To land a very large catfish, the finest catfishing bait you can use happens to be exactly what the catfish instinctively feeds on. Virtually all varieties of catfish are omnivorous, meaning they eat both plants and animals; and as such they are also foragers, eating just about anything along the way. Given the indiscriminate appetite of the big "cats", fishermen have a number of different types of bait they can utilize to lure this kind of fish.
To land a very large catfish, the finest catfishing bait you can use happens to be exactly what the catfish instinctively feeds on. Virtually all varieties of catfish are omnivorous, meaning they eat both plants and animals; and as such they are also foragers, eating just about anything along the way.
Given the indiscriminate appetite of the big "cats", fishermen have a number of different types of bait they can utilize to lure this kind of fish. A partial listing of some of the more common types of catfishing bait are as follows: marshmallows, small frogs, live perch, minnows, stink baits, shad, crawfish, earthworms, minnows, grasshoppers, night crawlers, and chicken livers.
Live bait is generally more effective. It also makes sense to capitalize on the cat's powerful sense of smell by making use of stinky baits as well.
You will find that night crawlers and garden worms can be very effective as catfishing bait too. As one might expect, anglers are somewhat inclined to make use of garden worms to hook catfish simply because they're readily accessible and can be found almost everywhere. These baits can work so well that at times it seems like the catfish are simply lining up anticipating the worms. You'll be able to find mini crawlers at bait suppliers; on the other hand you'll really need to go digging for garden worms on your own.
While somewhat of a delicacy for us humans, shrimp and/or smaller prawns also work very well as catfish bait. Depending on their size, prawns can be used whole or, as a cost saving measure, they can be halved so long as each half is of the proper size for bait.
Despite the fact that prawns and shrimp can be used with their shells intact, they really should be removed. Frozen or fresh shrimp and/or prawns can be bought at your nearest seafood store when you're planning your fishing excursion, but keep your ears open because sometimes these stores have sales and you can get those items for a pretty good price. Soaking the shrimp and/or prawns in fish oil for a few moments will serve to give them a more powerful smell.
Another option for catfishing bait is to make it on your own at home. Homemade bait can be a very effective lure and it's hard to argue with the cost. An easy home recipe uses corn flakes and peanut butter. Blending together crushed flakes with a couple dollops of peanut butter creates and interesting mixture that makes fine bait. This excellent homemade concoction includes natural oils within it that discharge to help draw in the fish. Moreover, the peanut butter and corn flake mixture is practically impossible for smaller sized fish to take off of your hook thus avoiding the loss of bait on fish you have no interest in any way.
Bits of sweet corn can be good bait too. Just put a few pieces of corn on each individual point of the treble hook, and then wrap a little ball of bread around it so as to cover the hook. It will emit a sweet scent thereby tempting the catfish. Again, the smaller fish won't be capable of eating the bait. The bread enables you to land all the timid fish that have gotten that way from excessive catch and release.
An alternative for bait which cats without question love is cheese. Considering their somewhat limited vision, catfish can rely on their powerful sense of smell to help them track down and seize their food. That said any time you are making homemade catfish bait, ensure that your own mixtures include a powerful odor to attract the fish. Catfish usually are not picky eaters, so it is easy to make your own do-it-yourself catfish bait that should help the fish find your line.
Wade McBride - About the Author:
Wade McBride is a catfishing expert. For more great tips on catfishing bait, visit http://www.catfishingpointers.com.
