The Best Catfish Bait for Each Species

Catfish hunt mainly by smell and taste, not sight. Their whole body, not just the mouth, is covered in taste buds, and they can follow a scent trail upstream to its source. That’s why choosing a catfish bait isn’t about tradition or personal preference. It’s chemistry. And the right bait depends on the species you’re after, as covered in our complete catfish fishing guide.

The Short Answer

• Channel catfish: cut bait, chicken liver, stink or dough bait, nightcrawlers.
• Blue catfish: fresh cut bait, especially shad or skipjack herring.
• Flathead catfish: live bait. Almost exclusively.
• Bullheads: worms, small pieces of cut bait, a small dab of stink bait.

Cut Bait: The Most Reliable All-Around Choice

Cut bait is pieces of fish cut to expose flesh and release scent and blood into the water. It’s the most consistent bait for channel and blue catfish in nearly every situation.

• Shad (gizzard or threadfin) is widely considered the best, especially for blues, because it matches their main natural food.
• Skipjack herring is another premium choice where it’s present: its oily flesh leaves a strong scent trail.
• Carp, suckers and other rough fish work too, where local bait regulations allow.

Cut 1 to 2 inch chunks with some skin left on for smaller channel cats, and 2 to 4 inch chunks or a whole 5 to 7 inch baitfish for bigger channels and blues. Cut at an angle to expose more flesh, and slit the skin side to release scent faster.

Live Bait: Mandatory for Flatheads

Flathead catfish are predators that hunt live prey. They rarely touch cut bait or stink bait. If you’re using stink bait and wondering why you never catch flatheads in water you know holds them, that’s why.

• Live bluegill or other small panfish, where legal (many states restrict using gamefish as bait).
• Live crawfish, especially in rocky rivers and creeks. Hook them through the tail.
• Shiners and minnows, which also work for channel cats and smaller blues.

Hook baitfish through the lips or just below the dorsal fin so they keep swimming, and keep them lively with an aerator. A sluggish baitfish sends out far less of the movement and vibration flatheads key on.

Stink Bait and Dough Bait: The Channel Cat Weapon

Stink and dough baits work through extremely strong, far-traveling scent. They’re most effective on channel catfish and bullheads; blues and flatheads respond to them inconsistently at best.

• Use a sponge treble or a dough-bait hook designed to hold paste.
• Fish still or slow water. Fast current washes the scent away and strips the bait off.
• They shine in warm water, 75°F and up, when catfish feed hardest.

Don’t overlook chicken liver: it’s one of the best cheap store-bought baits for channel cats. It’s soft and washes off in current, so wrap it with bait thread or tie it in a small piece of pantyhose.

Adjust for the Water

• Clear water: favor live bait and natural presentations, and fish low-light periods.
• Stained water: the most versatile condition. Cut, stink and live bait all work.
• Muddy water: maximize scent with cut bait, stink bait and blood-rich baits.
• Strong current: favor cut bait, which holds up and disperses scent well. Save stink bait for still water, where it builds a scent cloud around your hook.
• Cold water: fresh cut bait outperforms stink bait below about 50°F.

Match Bait Size to the Fish You Want

Small cut pieces and single worms for fish under 3 lbs; medium chunks or a whole chicken liver for average channels; larger chunks or a whole small baitfish for 10 to 20 lb fish; and a whole 5 to 8 inch baitfish for trophy blues and flatheads. When you’re hunting big fish, one big, high-quality bait beats several small ones.

Put the bait on a slip sinker rig and cast it to a spot that actually holds catfish, and you’ve covered most of what matters.

Tight lines,
— David