A how to catch catfish guide wouldn’t be complete without covering the best bait to use. Based on my experience, here are the best bait to use for catching catfish.
Chicken livers! One of the baits to use folks. I love these. I love to eat them and so do catfish. They give off an adamant smell that attracts them.
One of the best things about these babies is they’re cheap. You can pick them up at the grocery store. You’ll have to check your hook every half hour or so just to make sure the liver is still on the hook.
Crawfish/Crawdads. This is what catfish naturally eat when they’re in the natural habitats. Here’s a tip though. You want to use shelled crawfish because, like shrimp, they fall off the hook pretty easy. I always pick them up at a bait shop on my way to where I’m going.
Worms. Load up your hook with these babies. You can get them at the local bait shop.
Pizza! Can you believe it? If I eat pizza the night before I go catfishing, I’ll save the crust part of the pizza. You know those bits where there’s still some cheese on them? Those are good too.
I’ll cut up the crust into chunks and put them on the hook. They stay on the hook comfortable that way.
Here’s a great catfish bait recipe for you to use:
Great Catfish Stink-bait recipe
Why do catfish bait often smell so strong?
Because catfish don’t have good eyesight. They find their food by their sense of smell. And since water weakens the smell of anything, strong baits work best. That’s why we like to call them stink baits.
Chicken livers! One of the baits to use folks. I love these. I love to eat them and so do catfish. They give off an adamant smell that attracts them.
One of the best things about these babies is they’re cheap. You can pick them up at the grocery store. You’ll have to check your hook every half hour or so just to make sure the liver is still on the hook.
Crawfish/Crawdads. This is what catfish naturally eat when they’re in the natural habitats. Here’s a tip though. You want to use shelled crawfish because, like shrimp, they fall off the hook pretty easy. I always pick them up at a bait shop on my way to where I’m going.
Worms. Load up your hook with these babies. You can get them at the local bait shop.
Pizza! Can you believe it? If I eat pizza the night before I go catfishing, I’ll save the crust part of the pizza. You know those bits where there’s still some cheese on them? Those are good too.
I’ll cut up the crust into chunks and put them on the hook. They stay on the hook comfortable that way.
Here’s a great catfish bait recipe for you to use:
Great Catfish Stink-bait recipe
- 1 lb of old, moldy cheese
- 1/2 lb of chicken livers
- chicken liver blood (in the container of chicken livers)
- 1/2 cup of corn starch
- 1/2 cup of baking soda
- 1/4 cup of cornmeal
- 1/2 cup of powdered garlic
- Cut each liver into four pieces
- Mix it all together until it’s like pizza dough. You might need to add less or more cornstarch to get it to the pizza dough consistency.
- Roll the mixture into balls like meatballs.
- Cover a cookie sheet with wax paper
- Place the balls on the wax paper
- Slowly drizzle the chicken liver blood on top of the balls, allowing the blood to sink in
- Dust the top of the balls with garlic powder
- If you’re going fishing within the next couple of days, place in refrigerator until you need them
- If it’s longer out, just put them in the freezer
Why do catfish bait often smell so strong?
Because catfish don’t have good eyesight. They find their food by their sense of smell. And since water weakens the smell of anything, strong baits work best. That’s why we like to call them stink baits.
