Experienced anglers will tell you that you can catch catfish with any bait because these fish are greedy scavengers and predators. If, however, you use the right catfishing bait and rig and find the right spot, you significantly improve your success rate.
There are several types of catfishing bait. These include natural bait, dead bait, live bait and static bait.
Natural Baits: The best natural bait for catfishing are worms. There is, however, one problem with this bait. Pest fish also love them and will be attracted to your bait. Use lobworm and put as much as you can fit onto your hook. Free line rig, pop-up or leger are good choice when using worms. Another good live bait is freshwater mussels but like worms, they also atracts other fish especially carp and tench.
Maggots can be used as catfishing bait but they are more effective in attracting catfish to your swim if they are used as loose feed. You can also use leeches as natural bait. They do not attract pest fish and a bite is very likely to be from a catfish. Leeches are mainly used as blood suckers in medicine and the type available to you as catfishing bait are usually larger.
Live baits: This is a great choice when catfishing. This fish is very greedy and although it will eat anything, they prefer live baits. If you choose to use live baits, then limit the size to not less than two ounces and a maximum of twelve ounces and make sure you have the right rig in relation to the bait size especially if you are trying to land the big one.
You have a large choice of live baits but the popular ones are bream, carp, roach, tench, rudd, perch and eels. Use two to three live baits on your hook if you can only catch small fish to use. Bigger fish will need to be cut into smaller chunks. Use live baits in near features and open waters. Live baits give you greater rig choice and fishing variations.
Dead bait: Most anglers have dead bait in their bag. The catfish is reknown for it's strong sense of smell. Even if a catfish is very far away, it will recognise the smell of your dead bait and will swin towards it. The fresher the bait, the better it is for catfishing.
The recommended freshwater dead baits are perch, rudd, salmon sections, pike sections and roach. You can also use carp, tench and bream. Alternatively from your local tackle shop, you can get blast frozen bait such as eels and lampreys. For sea fishing, use sections such as heads and chunks. Here you can also use mackerel, sprats and sardines.
Additional dead bait that you can use are shellfish and squid and, from your tackle shop or local fishmonger, frozen calamari. Depending on the size, you can use the whole squid or fish with the body. If you fish with just the body, then the recommended rig is a pop-up. For the whole squid, use a leger or free line.
Another dead catfishing bait are chicks. Before you use chicks remove the feathers or they are likely to float. You also need to remove the head and cut the dead chick up into smaller bits. A good tip is to use one or two swan shots and place them roughly four inches from the hook. Yoou can buy frozen chicks from pet shops.
Static bait: Liver, heart and kidney are excellent static catfishing bait. These organs have a very good circulatory system and when placed in the water, will leak blood. The catfish has a very powerful sense iof smell and will pick up the scent of your bait very quickly. This makes these organs not just good baits but they can be used as pre bait to draw the catfish to your swim. Liver from any animal will work but the most available ones are from ox, pigs, lamb and chicken.
Catfish have a powerful sense of smell and you can use this knowledge to your advantage. You can make pellets mixing paste that combines several taste and smells. Boilies are also used by a few anglers but this bait is boiled and therefore is not as strong smelling as other static baits. You can also use spam, luncheon meat, and sausage as static bait. They are most effective in spring and autumn when the water is cooler.
Other baits used for catfishing are cheese based and soap. Cheese based baits are used frequently in USA. The cheese is left to decompose and then used. The strong smell is like a powerful magnet to the catfish. Animal fat based soaps are used more commonly in Africa.
There are several types of catfishing bait. These include natural bait, dead bait, live bait and static bait.
Natural Baits: The best natural bait for catfishing are worms. There is, however, one problem with this bait. Pest fish also love them and will be attracted to your bait. Use lobworm and put as much as you can fit onto your hook. Free line rig, pop-up or leger are good choice when using worms. Another good live bait is freshwater mussels but like worms, they also atracts other fish especially carp and tench.
Maggots can be used as catfishing bait but they are more effective in attracting catfish to your swim if they are used as loose feed. You can also use leeches as natural bait. They do not attract pest fish and a bite is very likely to be from a catfish. Leeches are mainly used as blood suckers in medicine and the type available to you as catfishing bait are usually larger.
Live baits: This is a great choice when catfishing. This fish is very greedy and although it will eat anything, they prefer live baits. If you choose to use live baits, then limit the size to not less than two ounces and a maximum of twelve ounces and make sure you have the right rig in relation to the bait size especially if you are trying to land the big one.
You have a large choice of live baits but the popular ones are bream, carp, roach, tench, rudd, perch and eels. Use two to three live baits on your hook if you can only catch small fish to use. Bigger fish will need to be cut into smaller chunks. Use live baits in near features and open waters. Live baits give you greater rig choice and fishing variations.
Dead bait: Most anglers have dead bait in their bag. The catfish is reknown for it's strong sense of smell. Even if a catfish is very far away, it will recognise the smell of your dead bait and will swin towards it. The fresher the bait, the better it is for catfishing.
The recommended freshwater dead baits are perch, rudd, salmon sections, pike sections and roach. You can also use carp, tench and bream. Alternatively from your local tackle shop, you can get blast frozen bait such as eels and lampreys. For sea fishing, use sections such as heads and chunks. Here you can also use mackerel, sprats and sardines.
Additional dead bait that you can use are shellfish and squid and, from your tackle shop or local fishmonger, frozen calamari. Depending on the size, you can use the whole squid or fish with the body. If you fish with just the body, then the recommended rig is a pop-up. For the whole squid, use a leger or free line.
Another dead catfishing bait are chicks. Before you use chicks remove the feathers or they are likely to float. You also need to remove the head and cut the dead chick up into smaller bits. A good tip is to use one or two swan shots and place them roughly four inches from the hook. Yoou can buy frozen chicks from pet shops.
Static bait: Liver, heart and kidney are excellent static catfishing bait. These organs have a very good circulatory system and when placed in the water, will leak blood. The catfish has a very powerful sense iof smell and will pick up the scent of your bait very quickly. This makes these organs not just good baits but they can be used as pre bait to draw the catfish to your swim. Liver from any animal will work but the most available ones are from ox, pigs, lamb and chicken.
Catfish have a powerful sense of smell and you can use this knowledge to your advantage. You can make pellets mixing paste that combines several taste and smells. Boilies are also used by a few anglers but this bait is boiled and therefore is not as strong smelling as other static baits. You can also use spam, luncheon meat, and sausage as static bait. They are most effective in spring and autumn when the water is cooler.
Other baits used for catfishing are cheese based and soap. Cheese based baits are used frequently in USA. The cheese is left to decompose and then used. The strong smell is like a powerful magnet to the catfish. Animal fat based soaps are used more commonly in Africa.
About the Author:
Dr. Phil Hariram enjoys catfishing and wants to share info. to help you catch the big catfish. Download your FREE mini course on Catfishing and Catfishing bait.
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