Home Forums Fishing Freshwater Best catfish bait

I have used cheap hot dogs w squirt of garlic juice w good results. Live shad is best if you can net them. As pricey as goldfish are they really produce. I’ve used them on my noodle jugs and have nearly always caught old whiskers.

Gold fish? Never would have thought to use them but makes sense

I always thought that shrimp worked pretty well.

For smaller lakes and ponds I always liked hotdogs or liver. Catalpa worms or helgamites if you can find them. The problem with liver is you'll probably catch a fair amount of snapping turtles but those better eating than catfish IMO.

For big cats, especially flatheads and blues, bluegill.

You don't want to get caught with goldfish here.
$120 fine. Plus$20+/fish.

They don't want them to get loose and breed.

Chicken tits soaked in red koolaid powder

Hotdogs have always worked pretty well for me. Also the cheap frozen shrimp you buy at the grocery store.

Pa pow!

Here on the James, live bluegill will slay Flatheads in the upper portion of the tidal James.

Downriver, or at least twice a day it's downriver, fully grown Gizzard Shad cut up in big pieces worked for the big blues. I cut a full size shad into 4 pieces and use an 8/0 hook

Bloody deer meat

We sometimes used rabbit guts for stock tank catfish. Shoot a rabbit with CCI Stingers. Instant fish bait.

Jumbo grasshoppers worked more than once when we could catch them 🤠

Small local fish.... like bluegill shad perch....
I have caught some big ones using live/dying bait.....

Freshly cut or small ones alive.

Hard to beat nightcrawlers for all around catfishing.

Hot dogs always seemed to work well for smaller catfish in still water.

Always used big nightcrawlers for Channel cats.

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Beef blood bait we used to make works
really great for a trotline or for juglines
It'll sling right off the hook if you try to
cast it