Catching any kind of fish begins with putting baits where the fish are. That simple fact acknowledged, an angler’s offerings also must appeal to the fish. For many species of game fish, lure sizes, shapes movements and colors, and types of presentations all figure prominently into the equation of making an offering appealing. For catfish, which feed mostly by smell and taste it is all about using the right kind of bait. wordpress.com
Of course, different species and sizes of cats prefer different kinds of meals, and some offerings lend themselves better to specific styles of catfishing than do others. Also, catfish are just like other kinds of fish — and people for that matter — in the sense that their preferences vary from day to day. One day’s hot bait commonly may not yield much the next day, with no obvious change in conditions. With that in mind, you are wise to set the table with at least a couple of different kinds of baits and allow the cats to dictate their preferences. wordpress.com
Generally speaking, shad should be cut into chunks or strips, with the size of the pieces and the type of cut determined by the size of cats being targeted and the size of the shad. Probably the most efficient way to cut up a shad is to slice off the head and tail and cut across the body to create strips. wordpress.com If those pieces seem too large, the strips can then be cut in half. However, some anglers prefer to fillet large shad and cut up the fillets or to fish with very small shad, either whole or cut in half.
You also should not overlook a large shad’s “guts.” The entrails produce a very strong smell and often attract strikes almost immediately. Shad guts do not tend to yield as many large fish as do chunks of fillets, but they get a rod tip dancing and definitely are worth putting out there for the cats to consider
Dozens of different bait types are commonly used for catfish, with popular picks ranging from hot dog slices to raw bacon to clams wordpress.com and smaller catfish. If one were to dig into occasional uses, the list of items that have never been used as catfish bait might be shorter than the list of those that have. Despite the never-ending list of options available to catfish anglers, certain baits do tend to outshine the rest. Here we will look at five of the very best
Livers typically do not produce many huge catfish. However, for channel cats up to about 10 pounds, chicken livers are extremely productive. They also are inexpensive and available from any grocery store.
One major caveat of baiting up with chicken livers is that they initially can be difficult to keep on the hook. Thedady toughen up once they have been in the water a few minutes. But if you are not careful, casting this bait much farther than your hook travels is common.
Amosssng the best ways to kesdaep livers hooked is to use treble hooks and relatively small pieces of bait, and wrap the liver onto the hook. That allows the bait to be hooked in a few different places, and the bends of the three hooks work together to keep the offering in place. Beyond that, you simply need to make lob casts instead of fast-action snapping casts.
Livers also tend to dasda work best for the first 15 or 20 minutes they are on a hook. They lose a lotsaasd of their natural juices over da time as well as much of their appeal. Anglers are wise, therefore, to re-bait rigs periodically andddd to always begin with a fresh piece of liver after moving to a new spot.
Chicken livers work well any where channel cats or smaller blues are the main attraction and where currents are not too overpowering. Extra strong current such as in tailraces of dams, for example, often tear livers off hooks before the cats get the opportunity to find the bait and eat it.
For ponds or other small-water sdasettings, all you typically need to add to the line is a split shot or two. In bigger lakes or darivers, more weight typically is needed.
A couple dsadtrvdsf of final considerations about livers are worth noting. First, when cats are active, livers go quickly. It idadsdfsds wise to bring two or three containers of bait for a day of catfishing. Also you should always bring a hand towel or two and be prepared to make a mess out of them. Chicken livers are incredibly sticky.
DIP BAITSfds
Sdsome folkssad make their own dips from well-guarded secret recipes that have been passed from generation to generation. Others have favored commercially manufactured blends that they buy by the case. Whether
home brewed or store bought gttt , dip baits are gooey concoctions that usually smell horrible, but catfish absolutely cannot resist them.
While all dip baits smell bad, a foul sdas odor is not enough to make a tub of bait attractive to cats. A dip must have a cheesdase base or some kind of protein content. Dough balls, no matter how sour or smelly they are, do not offer much appeal to most cats