Best Catfish Baits 1 - Chicken Liver

One of the best catfish baits available at you're your local grocery store is chicken liver. The blood in a chicken liver gradually seeps into the water providing an excellent scent trail for the catfish to find. Channel catfish and young (small) Blue catfish both will eat this bait up.

As with most catfish baits, they should be fished on the bottom with a slip sinker. One of the drawbacks to using liver for catfish bait is that it is difficult to keep on the hook when casting. This can be frustrating when you think you have a good cast but you see the bait fly off.

There are three things that you can do to keep fresh livers on the hook. Keep in mind that I use # 6 treble hooks for all of these methods.

1.    When placing the liver onto your hook try to work it so that you only puncture it once with each barb. The more you try to get it hooked the mushier you make it. You will still lose your bait at times this way.

2.    Put your liver on the hook as above but now take about ten inches of thread and wrap around the bait and the hook. Make it firm but not hard enough to cut into the bait. This stays on pretty good.

3.    Take some old panty-hose or potato netting (from a sack of potatoes) and cut a circle out of it the size you want to put your bait in. I make mine about three inches. Wrap it around the chicken liver and use a small rubber band to tie it up. You can cast a mile with this setup and it will not come off of the hook.

Feeding Habits of Catfish

It is important to know the feeding habits of catfish in order to have a more successful catfishing trip. Catfish will feed on different kinds of foods and baits, and not every kind will take the same bait. Of course, there are some similarities to consider, including how catfish find food and what types they are more likely to find.

The feed habits of catfish is similar in terms of types of catfish in that they all look for food by smelling. Sensory cells in the whiskers of catfish help them to find food. In fact, foods with stronger scents will be more likely to be found by catfish because it will be easier for them to detect these foods.

Also, catfish tend to be more active in looking for food at night. This is a better time for catfishing. While this is a common habit in terms of the feeding habits of catfish, different kinds of catfish will look for different kinds of foods.The feeding habits of catfish are different based on what type of catfish it is. The channel catfish, for instance, will normally look for food at the bottom of the water bed, and they particularly feed on aquatic insects. Crayfish and crustaceans are also popular among channel catfish. Younger ones will eat aquatic larvae. Also, channel catfish do not particularly like carrion, contrary to what some believe.

The blue catfish will look for food at the bottom of the water bed most of the time. When looking for fish they'll move upward though. Since the blue catfish has a more advanced body type, they can take both fish and aquatic insects regardless of size. However, an adult will take in mussels and a younger one will use fish that is smaller.

The white catfish is more flexible, but the feeding habits of catfish like this are different. This type of catfish does not always eat at night, and it can also eat fish eggs and aquatic insects. They will also eat plants, which makes their habits different from the other feeding habits of catfish.

Bullhead catfish are more of scavengers. Yellow ones will feed on snails and some organic decay, while brown bullhead catfish will take carrion, smaller fish and worms. These catfish are not necessarily picky in terms of their feeding habits, as they will take the lower level kinds of foods without argument.

The flathead catfish is the last type of catfish to look at. It has more of a predatory feeding habit when compared to the other feeding habits of catfish. They will feed on all kinds of fish in their areas, as they are hunters. They'll feed at the shallow parts of water in the nighttime, and they will go in groups to find food. They particularly like bass, shad and crayfish, but they will also feed on other catfish.

These kinds of catfish are different in that they have their own unique feeding habits. By knowing the feeding habits of catfish it will be easier to find them.

Bait Fishing - Catching Channel Catfish in the Spring, Summer, and Fall - Details Here!

Channel cats are the most studied species of catfish, but compared to other game fish studies the amount of data available is minimal. Most of the data that is available about channel catfish's seasonal movement is based on just a few rivers, lakes and reservoirs that have been watched closely.

One factor that remains constant when you are talking about seasonal movements of catfish is the fact that the length of daylight effects all species of catfish. Some species such as the channel cat are effected more then other species such as the blue catfish and flat head catfish. Actually the length of day effects small organisms and all animals up the food chain to include game fish. The intensity and length of light effects drives the yearly migration and spawning and feeding patterns of channel catfish, blue catfish, and flat head catfish. If you can learn these patterns you will enjoy more productive channel catfish bait fishing trips on a regular basis.

The channel catfish's movements can be analyzed by using a very good the catfish calendar that the In - Fisherman developed. This calendar can be obtained by purchasing their book In - Fisherman Critical Concepts. Basically the calendar divides North America into the Southern range, The Mid range, and the Northern Range. The calendar has ten periods which include catfish pre-spawn, spawn, post-spawn, pre-summer, summer peak, summer, post-summer, fall turnover, cold water, winter. Each of these periods is posted on the calendar through all months of the year in all ranges, so you can predict where catfish will be and what kind of catfish bait you can use in your local area. Or if you are planning a trip to catch a mess of catfish out of state you can use the calendar to pick the best time of year.

The winter period includes the cold water and winter periods. This period is classified as long periods of time that the water temperature is below the normal range for catfish. Channel cats will continue to feed during this period but they won't be as active when compared to other times of the year. If you plan on going bait fishing to catch some channel catfish at this time of your look for deep water holes that is where they will be holding for the winter. Temperature ranges in the winter average from 32 degrees to 39 degrees in Manitoba to 40 degrees to 50 degrees in Florida.

The spring coldwater period arrives right after ice-out in the north and when the water temperatures in the south start to rise. Channel catfish will still be located in deep holes. Unlike walleyes, pike, and sauger, who move quickly into their spawning period, channel catfish, blue catfish, and flat head catfish do not spawn for tow three more months away when water temperatures rise to 75 degrees. When water temperatures rise above 50 degrees channel catfish, blue catfish and flathead catfish will begin to move out of there deep holes looking for the years winter fish kill. This is an ideal time to use gizzard shad and skip jack herring as your catfish bait. All catfish species will be aggressively eating the deed fish kill, even the flat head catfish who normally feeds primarily on live bait fish, such as bluegill, perch, and other catfish and forage fish.

The pre-spawn period is when the channel catfish will start it's migration to smaller rivers, and tributaries to look for food and to find good spawning areas. In lakes or reservoirs this migration may be to the mouth of any incoming creeks or rivers into the lake or reservoir. This time of you're a good catfish bait would fresh mussels and large live creek chubs and large shiners. The main difference between the pre-spawn and early spring period is that the channel catfish's metabolism is increasing and they are becoming more active so they are aggressively looking for catfish bait.

As the water temperatures rise to 75 degrees catfish such as the channel catfish, blue catfish, and flathead catfish enter the spawning period. Channel catfish will spawn for over a month so bait fishing efforts will not be effected. Channel catfish are extremely active and aggressive during the spawning period. A good catfish bait would be cut baits such as gizzard shad, soured mussels, or creek chubs.

The settling period includes the post spawn and the pre-summer periods when water temperatures rise to about 80 degrees and above. The channel catfish has the same activity level and feeding patterns during the summer as they do during the spawn period and your bait fishing methods and catfish bait can remain the same. As the water levels start to drop the channel catfish will start their move to deep water areas down stream or deeper areas on a lake or reservoir. They will still feed aggressively during the night hours in shallows but move deeper during the daylight hours.

The summer period which includes summer peak, summer and post summer periods occurs when the water temperatures rise to 80 degrees and above. The summer period includes much of July, August, and September. Summer is the prime time to fish for channel catfish because they are predicable and actively feeding. You can continue to catch channel catfish while bait fishing using cut bait for your catfish bait selection. Some common bait fish to use for cut bait are gizzard shad, skipjack herring, shiners and creek chubs.

As the cooling period starts channel catfish and blue catfish will head for deeper holes in rivers and lakes. And will be less active as the whole cycle of life starts over again.

Catching Channel Catfish

Of the over fifty species of catfish living in North American waters, the Channel Catfish is one of the most sought-after by cat anglers, for its incredible fighting power, even in a smaller fish, and also for its delectable eating qualities.

And, there's the fact that a decent-sized Channel cat can easily be in the mid-20 lb. range, with specimens having been taken at nearly 60 lbs. - no small catch, indeed. However, to take a fish like these, requires proper tackle, bait and technique, and above all, the right spot to find the fish you want.

Channel cats, as with virtually all catfish, prefer deeper water, but Channel cats also like it clean, clear, and with a decent current running through. The ideal spots for Channel cats are in places such as the deep holes carved out under a dam outfall, before the shallow "white water" which usually ensues, or in a deep, fast channel in between two lakes, hence the fish's name. Bottom conditions that are mostly rock or rocky, and without too many weeds, are other features to look for, in selecting the ideal Channel cat spot. Above all, find deep water, preferably a hole, where the constant darkness gives the cats the edge on everything else that swims or floats there, due to their exceptional, almost shark-like sense of smell, and their set of eight barbels, or "whiskers" around their mouths, which are not only tactile sensors, but highly developed taste organs as well, enabling the fish to navigate, plus detect, locate, quantify and qualify food items easily, in near total darkness.

As with all catfish, Channel cats have weak eyesight, anyway, but their aforementioned superpowers of smell and sightless sensation more than make up for this. Because of this particular development, Channel cats, and cats in general, are most easily attracted to baits which exhibit an exceptional level of odour, whether or not it's a bad odour.

Once you've found a spot that you think, or know, can produce a good-sized Channel cat, you'll want to prepare the fish, the spot, and your tackle, for your coming fishing expedition. Preparing the fish, and the spot, means chumming the water with a suitably prepared concoction, preferably a few times in advance of the first time you put a line in the water, and at least once, and possibly several times, during your fishing time.

Chumming is one way to gradually condition the fish to accept a particular bait, by presenting them with its smell, again and again, until they are willing to take a large piece of that food, when they find it as bait on the end of your line.

There are dozens of recipes for chum, but most all of them are based on a moist base of stale bread crust, with a bran, oatmeal or flour stiffening agent mixed into it, plus some small pieces of the same bait that you will be using when you fish the spot, and then, some kind of extra-scented additive, such as fish fertilizer or fish paste, cod liver oil, anise seed oil, or anything else you can find that will stink out the neighborhood.

Channel Catfish Stories - The 20 Pounders Love To Attack Moving Lures

The catfish is a fish of legends and stories. What follows are three stories of some monster channel cats and what lures they attacked. Lures, that is- nothing dead. In my time fishing for other fish, I have caught channel catfish on the oddest lures(for cat fishing that is). I will only write of the largest here. Once I was fishing for musky, with an 8 inch long floating creek chub with a steel lip. I let the bait float on the surface a bit, before retrieving on each cast. I threw out the lure on one cast, let it sit, and bam woosh swoosh, a "musky" had my lure in its mouth. This fish went absolutely nuts; it started tearing off line like nothing I'd ever seen before, I was thrilled. This fish was really using the river to its advantage, and headed straight down river at an amazing clip.

Luckily, I had my reel filled with 125 yards of high quality line, because this fish needed to be stopped. I put the breaks on him, and started pulling his head out of the current. Well, he didn't like this, and moved into the slower water, but just sat there for a good minute, I could not do much pulling against the current. I had to walk to shore to pull him straight towards me. And he was resisting as much as he could, but the line was too strong for him. I slowly pulled the beast towards me, and was met with a gray face of whiskers. Turns out, the "musky", was a giant 26lb channel cat. I was a bit mad at first, but then I figured it's a fish, it had the nerve to attack this huge lure, so he's a pretty worthy adversary. And he's pretty darn huge, may have even broken some state records, who knows, I released him or her, to fight again. And getting those trebles out of his mouth was quite a surgery to remember.

Another time, I was using a big risto rap crank bait to fish for musky again. Cast out the risto rap, reel it about ten cranks, and the rod nearly rips out of my hand. I have a "musky", this great, I was thinking-yet again. This was in a river with a bank composed of huge boulders, not a good place for an epic battle. The fish goes ballistic, and starts heading down river and stripping line like a maniac. I start jumping from rock to rock, like a possessed fisherman, almost killing myself about 20 times, and after a 15 minute battle I get to see the head of a huge 21lb channel cat. Again, a little mad at first, but then I think, we'll this fish is a great fish, it's easier to catch than a musky, it's just as strong, if not stronger, and its big.

Then a few years later the mother of all channel cats attacked the tiniest of lures. I was fishing for walleye one night, with a ¼ oz jig head and a white scentless 3" curly tail plastic grub. Yes 3" inches. It was pitch black outside, and the walleye were on a feeding frenzy. I got a few nice 20 inchers, and was pretty pleased. I throw out into the middle of the river, where no walleye were, but just as an experimental cast. Reel in the grub, and it stops, line starts peeling of the reel. I was using some stout 15 lb test line that night, and was pretty panicked as soon as I hooked this mystery fish. I think I have just hooked the world record walleye, this thing is huge, and it is moving across the river at the speed of light. I think for a second, and quickly realize that this is no walleye. It's gotta be a musky or pike, and it's a giant, not a 20lber, or a 30lber, this thing is 40lbs, maybe more.

After 30 minutes of letting this monster have line, reeling, back reeling, reeling, he was finally tiring, and I was able to pull on him. I have never had so much adrenaline in my body as on this night, it was insane. It was a Moby Dick moment. He was still flying back out into the river when he was touching or seeing bottom. This thing was invincible. I got anxious, and really started horsing him, I had seen the line in action, and was confident it was extremely strong. I just wanted to see what is was, I didn't think I was ever going to land this thing. So I start to really lay into him, not giving him an inch of back reel or drag, and he starts to submit. I pull this pike/musky/mystery world record walleye, into the shore, and to my amazement there is a channel cat that is easily over 40 inches and the fattest thing I have seen in my life. I released the beast and had no scale or tape measurer that night, which may have been for the better. After these experiences, I no longer think, oh great, it's a catfish. I think, yes, this has got to be a channel cat, and hold on for a great fight.

Catfish Bait For Channel Catfish

Choosing a best catfish bait when you are fishing for channel catfish would on the surface look easy. Channel catfish are not choosy and will eat just about anything. Heck, some old timers swear that soap is the best bait. I personally have never used soap so I can neither confirm nor deny that it works but I don't know why it wouldn't. They eat everything else.

The trick is to find out which bait is best for the water that you are in and for when you are fishing. When I head out to a new lake I always take several prepared baits and some chicken liver with me. That way, I have options. I always start with one pole baited with chicken liver and another with my favorite dough bait.

If they hit on the chicken liver right away then that becomes my catfish bait until they stop biting. Once they stop biting I will try two more baits. Get the picture? By having several different baits with me I have a better chance of having the best catfish bait for that water and that "when".

It's really much easier than you think to take multiple baits with you. You can make dough and dip baits at home that can be stored in your freezer for when you are ready to use them. Simply put your prepared baits in plastic bags and place them in your cooler and you are ready to go.

In fact, another old timer's favorite that I have used and continue to use can be made at the lake with ease. Ever heard of Wheaties? Crush it up and add a little water and instant catfish bait. Add a little garlic salt and you have bait number two.

Channel Catfish Fishing

There are some who might think it strange to write an article on Channel Catfishing but for those who know and have experienced catching and eating this fish it may not be so surprising. But for those not as familiar with catfish or fishing in general, reading about what is probably the most plentiful catfish on the North American continent can be a true learning experience that can be put to good use.

Let's start with the basics. Channel catfish are, in fact, an extremely common variety of catfish that can be found in most parts of the United States. They are sometimes referred to as blue channel cats, river catfish, or spotted cats from time to time, as they do have spots, resemble a smaller version of the blue catfish, and often prefer rivers.

Although I have done most of my Channel Catfishing in rivers they are not limited to just rivers as they are not to picky about there homes. You can find channel cats in most types of freshwater, as long as the waters are warm enough (waters should warm to at least 70 degrees in the mid spring for spawning purposes).

How can you tell that channel catfish fishing will be good in a particular spot? Consider the habits of the channel cat. They often do prefer rivers, though unlike their larger cousins, they usually will be found wherever the current is slower, looking for a little shelter in natural pile ups, rock formations, and ridges in the river where food can get hung up.

In lakes, you're most likely to find them in shallower water, perhaps near the shoreline, where they can find brush cover and overgrowth from trees and grass to shelter them. Don't expect to find them hanging around locations with a very muddy bottom; they prefer the sand and rock bottom areas.

Another good place to find channel catfish is just below dams - these opportunistic feeders can find lots of flotsam and jetsam in the area to munch on.

What sort of equipment do you need for channel catfish fishing? Well, this depends on where you are fishing them. I have caught them as small as 3 0r 4 pounds but on average I usually catch them around 10 to 15 pounds but it is not uncommon to find them even bigger than this.

Therefore, you should have strong, solid equipment that is prepared for anything, including a struggle with a monster channel cat especially if you are fishing them in a fast river current.

In terms of bait, don't even bother bringing artificial baits; channel catfish fishing won't accomplish much with such a farce because catfish tend to find food based on their sense of smell rather than by sight.

Therefore, you need some sort of bait with an aroma that can permeate the waters and draw the fish to your line. This could be night crawlers, chicken livers, pieces of shad, or other fresh fish. My favorite bait to use is frogs because you can usually find them anywhere you are fishing so you don't need to run to the bait store everytime you go catfishing, plus other smaller fish tend to leave your frog alone while waiting for a jumbo cat to bite.