Best Catfish Bait Depends on What Cat You Are After

Deciding what the best catfish bait is really depends on what kind of catfish you are fishing for. There are three main types of catfish here in North America. The Channel Catfish, the Blue catfish and the Flathead catfish are the predominant species. And yes there are others but these three are the most sought after for various reasons.

Lets start with Flathead Catfish since they are the monsters of North American catfish. And with these cats you better check your rig before you worry about the bait. A days outing could easily get you a 50 lb. cat and the record catch on fishing line is 124 lbs. The best catfish bait for these monsters is “live bait”. Bluegill where legal, shad, and even other species of catfish make great catfish baits. Bullhead Catfish seem to really get them biting due to the territorial nature of the flathead. Cut bait also works particularly well below dams.

Blue Catfish can be as large as Flathead but where as Flathead can be found just about anywhere there is a large body of water Blues are primarily found in rivers. As far as baits go they are very similar. The difference is a Flathead Catfish prefers live bait from infancy. A Blue Catfish starts out with a diet similar to Channel Catfish and will eat just about anything. As they grow they begin to eat more and more live bait until at about 20 lbs. live bait is all they will touch.

Channel Catfish grace the dinner tables of many Americans every day and are my personal choice when fishing for food for the table. What is the best catfish bait for these cats? That’s going to depend a lot on the water your in. I will tell you that if you are trying to get a large Channel, over 10lbs, cut bait is the best way to go but you won’t catch many. If you are trying for table fare, 1 to 10 pounds, then you will have to do some experimenting. Chicken liver, dough bait and dip bait are the standard for cats but they will eat about anything and I always take several baits with me. Just don’t know what they are going to like today.

With a little trial and error you will find the best catfish bait for your waters. Good luck on your next outing. Visit Catfish Bait Recipes to get more great baits. For catfish fishing tips visit CatfishAngling.com.