There probably isn’t a fish out that there that has been targeted with such a variety of baits and concoctions as the catfish has. The world of catfish baits is endless. Everyone seems to have their own top secret magic bait recipe. Maybe it’s because channel catfish will eat just about anything they come across. Whether you want to get into making your own secret bait, or would rather buy something that already works, it is important to know some of the top producing catfish baits out there.
It’s actually a lot of fun to experiment with different ingredients and come up with your own secret bait. It’s rewarding to catch a fish on something you made yourself. But making bait can take time that many of us may not have. I’ll be sure to cover ready-to-fish baits as well as how to spice them up a bit.
Understanding What Catfish Eat
Generally, Catfish are not picky eaters, at least not the smaller ones. Catfish under 10 pounds are very opportunistic eaters.
They swim around in search of eatable things. In the wild they would likely come across worms and smaller fish as well as crawdads and muscles. They may also find fish that have been cut up my motor boats, or that have gone through dam turbines.
This is why fresh bait works so well. If you are trying to catch catfish in a lake that has a large shad population, then using freshly cut up shad as bait is probably your best bet. The catfish are used to eating shad. It’s not some mysterious strange smelling blob that the fish has to investigate and taste test. If they see a familiar bait, they’ll hit it hard.
Stink baits have their place and can be very effective, but most pro catfishermen will say fresh bait is the way to go especially when targeting bigger catfish.
Fresh Bait
The fresh bait you choose should be based on what is living in the body of water you plan to fish. On the Eastern side of the US, shad are very common in lakes and rivers. However, on the west coast it is more likely to find creek chubs, bluegill and other sunfish. Maybe there aren’t really baitfish in a pond but you notice crawdads or worms. Use whatever catfish food is most common in your fishing spot. (Of course, make sure it is legal in your area)
If you want a more in-depth page specifically on live bait for catfish, check out this page.
Shad
If shad are common in your body of water then these are great catfish bait. They are smooth and easy to swallow unlike bluegill But they also aren’t as hardy. If you have trouble keeping them alive you can always just cut them up and put bite size pieces on the hook.
You have to use a cast net to catch shad, which can sometimes be difficult if you are stuck with bank fishing. If you don’t have a boat, then bluegill might be a better option as you can catch those easily with a fishing pole and worms.
How To Hook and Fish Shad as Catfish Bait
To use shad as live bait, hook it behind the dorsal fin inserting it in one side of the body and out the other. Make sure you use a big enough hook that there is plenty of hook point exposed. Always check the hook point to make sure there aren’t any scales or debris stuck on it. You want that hook out and exposed to get the best hook set.
You can fish live bait under a bobber or with a bottom rig. Just make sure your bobber is big enough that the bait can’t pull it under, and your sinker heavy enough that your bait can’t swim it into a snag.
To use shad as cut bait, cut up the shad vertically into bite size chunks appropriate to the size of your catfish. put the hook in one side and out the other. Fish this on a bottom rig, or drift it along the bottom of the lake or river.
Bluegill
Bluegill are known as spiny fish because their dorsal fin is full of sharp spines that work to their defense. However, catfish don’t seem to care too much about the spines. Bluegill are tough and lively and make a great meal for big catfish.
How To Catch Bluegill For Bait
Bluegill can be caught with a cast net or a rod and reel. When using a cast net you have to be careful because bluegill often gather around snags. You risk tearing up your net if it gets stuck in a snag.
If you don’t have a cast net or there are too many snags, you can use an ultralight fishing rod with a small bobber, size 14 hook and a bit of worm or cheese.
If you are fishing from the bank, you can use a bait bucket with an air pump, or you can use a collapsible mesh laundry basket. Place it in shallow water with a rock in the bottom to hold it down.
How To Hook and Fish Bluegill as Catfish Bait
Bluegill are almost always used as live bait. They are usually already small and bite sized and they don’t die easily like shad do. Hook a live bluegill behind the dorsal fin in one side of the body and out the other. You can fish them the same as a live shad. Under a bobber or on a bottom rig.
Worms
Earthworms are a classic. They catch a lot of fish. The problem is, if you really only want to catch catfish, you will have to deal with a lot of other fish like bluegill, bass and suckers stealing your bait. But if you don’t mind what kind of fish you catch, then worms may be the best all around bait.
How To Get Worms
Worms are usually easy to find if you can get to some damp, rich soil. In some places like Arizona it might be more difficult to find worms. If you don’t want to spend time digging up worms then you can buy them at most fishing stores and sporting goods stores. The worms you buy at stores are usually too big for trout, but they are a great size for catfish.
If you live in hot climates, then store bought worms usually don’t last very long. Worms that you dig up locally have adapted to the heat and will last longer. Regardless, try not to leave your worms out in direct sun. And you can keep your left over worms in the fridge at home.
How To Hook and Fish a Worm as Catfish Bait
To hook a big earthworm for catfish, poke the hook clear through the worm about an inch or two up from the tail. Wrap the long end around the hook then stab it through again. continue wrapping and stabbing until your hook shank is covered, or you have an inch of head left. This method will help prevent your worm from being stolen by smaller fish like bluegill.
Another method is to use a worm threader to thread your leader all the way through the length of the worm. It’s a bit more of a hassle though so I prefer to just wrap the worm on the hook.
Worms work well with basically any rigging method. a really good technique for catching channel catfish in shallow water is to use a bobber and splitshot. Cast it near cover, or let the current or breeze drift it around.
Crawdads
Crawdads aka crawfish are found all over the US in most bodies of water. And catfish love them. They have hard shells which keep them on your hook, and their wiggling legs and twitching tail grab the attention of the fish.
How To Catch Crawdads
You can catch crawdads by looking under rocks in shallow water, or by throwing out traps. Crawdad traps are similar to minnow traps and can be bought or made. You can use hotdogs, bacon, or a tuna can with holes punched in it as bait.
If you don’t have time or patience to use a trap, you can tie a piece of bacon on a string with a rock or sinker and lower it into the water off a dock. After a couple minutes, slowly raise the bacon out of the water and see if there is a crawdad hanging on. I have used this method to catch dozens of crawdads in a day. You can even use this method with your fishing pole.
How To Hook and Fish Crawdads as Catfish Bait
Hook a live crawdad through the tail and fish it under a bobber. If you want to fish it on the bottom, just be careful where you cast. If you cast into rocks then the crawdad will find a rock to hide under and won’t be found by the catfish. It also may get you snagged on those rocks.
If you are fishing with a dead crawfish, you can hook it the same way, or through the abdomen. Just make sure there is plenty of hook point exposed. You can also break off and use just the tail. You can fish a dead crawdad under a bobber, or on a bottom rig.
Meat Baits
Catfish are out there looking for protein. You will find that the most productive catfish baits have a high protein content such as fish, chicken, and cheese. We are now going to talk about the category of meaty baits. These are some of the most popular types of catfish bait out there. The major benefits are that you don’t have to spend time catching them, and most of them don’t stink too bad.
Chicken Liver
Ok I just said that most of them don’t stink too bad… well this is the exception. Chicken liver may be smelly and real messy, but it’s probably the most popular bait for channel catfish. And there is good reason for that. Chicken livers flat-out catch cats.
Chicken livers are easily accessible at any grocery store, and are fairly cheap. Livers are juicy, bloody and send out a powerful protein packed scent trail that brings catfish in. There are some downsides to using chicken livers but I’ll give solutions to some of those below.
How To Prepare Chicken Livers For Catfish Bait
Chicken livers, although a great bait, have some downsides. Chicken livers are very soft and can easily fall off the hook while casting. But if you don’t mind a little preparation work, you can solve this issue with a couple of methods.
Cure chicken livers. You can cure chicken livers using salt and borax or with a commercially available curing mix. To cure a chicken liver is to basically take out the majority of the moisture and toughen it up. This prevents rot and helps the liver to stay on the hook.
Here are the steps to cure chicken livers
- Put the chicken livers in a large zip-lock bag.
- Sprinkle them heavily with the cure mixture.
- Shake the bag and lightly massage the livers to get them completely covered with the mixture.
- Take the livers out of the bag and lay them out evenly spaced on a drying rack.
- Sprinkle some more cure mixture on them and wait a day or so for them to dry.
- When they start to feel dry, flip them over and sprinkle the other side with the cure.
- After a few days the livers should become tough and leathery. They are now ready to be fished straight on the hook.
Fishing Raw Chicken Livers
If you don’t have time for all that preparation work, there are other solutions. You can use a bait bag or pantyhose to make a sack of liver that will stay on the hook.
You could also use bait string which is a thin elastic string that you can wrap around your bait and hook to hold it all together.
One of the best solutions to keep chicken liver on the hook is to use an egg loop knot. This is a knot that is designed to keep salmon egg clusters on a hook while fishing for salmon. Salmon row is soft like chicken livers so this egg loop knot is also well designed for livers. It is the easiest way to put liver on a hook with the least amount of preparation.
Chicken Meat
Chicken meat is not as pungent as chicken livers and doesn’t leave as strong of a scent trail, but it is still a high protein bait that catfish love. And as long as chicken meat is fresh, it won’t leave you with stinky hands and gear like livers will. Yes some people like to let their chicken meat rot before they use it, but it’s not that necessary.
How To Prepare Chicken Meat For Catfish Bait
You can sometimes find good deals on chicken meat that is near it’s “sell-by” date. Simply cut up the chicken into bite sized chunks and put those on your hook. Chicken meat works well on a bottom rig.
If the chicken came with the skin still on, leave it on as it will add more scent to bring fish in. You can even use chicken skin by itself if you feel bad using perfectly good chicken meat as fish bait.
Spice It Up
A great way to change things up a bit is to throw the chunks of chicken in a zip-lock bag and add a pack of jello powder (flavor of your choice) and shake it up. Let it sit for an hour or so. The jello will soak some of the moisture out of the chicken, making it slightly tougher. And of course, it will add fish attracting color and flavor to the chicken.
Hotdogs
Yes, cats love dogs… Hotdogs are another cheap and relatively stink free bait. Like chicken livers, hotdogs are a popular catfish bait. They are meaty and full of protein and fats. And you can buy a whole 8 pack of hot dogs for $1 which can be cut up and used for multiple trips out on the water.
How To Use Hotdogs as Catfish Bait
When you open the pack of hotdogs, cut them into pieces anywhere from 1 inch to half a hotdog depending on the size of catfish you want to catch. You can catch big catfish on small hotdogs, but you won’t catch small catfish on big hotdogs. So are you going for quality or quantity? You can always cut a hotdog smaller if you are getting a lot of bites, but not hooking any fish.
After cutting up the hotdogs, I like to put them in a bag and add strawberry jello powder. But plain old hotdogs work great too and are less messy.
Hotdogs can be a little soft and easy to fling off the hook when casting. A good way to rig a hotdog (especially anything over an inch) is to thread it onto the leader. You’ll need some sort of long needle for this. I use a worm threader. Poke the needle through lengthwise, attach the leader and pull it back through. Slide the hotdog down and onto the shank of the hook. Use a hook that’s at least 3/0 or 4/0 otherwise the point won’t be sticking out enough to hook the fish. Fish Hotdogs on a bottom rig.
If you are using smaller pieces of hotdog (an inch or so), you can just hook it straight on the hook like a normal bait. Just be careful when casting so you don’t fling it off.
Spam
Spam is much less popular as bait in the US. However the British have been using it to catch carp and catfish for a long time. It is packed with fats that send out a great scent trail. Spam is an amazing catfish bait anywhere, but can really shine when fishing for catfish that are under a lot of fishing pressure. There is a good chance that the fish haven’t been hooked by spam before, like they have with chicken livers and hotdogs.
How To Use Spam as Catfish Bait
Catching catfish on spam is the easy part. Keeping spam on the hook is the hard part. A good size piece of spam for catfish would be about a one inch cube. If you just hook it straight on the hook it’ll probably come off when you cast. There are a couple of tricks to fix this.
- Thread the cube on the leader the same as you would a hotdog.
- Use a hair rig
The hair rig is popular in the UK for carp fishing. There are some good videos on YouTube that explain how to tie it and how it works. I prefer this method over threading bait on the leader because it leaves the hook gap open and the point more exposed for better hookups.
You’ll need a baiting needle to thread your line through the spam or whatever bait you are using. Simply poke the needle through the bait, hook the hair loop on the baiting needle and pull it through. Then put a small twig through the loop and pull it tight.
Baiting needles are hard to find in the US. I made this one by cutting into the eye of a sewing needle with a file, then sticking it into a piece of wood.
Stink Baits
Yes… stink baits stink. Have you ever walked past the catfish section in your local sporting goods store and noticed it smelt like something you’d scoop out of your kitty-litter box? That’s stink bait. It is sticky, smelly, and gets all over everything… But it does work. Especially for channel catfish under 10 pounds. If you are targeting big blue catfish and flatheads, then stick with fresh bait. But if you are just trying to catch a lot of channel cats then stink baits will do the trick.
Dip Bait
Dip baits are bought in a tub. Usually a pint or half gallon size. The texture is a sticky paste that is thin enough to be mixed up with a stick or paint stirrer. It is too thin to stay on a hook by itself. You need to use a tube with holes in it that slides on your leader and over the shank of your hook (preferably a treble hook). These tubes are often called catfish dip worms. You can also cut up a sponge and do the the same thing to save money, but a dip worm will probably work better because it can hold more bait.
Dip baits are mainly used for river fishing as the current will spread the scent down stream and bring fish up to your bait.
How To Get Dip Bait on The Hook
To bait your rig, dip the hook and catfish dip worm into the tub of dip bait and use a stirring stick to bury it. Massage over the rig with your stirring stick to work the bait into the dip worm. slowly pull the rig out of the dip bait and it should be well covered.
How To Fish With Dip Bait
Cast your bait out on a bottom rig. As this bait is meant mainly for river fishing, you want to cast just upstream of where you think the catfish will be. As the current flows over your bait, it’ll dissolve into a scent stream. This draws fish below to come upstream and investigate. When they find the source of the smell there should still be a glob of bait on there to get them to bite.
As dip bait is designed to dissolve relatively fast, you shouldn’t leave your hook out there for more than 5 minutes. Once all the bait dissolves of your hook, the hook is not going to catch any fish. Reel in, dip again, and recast.
Punch Bait
Punch bait is very similar to dip bait except that it is thicker in consistency and can even be formed into a ball around a hook. It is slightly slower dissolving and eliminates the need for a dip worm.
How To Get Punch Bait on The Hook
Simply push your treble hook into the punch bait and mush the bait all around it with a stick. When you pull it up is should be well covered in bait and ready to fish. If you don’t mind getting your hands messy, then you can pack more bait on by forming it into a ball around the hook.
Fish it the same as you would a dip bait.
Dough Baits
Dough baits can be homemade and experimented with, but they can also be bought in the catfish section at the tackle shop. These will usually come in a bag already shaped into small doughballs that you can put directly on your hook. I haven’t had any luck with these baits, but maybe I haven’t tried for long enough. They come in different scents such as blood, chicken liver, and strawberry. Just put them on the hook and fish with a bottom rig.
