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Dozens of different bait types are commonly
used for catfish, with popular picks ranging from hot dog
slices to clams to 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.
SHAD
Big catfish like big meals, and few things do more to
improve an angler's odds of landing a true trophy cat than
baiting up with a big chunk of cut shad or even a live shad.
Adult flathead catfish feed almost exclusively on live fish,
and shad often are an important part of the mix because they
are around river channels, where flatheads spend the most
time. Even channel catfish, which feed on a little bit of
everything both dead and alive, turn heavily to fish diets
once they get larger than 10 pounds or so.
Shad make great bait in most reservoirs and many rivers,
because they are prevalent natural forage and often are
readily available to fishermen. However, the same principles
apply to various minnows and other baitfish species in
waterways where shad are not the main attraction.
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. 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.
CHICKEN LIVERS
Arguably, no bait is more closely associated with cat
fishing than a chicken liver. The reason is simple: livers
produce catfish and lots of them. With their strong, meaty
smell, chicken livers draw cats from broad areas. Once the
cats find the bait, they have trouble resisting them.
Among the best ways to keep 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.
DIP BAITS
Some folks 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,
dip baits are gooey concoctions that usually smell horrible,
but catfish absolutely cannot resist them.
A bait's consistency also is critical. A good dip is soft
enough that it breaks up gradually, but solid enough that it
does not wash away quickly. In current, where dip baits are
really at their best, that can be a delicate balance.
NIGHT CRAWLERS
Stringing a worm on a hook is the essence of fishing
simplicity. In fact, it almost seems too simple. That said,
night crawlers remain some of the finest baits available for
coaxing catfish into biting. They smell natural, because
they are natural, and they seem to taste mighty good to
catfish.
Generally speaking, the rule for night crawlers and catfish
is, the bigger the better. Even small cats like big, juicy
worms. It is generally a good idea to wad two or three on a
hook if you only can find small or medium-sized worms.
Unlike other species, catfish typically do not care how
night crawlers are strung on the hook.
Because they do not have to be cut up and are not quite as
messy as livers or dip bait, night crawlers also make a
terrific bait choice for trips with youngsters. Children
quickly learn how to string worms on hooks so the bait will
not come off. Also, cats tend to slurp in night crawlers, so
hook-up ratios tend to be good.
CRAWFISH
If chicken livers are the best known of all catfish baits,
crawfish may be the most overlooked. All major species of
catfish feed on crawfish, although most flatheads caught on
craws weigh 20 pounds or less.
Crawfish rank among the best baits of all for fishing in
creeks and small rivers. You can either bounce live crawdads
near the bottom in the current using split shot rigs or add
a little heavier weight and fish crawfish tails right on the
bottom. Dead crawfish produce mostly channel catfish. Live
ones -- especially big craws -- also attract modest-sized
flatheads. Anglers who specifically want flatheads should
put baits close to the thickest cover they can find and be
ready to pull with everything they have upon setting the
hook.
Crawfish are not purely stream baits, though. They are
important forage in many ponds, lakes and reservoirs and,
therefore, make great catfish bait in waterways of all
sizes. Fresh crawfish, whether dead or alive, work great for
putting cats in the boat whether they are placed atop rocky
points or humps on summer nights, or fished in the deeper
open water along the edge of a grass bed. |
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