Homemade Recipe for Catfish Bait

Catfish are bottomfeeders that locate food by sense of smell. The more foul smelling that food is, the more likely a catfish is going to eat it. This means homemade catfish bait should really stinks--maybe not so bad as to prompt your family to change the locks on the house after you leave for your fishing trip, but the bait has got to smell. Use garlic, as outlined here. These strategies highlight homemade catfish baits designed to reel in the big ones.

The humble hotdog

Hotdogs that are past their prime make an excellent catfish bait when soaked overnight in a brine of garlic powder and water. Cut the dogs into chunks about an inch long, then soak in a bowl of warm water and about 1/2 cup of powdered garlic.

On the water, bait your rig with a couple of the chunks that have just been dipped in a plastic bag of garlic powder and thoroughly coated.

Sausage links cut into 1-inch chunks also will work.

Catfish love chicken livers

Even if you don't, catfish love chicken livers. The problem is the slippery things are hard to keep on the hook. To get around this issue, make a chicken liver stink bait of 1 pint of livers chopped into four pieces each, mixed with 1 cup of all-purpose flour, a couple of tablespoons of corn starch and 1/2 cup of garlic powder. Mix this mess in a bowl, then shape into baits about the size of meatballs. Drizzle any remaining chicken blood over the baits, coat once more with garlic, then freeze.

One bait ball on a hook should last for hours in the water, slowly releasing the stench of garlic and chicken liver that puts catfish in a mood to feed.

Old cheese, if you please

Open your kitchen windows for this one. If you have a hunk of moldy old cheese in the refrigerator, melt it down in a saucepan with chunks of stale bread and 1/2 cup of garlic powder. Melting the cheese will give it a rubbery texture that will last longer on the hook.

Form the mixture into cheeseballs and freeze, or just refrigerate if you're heading out on the water tomorrow.

References

• DIY catfish baits