Home Remedies for the Best Catfish Bait

Catfish have keen senses, including smell, taste and vision.

Catfish are sensitive when it comes to touch, and unlike most fish, catfish hear well and have relatively good vision. The most important of catfish senses to fishermen are its keen sense of smell and unbelievably keen sense of taste. Fishermen take those two senses into consideration when choosing ingredients for the best catfish bait. Catfish are capable of detecting food at long distances.

Raw Hot Dogs

Humans aren't the only ones who love hot dogs.

Hot dogs seem to be popular among fisherman because of the distinctive smell and softness (they can easily be turned into 'mush' for bait). Hot dogs may be added with other meats (chicken liver, hamburger meat, bacon) to create a strong smelling, tasty bait that attracts catfish. Just cut the hot dogs into small chunks, place in a blender with chicken liver and blend until it becomes mush. Add flour and cornmeal to thicken up the mixture so that it may be rolled into balls to secure on a hook.

Chicken Liver

Chicken livers are among the most popular channel catfish bait among fisherman. Catfish are capable of sniffing out blood with their ultra-sensitive noses and chicken liver is full of blood. Because chicken liver is extra slippery, it's best to wrap it in a cheese cloth or nylon stocking before attaching it to your hook to keep the liver from slipping off when you cast. The blood will seep out of the stocking or cheese cloth, so check the bait every half hour or so to make sure that blood is still present. Once the blood is gone, replace the bait with a juicier piece.

Kernel Corn

Catfish are attracted to the smell and color of kernel corn.

Because of corn's bright color, catfish are able to see it when hunting for food by sight. Also, corn lets off a strong smell as well, which is another reason catfish are so attracted to it. Threading corn onto a hook makes for quick and easy bait, and kernel corn can be added to homemade stink baits (chicken liver, flour, wheat cereal).

Bar Soap

One of the most unusual catfish baits that fishermen swear by is bar soap.

Cut bar soap into chunks and thread onto a hook for a unique but effective catfish bait. Like corn, bar soap may also be added to bait mixtures. Because water dissolves the soap, it leaves a scent trail that catfish track. Many fishermen use soap to catch catfish (and catfish only because most other species of fish are not attracted to soap).

References

• Catfish Shed: Unusual Catfish Baits
• Catfish Angling: Best Baits for Channel Catfish
• Bobber Stop: Catfish and Carp Bait Recipes
• Supplies Soap: Secret Catfish Baits that Draw Them to your Line
• Whisker Kitty: Catfish Baits

Resources

• Whisker Kitty: Catfish Bait Recipes
• Catfish Shed: Basic Guide to Catfish Baits on Clear Lake
• Fishing Village: Killer Catfish Bait Recipes