Before we get into catfishing bait, let's take a look at what the catfish likes to eat. Let's try to think like a catfish. If we offer it something so delicious and irresistible, that fish is going to explode out of its hole and hurl itself at your hook, drooling all the way.
Catfish are omnivores and will eat pretty much anything. But having said that, it does have some preferences and if we offer those delicacies as catfishing bait, we're on a winning streak. They can be bottom-feeders and like to forage for whatever they can find whether it's a plant or small freshwater creatures as they prefer their food to be alive.
Catfish have poor eyesight in murky waters (who wouldn't?) and rely on their strong sense of smell, so our bait must satisfy that important element as they find their food using the "barbels" on each side of its mouth to "taste" whatever you offer it. Stinky bait is right at the top of the preferred list and here are a few more delicacies which will tempt your catfish's taste-buds - small frogs, live perch, shad, crawfish, earthworms, minnows, grasshoppers, night crawlers, chicken livers and would you believe – marshmallows!
Worms are easy to find and most anglers bait with them as they are so readily available – try pouring warm soapy water on your lawn. When the worms emerge, rinse them off and drop them into a bowl of fresh earth with small holes in the lid – you can keep them in the fridge so that they're ready for when you need them. They wriggle of course and when used as catfishing bait, they are irresistible. You'll find mini-crawlers at the bait shop in addition to other types of bait, but you have to pay for them – why do that, when worms are free?
Like humans, catfish love shrimp and prawns. If they're large, try cutting the shrimp in half, so long as they are big enough for the fish to perceive them as bait. They're more attractive to our catfish with the shells removed and if you read your grocery store flyers, you'll probably have no difficulty finding shellfish on special – save yourself a few dollars. And if you soak them in fish oil before you use them, your catfish will think he's in catfish heaven.
You can make your own catfishing bait at home – and it's inexpensive as well as effective. Here's custom-made bait you can make, using breakfast cornflakes. Crush them in a bowl, add a couple of tablespoonfuls of peanut butter and roll it all into bait-sized balls. You can dry them in the oven with the light on so that they're firm enough to stick on the hook and you can also freeze them! The oil in the peanut butter will attract catfish because of the wonderful smell and smaller fish (which you don't want anyway) will not be able to steal your bait off the hook.
Sweet corn is good catfishing bait too – stick a few pieces of corn on each point of your triple hook and wrap a small piece of bread around them to hide the hooks. It has a sweetish scent to it which is exactly what your catfish likes and you'll be able to land all those intelligent (and much bigger) fish which have learned to avoid you because of their previous "catch and release" experiences.
Now, if you really want a boatload of catfish, try this; cheese. The oily smell in cheese will compel your catfish to hunt it down ruthlessly - and you don't have to use any of those fancy cheeses either – mousetrap cheese is cheap - and the intensely malodourous Limburger is even better.
So if you plan to make your own catfishing bait, make sure you mix in something which is strong-smelling to tickle your catfish's tastebuds – cat or dogfood is good, the juice from canned tuna or salmon is delectable and here's a gourmet bait which will cause your fishing friends to drive you and your huge catfish catch right out of the river.
Put about a pound of chicken livers in the blender and add a pound of cheap beef liver. Add one of those packets of pre-shredded cheese and blend until it's smooth. Now blend in a couple of tablespoons of garlic powder. If it's too thick, add a little vegetable oil, like Crisco to thin it out – and if it's too thin, add a shredded paper towel and mix it all together. Roll it into one-inch balls and store them in an airtight container – or freeze them (clearly labeled "Catfishing Bait" otherwise you might be served them for dinner one evening).
Good fishing!
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