/LIve Bait section. Chicken livers are sweeeeeeet. Also, if you want to make your own bait cut up a few hot dogs in to 1 inch pieces and leave them in the sun for a week. To add flavor throw something in that has blood like cut up shad or chicken livers. The mixture of salts and bloods trigger most fish into feeding which is why I like to use whole fish when I go out.
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[CEMcGee]

I really lke Sonny's stink bait and the tubes with the holes in them (not the ribbed ones) because they hold the bait really well after packing it in there, with treble hooks. Whole bluegills or even just the heads (they won't eat a severed back end) for flatheads and blues. The later in the day, they better my luck has been. There is a river out here we'll hit from 10pm-4am and it's way way better than when the sun is out, especially for the flatheads. So have headlights/lanterns, and poleholders with bells. Toss it on the bottom with an egg or bell wait with a barrel swivel so the weight doesn't smack into the tube and the cats won't feel the weight. I give about 18" from swivel to the hook. Don't forget to bring chairs either, sometimes you gotta sit here and there unlike bass fishing. Oh yeah in between re-baiting that tube swing it around a few times after you've reeled in it, it will get the excess water out and help the new bait stick better.
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[mkalx]

Medicinal leaches are supposed to be the ultimate Catfish bait if you can afford them!

Trouble is keeping them - they need to feed on blood!

http://www.biopharm-leeches.com/info_fishing.htm
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[farmerbeck]

My favorite bait is using fresh beef blood. Go to a local butcher and ask him to fill up a 2 gal bucket, put on ice and when it coagulates, cut into cubes and gently push a treble hook through it, the water is cool enought to keep it firm...best if fishing from a boat, but perfect for jug lines and trot lines!
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[IndyFishing]

Chicken livers, dough ball bait from the store, or home made, catalpa worms, shrimp work well,gizzard shad,skip jack.

One thing I would bring that I don't take on bass fishing trips... a good set of pliers and probably a glove to fit my right hand (right handed) just to be sure those nice soft little catfish fins don't stick me. [:p]
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[bytebull]

My biggest cats i catch here in NE arkansas are in a runnoff river it has a "ditch" # but it's a river. This river has lots of bluegill but any bluegill over 3in's are illegal to use for live bait in ARK so i get to the river early and rig up a few poles with small hooks and small red worms and catch as many 3" or less bluegills as I can for the afternoon or night fishing.

I spear the bluegills in the stomach to make them bleed and do the death dance on bottom. If whole isn't working I cut off the main body leaving the guts hanging out and use that.

Have caught up to 20lb blue cats with this method regulary here in that same river.

Just a tip: Always know your states regulations for using LIVE BAIT. each state is different and you can have all your tackle taken and a stiff fine if caught using live bait that's not allowed.
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[lukeduke28]

One of my favorite bait for channel cats is some uncooked whole shrimp with some WD-40 sprayed on. It sounds crazy but it works. It makes it much more oily/greasy and the fish love it. I have had alot of success with it.

Good live baits that I use are; (as mentioned, check your state regs) bluegill caught with a pole, small creek cubs caught with a cast net, shad, minnows, goldfish, bullhead are very lively. Pretty much whatever is easy and legal to use is best. Also, try to use the bait that is natural for what the fish eat. Like if you fish a lake where there is an abundance of shad, then goldfish might not work as well because the fish are used to shad.. Just try everything out and see whats best!
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[bytebull]

I've heard of the WD-40 thing does that really freaking work? lol.... just sounds crazy to me but catfish eat crazy stuff....
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[midtnhooker]

frozen and shelled shrimp. they usually have added sea salt too. the cheaper and nastier brands are better i think.

And i just collected and froze hundreds of 3" shad that dies a couple days back from a winter kill(or the oxygen depletion from spring turnover on the lake) those stressed shad make great bait later in the year.

cut up cheap sponges and soak in potted meat( less than a buck or two)
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[MuDbOnE_MiKe]

[indent]I like to use anchovies on a nice sized treble. Make sure the treble is very sharp because their gonna hit it like crazy and you dont want to loose a fish.
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[code2110]

It depends on where you do fishing?
Catfish bait is a huge topic in our local forum.
Below are some advices:
* In the fishing pond
- Sandwich
- Indochina banana (for all who live in Asia)
- Fish ball or powder (fish food - factory made food) which is very common in Catfish export countries like Thailand, Vietnam...
Note:
Fishing tip: In the pond, water run slowly so don't use the sinker, let the line freely. Set a hook as you see the line going straight. 2 hooks is suggested.

* Out site the river like Mekong ...
- Chicken or duck intestine
- Cockroach
- Sea worm
- Beef
- Shipworm
Note:
Fishing tip: In the river, water run quite fast so you really the sinker, Make the line straight & not necessary to set a hook as the fish hook itself as eating the bait. 1 hook is suggested cause there are many rubbish below.

Further info. stop by [#0000bf]thefishhook.blogspot.com[/#0000bf]

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[bytebull]

I bought a huge package of chicken breasts for a BBQ that never happened last weekend and the meat was going to go bad so...

I took the breasts that were never cooked (about 6 of them) and cut into 2 inch long strips about 3/4 inch thick and put them in a Ziploc bag with about 5 tablespoons of Garlic Salt. I threw it out on the back porch for a whole night and day last Sunday night and all day Monday.

Yesterday I was at a local pond, about 1 acre across using this bait on bottom with no sinker around 50 yards from bank. I caught catfish all freaking day! Most where around 2-5lb but I got a couple that were over 10lb on this chicken/Garlic mess.

Catfish don't seem to care what they eat! hahaha.
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[lunkerhunter2]

[quote midtnhooker]
--Ask Me How To Catch 5 Bass Over 5 Pounds EVERY Year---[/quote]
Well, how do you do it? [inline "i don't know.gif"]
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[Simp]

[quote lunkerhunter2][quote midtnhooker]
--Ask Me How To Catch 5 Bass Over 5 Pounds EVERY Year---[/quote]
Well, how do you do it? [/quote]


How indeed...
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[catfishchic]

I would also like to mention that some folks use Ivory or Lava soap bars as catfish bait. Baked in the oven just until it is pliable enough to make cutting easier. Then the soap can be cut into small squares without crumbling.This method works great, but remember that soap has lye in it so just keep a eye on your hooks for corrosion. Check the point and the barbs for corrosion.
You will find that soap works great for catching catfish!
Happy Fishing,
Catfishchic
Ps. Also try Golden Raisins in still waters in hot summer evenings.



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[bytebull]

[quote Simp][quote lunkerhunter2][quote midtnhooker]
--Ask Me How To Catch 5 Bass Over 5 Pounds EVERY Year---[/quote]
Well, how do you do it? [/quote]


How indeed...[/quote]

Go bass fishing from dawn til dusk everyday 365 days the whole year at lake or pond with known large bass? lol

I catch way over five 5lbr's each year, usually 20 or 30. I've already caught a 6.5lb, 7.2lb, 5.2lb and probably 30 5lb or less already and it's only April...
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