The Best Catfish Bait for Monster Cats
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The next time you go catfish fishing be sure to take a casting net. It is how I get the best catfish bait for big cats. If you don’t know how to throw one don’t worry about. You can pick it up in an hour or two of practice. Once you have it down you won’t forget it.
Why do you need a casting net to get the best catfish bait for big cats? Because you want fresh live bait. Just about any species will do but be sure to check your states regulations on live bait. My favorites are bluegill and shad but bluegill are illegal in some states. Both are abundant in just about any waterway. Also don’t rule out bullhead catfish as Flatheads and Blues don’t seem to have a problem eating their own species. In fact, Flatheads will often times prefer Bullhead over Shad.
Now that you have your live bait let’s make sure that your rig is set up right. You should have a medium to heavy rod with at least 20# test line, I use 50# spider wire, with a 20# leader and numbers 2 – 6 circle hooks depending on how big a cat you are after. Slip a slip sinker on the line, and then tie on a good swivel, a 12-18 inch leader and your hook. Don’t go cheap on the swivel. Cats like to roll when hooked and a big cat will tear a cheap brass swivel up. Fish your bait on the bottom with an open bail. Be sure to set the hook hard when the cat makes a run with your bait.
The big cats Flathead and Blue when mature prefer live bait. They will occasionally go after cut baits but if you want the best bait for big cats you will want live bait. Live bait can be hooked behind the dorsal fin below the spine, at the end of the tail, or up through the lower jaw and up through the nostrils. Don’t be afraid to choose a bait fish 6-12 inches in length if you want that monster cat.
You may be thinking you won’t catch many fish with bait that size and your right. But if you are looking for the big catfish I am assuming you don’t care about the 1 and 2 pounders you can catch with chicken liver then live bait is the way to go. You can always use smaller baitfish or even cut bait if you run out of patience but your chances of landing a 20 plus pound cat are less. The best bait for big cats will always be live bait.
For a great catfish bait recipe book designed mainly to catch channel catfish visit Easy Catfish Bait Recipes
Best Baits to Catch Channel Catfish
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Are you going fishing for channel cats? Then you are going to want to know what the best baits to catch channel catfish are. Channel cats will eat just about anything you put in front of them. This gives you lots of choices. Heck, they have been know to bite on everything from hot dogs to ivory soap. Your choice of bait will depend on a lot of factors. Water temperature, time of day, and weather conditions are just some of the variables when choosing the best bait for catching channel catfish. Here is my list. Every one of these has worked for me and every one has left me high and dry without a fish. You will have to experiment some to find out what works best for you in your local waters.
PREPARED BAITS: Prepared baits can be purchased at any tackle shop or your local Wal-mart. These manufactured baits can be very effective. You can also make your own. You can easily find hundreds of catfish bait recipes online and they all have one thing in common. They stink! Make sure you take something with you to clean your hands after baiting the hook.
WORMS: Night crawlers, garden worms and Catawba worms are all included here. These are the old standby and will catch catfish but are best used where they are likely to find them. Places where creeks and drainage ditches feed into the lake or river seem to be best. The downside to worms is that all fish eat worms and you may find you are losing a lot of bait to bream.
SHRIMP: You can purchase shrimp at your local grocery either with or without shell. I leave the shell on but most remove it. Depending on the size of the shrimp and the size of the bait you want you can use them whole or cut them in half. Many also soak them in vanilla extract to enhance their appeal. I am particularly found of the cut baits and shrimp because they stay on your hook and can be fished in fast currents when necessary.
CHICKEN LIVERS: These can also be purchased at your local grocery store and are a very good bait. I do suggest you take an old nylon stocking and cut it into small squares. You can use these squares to wrap around the chicken liver and attach it to the hook. They will stay on the hook much better. Fish on the bottom and check your bait every 20-30 minutes. If all the blood is gone replace the bait.
CUT BAITS: Cut baits cover a wide variety of fish baits. The most common ones are: shad, bluegill, anchovy, sardines, mackerel and minnows. Make sure it is legal to use them in your area. I know that bluegill is not legal in some states but is ok in others. I cut them into chunks depending on the size of the bait. I personally believe cut bait is the best bait to channel catfish. Especially if want the big ones.
Good luck on your next outing. Visit Catfish Bait Recipes to get more great homemade catfish baits.
What is the Best Bait for Blue Catfish
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I am going to make this plain and simple; your best bait for Blue catfish is cut bait. That is if you want the big ones, the trophy cat. They can and have been caught with other baits but nothing will perform as well as cut baits for the trophy size blues.
When they are young Blue catfish are very similar to channel catfish. They are not finicky eaters and can be caught on anything you would normally use to fish for channel catfish. Earthworms, shrimp, chicken livers, hot dogs, cheese baits, blood bats and many other varieties of homemade baits all make good choices. You may even catch a few good size blues with these baits.
If you are trying to get that trophy catfish your chances of catching a big blue are slim with the above baits. As blue catfish grow and get older they get more selective in their eating habits. They become much more of a predator and much less of a scavenger. Cut bait and live bait both work but the fluids seeping from the cut bait make for powerful attractants.
If you don’t know what cut bait is the simple definition is a live fish that has been cut into pieces. The size of the catfish you want helps determine the size of the pieces you make. To give you and idea I will cut a bluegill the size of my hand into three pieces not counting the tail fin as I will discard that. My favorite piece is the head. I will put a 6/0 hook though the top part of the fishes mouth and out through the bottom of the head.
Any cut bait will work but the best is from fish native to the waters you are angling in. Also be sure it is legal to do so. I know that in some states you can not use bluegill for bait.
Good luck on your next outing. Visit Catfish Bait Recipes to get more great homemade catfish baits.
