Blue Catfish

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.

Blue Catfish Facts

Common Names – channel cat, hump-back blue, forktail cat, great blue cat, silver cat, chucklehead cat, blue fulton

Description – Adult fish have stout bodies with prominently humped backs in front of the dorsal fin. They resemble channel catfish by having deeply forked tails, but are dissimilar because they are unspotted and have a long, straight-edged anal fin with 30 to 35 rays. The back and upper sides are blue to slate gray, and the lower sides and belly are white. The internal air bladder has a constriction in the middle, giving it a two-chambered appearance.

Subspecies – There are no recognized subspecies. They are known to naturally hybridize with channel catfish. The channel-blue hybrid is popular among aquaculturists.

Habitat – Blues occur in big rivers and in the lower reaches of major tributaries. They prefer clearer, swifter water than other catfish, and are usually found over sand, gravel or rock bottoms. Their preferred water temperature is 77 to 82 degrees.

Spawning Habits – Spawning and nesting behavior is similar to others of its family. In late spring, males commonly choose and clear a nest site, usually in drift piles, logs, root systems or other dark, secluded areas near the bank. The eggs hatch in about a week, and males guard the fry in the nest until they swim away a week or so later.

Feeding Habits – Young blues eat aquatic insects and small fish while larger blues prefer crayfish, mussels and other fish. They feed primarily at night.

Age and Growth – Blue catfish grow faster and live longer than channel catfish. They are the largest member of the catfish family. Blues may grow to lengths of over 55 inches and may weigh more than 100 pounds. Maximum life span for blues is unknown but is probably 20-25 years.

Sporting Qualities – One of the strongest freshwater fish; blues are caught on bush hooks or trotlines as well as rod and reel. The most effective baits are cut fish, live fish and nightcrawlers. They also will take prepared and rotting baits. Most are caught while bottom fishing with cut fish, rigged on large hooks weighted down by heavy lead sinkers.