Hi, Luke Here with CatsandCarp.com and I am
going to show my top 8 favorite catfish baits and walk you through their pro’s and con’s. Over the years I have been very fortunate
to catch a lot of great catfish from bank and from boat, from lake and from rivers. And I have learned a few things about bait. First off, there is no bait that works good
in every single situation. Different types of catfish and different types
of water require different types of bait. And while shad may catch much bigger blue
catfish than chicken livers, there is a time when you want to use chicken livers and not
shad. And there is a time when hotdogs works better. And there is a time when worms work betters
and there are times when they don’t Now obviously there are many catfish baits
out there, but to make my top 8 this must be a bait that consistently catches catfish
in many different places and many different times of year. I also wanted baits that work well for the
different types of catfish: channel catfish, blue catfish, white catfish, flathead catfish
and bullheads. To make the list, a bait must also be easy
to find. For instance, cicadas are an awesome channel
catfish bait, but I didn’t put cicadas on the list because they are not available most
of the time. Live eels are another great catfish bait that
didn’t make the lists, because they are only found in certain bodies of water and
only a few states allow you to fish with eels. Number 1:
Number one on the list is schooling bait fish. When I say schooling bait fish I am talking
about. Gizzard shad, threadfin shad, American shad,
hickory shad, skipjack, herring, mooneye and golden eye. Large schools of bait fish are a key ingredient
in growing large catfish. Almost every body of water that contains trophy
sized catfish also contains large schools of bait fish. And the size and population of the bait are
linked to the size of the catfish. The James River in Virginia produces insane
numbers of trophy catfish. 60-80 lb catfish are regularly caught and
many catfish guides on the James will give you half your money back if you don’t catch
a 30lber or bigger. The James River produces huge numbers of trophy
blue catfish because the river contains huge schools of massive gizzard shad as well as
hickory shad, American shad and herring. The gizzard shad on the James River are also
much larger than the average gizzard shad, normally 1-3 lbs each. Big shad make big catfish. In places where there are lots of schooling
bait fish, the catfish start their lives eating anything they can fit in their mouths. But as the catfish grow, more and more of
their diet becomes these schooling baitfish. In many rivers school baitfish make up 90%
of the trophy catfish’s diet. Large catfish, choose locations based on their
access to these bait fish, and that is what they are looking for and that is what they
are feeding on. Fresh caught baitfish produces more trophy
catfish than any other catfish bait. Schooling bait fish are also easy to catch
in large numbers. Throwing a cast net is the most common way
to catch these fish. In some places gill nets are allowed. Snagging, Dip nets and an umbrella nets can
also be used effectively where it is legal. Usually, I can catch all the shad I need for
the day in 30 minutes of less. For more information about catching and freezing
shad for catfishing check out this video. Mooneye, Golden eye, herring, American shad
and Hickory shad will actually bite a hook. Sabiki rigs, small twisty tailed grubs and
shad darts are popular lures. Small chunks of worms or crickets under a
bobbers can work good for mooneye and golden eye. Steve Douglas has a great video demonstrating
how to catch mooneye with bait and a bobber. The biggest down side to these bait fish is
that many of them are particularly fragile and are hard to keep alive if you want to
use them for live bait. For instance, usually about half your gizzard
shad will die in the live well within an hour or two of catching them unless you are extremely
careful and have a large well oxygenated live well. There are some commercially available additives
that you can place in your live well to keep these fish alive longer. Number 2: Spinney bait fish. Spinney bait fish are fish that have spinney
dorsal fins, like blue gill, sunfish, pumpkin seed, white bass and bullheads. These bait fish are easy to catch. They work as bait in almost any place that
has big catfish and they are all very tough so they make excellent live bait. These types of live bait fish will catch all
four species of catfish, the only difference is the preferred sizes. Because live bait is so popular with flathead
fisherman, many flathead guides prefer spinney bait fish over more fragile bait fish, like
shad. The best ways to catch spinney bait fish is
with a rod and a reel. A little bait under a bobber can get you a
ton of bream. Check out this other video for information
about catching bluegill on slim jims and how to keep them alive for catfishing. Fish traps, like this four leaf clover trap
can also catch a load of blue gill. We also have a great instructional video about
how to make your own four leaf clover trap. The biggest downside to live bait is that
prep time in catching it and keeping it alive. And when using live bait make sure you obey
local laws and catch your bait from the same body of water where you will be fishing so
as to avoid spreading diseases, parasites of introducing non native fish. Number 3: Rough fish. Rough fish are non-sports fish that aren’t
commonly fished for. Carp, goldfish, suckers, quillbacks, carp
suckers, fall fish, chubs and buffalo. These fish make fabulous live bait and they
tend to draw in really big flatheads. On average, most of these fish can get pretty
big, so you have a range of sizes to choose from. You can use a baby carp that is only 4 inches
long or you can fish for trophy flatheads with a 4 lb live carp. However, this variation in size can also be
a problem. Not only do you have to catch your bait, but
you have to catch them in the correct size. If you are fishing for 4 to 5 lb channel catfish,
you don’t want a 10” fish. You want something a few inches long. Additionally, these fish tend not to be schooled
up or thickly concentrated so it can take a long time to catch enough bait. I usually need about 12 fish to go night fishing
with live bait. It takes me less than 30 minutes to catch
12 shad, but it can take me an entire day to find that many fall fish or baby carp. Rough fish can be caught using rod and reel,
cast nets, seines, and fish traps. In rivers where there are lots of fall fish,
I like to use a small white soft plastic minnow on an ultra light rod. I find that worms or a seine net work best
for suckers. Buffalo and carp can be caught on sweet corn
or cast nets. Because these most rough fish don’t have
spines and they are bigger than most bait fish, I think catfish prefer these fish over
blue gills or white bass, but because these fish are harder to consistently catch and
keep alive, they are not a bait source that most of us can rely on. Number 4 Boilies
Boilies are small boilied balls of bait that are used by carp fisherman and European catfisherman. Unlike a lot of American catfish baits, boilies
are not messy and generally non-perishable. Boilies come in all flavors and a variety
of sizes. Boilies are so effective, that most US carp
fisherman have trouble keeping catfish off their hooks long enough to catch a carp. My favorite boilie flavors are Crab & Crayfish,
Halibut and plum. The biggest down side to boilies is their
cost (About $5-$10 for a 2 Kg bag). You can make your own boilies or buy them
online and I will include links in this video’s description. Generally boilies are attached to your hook
with a hair rig, a baiting needle and a bait stop. I have several videos showing how to tie a
hair rig and how to attach a boilie. Boilie work incredibly well for channel catfish
and small blue catfish, but occasionally they will work for flatheads too. I caught this 53 lb flathead on a single boilie. Number 5: Boilied feed corn. Boilied feed corn is great for nice channel
cats and small blue catfish. Boilied feed corn is super cheap. I can buy a 50 lb bag of dried feed corn for
$12. That 50 lb bag will make about 200 lbs of
wet bait. That is a lot of catfish bait. To prepare feed corn, simply soak it for 12
hours and then boil it until it squishes between your fingers. I then chum piles of feed corn and cast a
small #1 to #4 hook with two kernels of corn on it. A hair rig also work really well when fishing
with feed corn. I catch a lot of carp and catfish with this
technique. Some people like to ferment their corn first,
but I prefer it fresh. Sour wheat, is a very similar chum. Its soaked and fermented wheat or barely grain
that is used a catfish chum. I prefer corn because it’s cheaper and you
can use it as a hook bait as well as a chum but wheat does work really well also. The biggest downside to this bait is the preparation
to make it and the fact that it tends to not work well for bullheads or flatheads or large
blue catfish. Number 6: Chicken Liver
Chicken livers are a classic bait for channel catfish and small to medium sized blue catfish. Chicken liver really puts out a strong scent
trail and it catches a lot of fish. The biggest problems with liver are that they
come off the hook so easily. Some people prefer rooster liver or beef liver
because it’s a little bit tougher though harder to find. You can prevent chicken liver from coming
off the hook by using bait bags, surgical gauze, panty hose, curing the liver, bait
thread or even a the egg loop knot. For more information watch our video on the
6 best ways to keep liver on the hook. Chicken livers are also extremely perishable,
they go rancid quite quickly so if I don’t end up using the liver pretty quickly I end
up throwing it out. Some people like to ferment their livers but
my experience is that it is just a great way to make a huge mess without making your bait
any better. Number 7: is Hot dogs. Hot dogs are a really nice channel catfish
bait without the mess or perishability of chicken liver. They also stay on the hook better. However, I don’t think hotdogs are as consistently
good as chicken liver or these other bait and they tend to catch smaller catfish. I like to cut up my hot dogs into sections
and marinate them in jello mix and garlic powder. This toughens, preserves and flavors the hot
dogs a little bit better. Number 8: Earthworms
Earthworms are fabulous for bullheads and small channel catfish but their biggest problem
is that all fish love earthworms. You end up losing a lot of bait to bluegill,
trout, bass, perch and really tiny catfish. Paying for your earthworms can also be a big
downer, but if you want to learn how to catch your own earthworms check out some of our
videos about catching earthworms with dish soap, walnuts, electricity or grunting. Well any rate, I hope this list of my top
8 catfish baits gives you some ideas but I also hope it gets you thinking about mixing
up your baiting routine. There is a time and a place for almost every
catfish bait, and the trick it not to only use one bait, but to learn when and where
to use each of the different baits. Thanks for watching and if you want to see
more videos from the Catfish and Carp YouTube channel check out How to catch catfish with
boilies and How to catch tons of blue gill with slim jims. Thanks for watching and don’t forget to
click “Subscribe”.
