Worms
The most traditional fishing bait in the world works well with catfish. The best worms to use for catching catfish are plain old night crawlers and even worms you can find in your garden. Use worms for trolling along the bottom of the river or lake.
Minnows
Minnows make great catfish bait no matter where you are fishing. You can use the minnows either dead or alive; the catfish seem to hold no preference. Catfish do seem to go more for bigger minnows than smaller ones, however. If you are fishing where bass mingle with catfish, be prepared to reel in a few of those along with your cats.
Chicken Liver
Many anglers swear by chicken liver, often in the form of cat food. Others like to mix in the chicken liver with something like a small piece of hot dog. Chicken liver is also a noted ingredient used in many stinkbaits.
Crawfish
Those who angle for catfish in the brackish waters along the Gulf Coast know that locally grown crawfish, popularly called crawdads, make excellent bait. The best way to use crawdads is to remove the tail shell and hook directly into the thick meat.
Cut Bait
The best thing to do with cut bait is experiment with what works. You might try fishing with just a head or chopping it up into pieces. The specific types of cut bait that works for catching catfish also seems to vary. Some people have success with things like mackerel and bluegills. Others have better success with shad or sardines. Test whether you have better success by filet or thicker chunks of meat.
Article Written By Timothy Sexton
Timothy Sexton is an award-winning author who started writing in 1994. He has written on topics ranging from politics and golf to nutrition and travel, and his work appears online for Zappos.com, Disaboom and MOJO, among others. He has also done work for "Sherlock Holmes and Philosophy." He holds a Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of West Florida.
