If you haven’t figured it out yet, catfish is a little different. While most types of game fish are attracted to bait based on color, movement, shapes, or sizes, catfish tend to bite efficiently on taste and smell. It’s about being in the right place, but also being there with the right kind of bait and knowing how to use it. Here is a list of the most popular catfishing baits and tips on how to use them effectively.

chicken livers

This bait has to be the most popular catfishing bait of all, and for good reason. More catfish are caught with this bait than with any other. Cats may be lured from distant hiding places by the strong meaty scent. Another reason for its popularity is that it is available in most grocery stores and is relatively inexpensive. Now, you might not catch a monster with it, but you sure can catch a lot of cats with it.

One of the challenges with chicken livers is keeping the bait on the hook, at least initially. Once you’ve had them in the water for a while, they’ll get a bit harder and won’t fall off as quickly. Using treble hooks and wrapping the liver around each tip helps keep the bait secure. Another option is to wrap a small amount of twine around the liver and the top of the hook to hold it together.

night crawlers

Catfishing baits don’t get much simpler than this. A little digging in the flower bed or garden should yield plenty of these to take on your next fishing trip. The key to this bait is generally bigger is better. There’s nothing better than putting a big, juicy worm (or two, or three) on the hook and seeing how the cats react. Since catfish feed more by taste and smell than by sight, you can wrap the worms around the hook either way. When fishing with night crawlers you should consider using a Carolina rig or suspending the worm under a cork or float keeping it off the bottom.

shad

If you are looking for a trophy catch, you need to have a trophy sized bait. Cut tarpon, or better yet, live tarpon should be highly regarded. Tarpon is a staple of the flathead catfish diet and is even a part of the channel catfish diet once it grows. One of the benefits of using tarpon is that you can catch them in the same waters you plan to fish in later. The most popular way to use tarpon is to cut it into strips or chunks. These pieces can be any size, but their size should be based on the size of catfish you’re looking for. The creation of the strips can be done by filleting the tarpon or by cutting off the tail and head and then cutting off the body. Carolina rigs with a weight large enough to keep the bait on the bottom are generally best for fishing cut shad. If you’re looking for that flatheaded monster, you should stick to live tarpon and they should be at least the size of your hand.