One of the most important things to think about when choosing your catfish bait is that you shouldn’t choose the bait based on your own preference. Instead, your concern should be the preference of the catfish.
In the area you plan to fish, and with the type of catfish you intend to look for, what is the best option for luring in the catch? Also, with the style of fishing you prefer, what catfish bait is best suited to your preference?
If you are intending to fish for large catfish, remember that they prefer large meals. In such cases, a large chuck of shad can certainly do the trick. Because adult Flatheads have a diet almost entirely of live fish (with shad actually making up much of that diet because they are found in the river channels), this catfish bait produces great results.
Use shad in almost any reservoir and lots of rivers, especially since they are readily available to fishermen. Cut the shad into chunks or strips, sizing them based on the size of the catfish you aim to catch. Cut off the head and tail and slice strips across the body for the most efficient usage, or if the shad is extremely small, you may wish to use the whole fish as catfish bait.
The Carolina rig is probably the most popular way to fish with shad, using a large enough barrel weight to keep the rig on the bottom. If you are looking for Flatheads, use a different method, with palm-sized live shad presented near the bottom and around thick cover.
One catfish bait that is synonymous with production of large numbers of catfish is chicken livers. The part of the chicken that makes so many humans turn up their noses produces a strong, meaty smell that can draw out catfish in large numbers from a wide radius.
While you most likely won’t catch a prize-winning large cat with this bait, you’ll most likely go home with an incredible amount of channel cats that weigh up to a good ten pounds. Note that initially keeping a chicken liver on the hook can be difficult, though they will toughen after a little time in the water. Try using treble hooks with small pieces of bait, wrapping the liver onto the hook. That way, the hook can penetrate the bait in several places for a more secure hold.
For best results, make a lob cast instead of fast-action snapping cast to make sure your bait doesn’t travel further than you hook. Use this relatively cheap bait for channel cats and small Blues in areas where the currents are not too strong, and don’t leave the liver on the hook for more than 15 or 20 minutes because loss of natural juices takes away from their appeal after this amount of time.
Dan Eggertsen is a fishing researcher and enthusiast who is commited to providing the best catfish fishing information possible. Get more information on catfish bait here: http://www.askcatfishfishing.com