04-01-2022, 11:58 AM
I have fished for catfish all over the country. And I have seen and used just about everything imaginable for catfish bait. And just like all the fancy lures the manufacturers make to catch fishermen...almost anything will work to catch at least a few fish...some of the time.
In Utah I have fished for cats since the early 1960s. The older and wiser anglers who first tutored me in catching cats fished mainly nightcrawlers or some cheap bait shrimp you could buy at most markets. Also caught a lot of cats on a gob of cheese. And later learned about cutting pieces out of the sides of carp or suckers (legal then in Utah Lake). Was also shown how to catch baby white bass and either use them whole or chunked...along with chub minnows when we could get them.
As my catfishing education progressed, I was introduced to chicken livers and even just chunked up chicken that had "soured" a bit in the refrigerator. Even got to try some "aged" deer and elk parts. It all caught fish to some extent.
As life and business interests took me around the country I saw lots of new things being used successfully for catkind. Hot dogs and other processed meats were popular on quite a few waters. Even saw some folks using small pieces of Ivory soap. Most interesting was the use of big ugly catalpa worms (caterpillars) wherever they showed up in the summer. And of course there many species of bait fish being fished for catfish...whole, strips or chunks. Most species of small sunfish are great cat bait. And in areas of the country where there are threadfin or gizzard shad they are popular baits. Plus, all kinds of insects will catch cats...like grasshoppers, crickets and the like. Even saw some cataholics fishing with big snails out of the garden.
In earlier days our use of seafood was largely restricted to the frozen bait shrimp we could buy cheaply in many markets. As seafood catches expanded and refrigeration improved there were more ocean tidbits available for bait. Today we can fish squid, mackerel, smelt and other ocean fishes...as well as clams and mussels.
"Stank baits"? Some places in the USA you won't find many cat tanglers fishing with anything else. On waters that are typically slow moving and murky the catfish feed primarily by smell and vibration. They have smell receptors all over their bodies and can taste with not only their barbels but with their exterior skin surface. So strongly odoriferous baits WILL catch a lot of fish. Some of this stuff is sold as preformed nuggets you just pin on your hook. Others are a thick heavy dough that you mold onto the hook. Still others are more liquid and are smeared on specially formed hook rigs that hold the stuff on longer. Many cat fans make their own special recipes of that smelly stuff. When going fishing with them you would be well advised to wear a hazmat suit.
My experience in Utah is that our local kitties WILL occasionally slurp up one of the prepared stink baits. But overall you will catch more and bigger fish...most of the time...by using more "natural" baits. And, in most cases you will do better with fresh bait rather than some that has spent time in the freezer.
I am attaching one of my PDF writeups on Catfish Baits. It probably does not include every possible thing that will catch catfish, but I think it covers the most common.
In Utah I have fished for cats since the early 1960s. The older and wiser anglers who first tutored me in catching cats fished mainly nightcrawlers or some cheap bait shrimp you could buy at most markets. Also caught a lot of cats on a gob of cheese. And later learned about cutting pieces out of the sides of carp or suckers (legal then in Utah Lake). Was also shown how to catch baby white bass and either use them whole or chunked...along with chub minnows when we could get them.
As my catfishing education progressed, I was introduced to chicken livers and even just chunked up chicken that had "soured" a bit in the refrigerator. Even got to try some "aged" deer and elk parts. It all caught fish to some extent.
As life and business interests took me around the country I saw lots of new things being used successfully for catkind. Hot dogs and other processed meats were popular on quite a few waters. Even saw some folks using small pieces of Ivory soap. Most interesting was the use of big ugly catalpa worms (caterpillars) wherever they showed up in the summer. And of course there many species of bait fish being fished for catfish...whole, strips or chunks. Most species of small sunfish are great cat bait. And in areas of the country where there are threadfin or gizzard shad they are popular baits. Plus, all kinds of insects will catch cats...like grasshoppers, crickets and the like. Even saw some cataholics fishing with big snails out of the garden.
In earlier days our use of seafood was largely restricted to the frozen bait shrimp we could buy cheaply in many markets. As seafood catches expanded and refrigeration improved there were more ocean tidbits available for bait. Today we can fish squid, mackerel, smelt and other ocean fishes...as well as clams and mussels.
"Stank baits"? Some places in the USA you won't find many cat tanglers fishing with anything else. On waters that are typically slow moving and murky the catfish feed primarily by smell and vibration. They have smell receptors all over their bodies and can taste with not only their barbels but with their exterior skin surface. So strongly odoriferous baits WILL catch a lot of fish. Some of this stuff is sold as preformed nuggets you just pin on your hook. Others are a thick heavy dough that you mold onto the hook. Still others are more liquid and are smeared on specially formed hook rigs that hold the stuff on longer. Many cat fans make their own special recipes of that smelly stuff. When going fishing with them you would be well advised to wear a hazmat suit.
My experience in Utah is that our local kitties WILL occasionally slurp up one of the prepared stink baits. But overall you will catch more and bigger fish...most of the time...by using more "natural" baits. And, in most cases you will do better with fresh bait rather than some that has spent time in the freezer.
I am attaching one of my PDF writeups on Catfish Baits. It probably does not include every possible thing that will catch catfish, but I think it covers the most common.