Catfish Bait - Not Necessarily Stinky?

Answer 1

Most anglers have at one point or another caught catfish. Widely considered fine table fare, catfish are one of the most ubiquitous fish. In fact, most giant Freshwater Fish are in fact catfish. The Wels catfish in Europe and the Mekong catfish of Thailand routinely grow to six feet or longer.

In North America, catfish do not get that large, but some catfish can break the 100 pound mark. More on those catfish in a moment.

Bottom fishing for catfish

Most catfish are bottom feeders. They use their sensitive whiskers and keen sense of smell to find food. This is why for many catfish anglers, the stinkier the bait, the better. The strong odor attracts the fish. Common baits include chicken liver, cut bait, worms and other fish entrails. Some anglers have their own secret recipes using almost anything to tempt the catfish to the bait.

River Catfish - Anything but bottom feeders

In large river systems, the catfish is not a bottom feeder, but a top predator. Species like the blue catfish and the flathead catfish are top predators of the river ecosystem. Catching them requires not stink bait, but live bait.

For flathead and blue catfish, the best bait to use are small live panfish, like bream and bluegills or shad, like the threadfin and gizzard. While it may seem odd to fish for bait to fish with, that is what is necessary to catch predatory catfish. That is to say unless you are a noodler.

Noodlin' - Yes, that is spelled correctly

In parts of the Southeast and as far west as Oklahoma, the flathead catfish move into shallow waters to spawn in the spring. These fish move into pockets of debris and brush. The noodler uses their own hands as bait. As they put their hands into the catfish hole, the cat swims forward and bites the hand. The noodler surfaces, catfish in hand.

Unorthodox as it may seem, noodlin' is very effective, producing fish in excess of 20 pounds on average. The real enjoyment of noodlin' comes when the prize is cooked and eaten.

So, when you think of catfish next time, do not immediately assume stinky is better, unless your noodler has not bathed in a long time.