| Exotic Bait to Lure Catfish like a Snake Charmer | | | | concoction until it's well-saturated and stinky, then |
| Forget the night crawlers! When it comes to catching | | | | bait your hook with it. The catfish will eat the cloth |
| scads of cats, try some of these more exotic baits. | | | | just like a worm. You can also try soaking a cotton |
| They'll have the catfish shimmying out of water like a | | | | trotline in the mixture. When the line is set, catfish |
| cobra out of a basket for a flute-wielding snake | | | | may rub up against the deliciously stinky line and get |
| charmer! | | | | foul-hooked. This saves you having to use regular |
| Fruit and Nuts | | | | bait. |
| Blue cats and channel cats will eat mulberries, | | | | You can find asafetida from a local drug store or |
| persimmons, raisins, grapes, haw fruits and | | | | specialty druggist. The key word is local; the smaller, |
| muscadines. Muscadines are a hearty, heat-loving | | | | the better. Big chain drug stores might not have any |
| variety of grape native to the southeastern U.S. Blue | | | | idea what you're talking about. You can also purchase |
| cats and channel cats even eat nuts, particularly | | | | it through the internet. |
| hickory nuts and acorns. | | | | Other stinky substances can be used in the same |
| Catfish especially love persimmons and mulberries. | | | | manner. Some examples include oil of rhodium, rotten |
| Mulberries ripen in spring. If a mulberry tree | | | | eggs or anise oil. |
| overhangs the water, you may see catfish swarming | | | | Other Catfish |
| to gobble them up as they plop into the water. Just | | | | If you're fishing for flatheads in waters that also |
| put two or three on your hook and start reelin' 'em | | | | house bullheads, you can use bullheads as bait. But a |
| in! Persimmons ripen in the fall. Don't try an unripe | | | | word of caution: bullheads are not legal bait in many |
| one, though--they taste just as bad to the fish as | | | | areas. You must check your local regulations to see |
| they do to humans! Persimmons are known to be | | | | whether they are. If they are legal in where you're |
| one of the best baits for catfish. | | | | fishing, they can be the best bait that might land you |
| Blue cats and channel cats also like raisins. Gold raisins | | | | a trophy-class flathead. |
| are particularly effective when fishing at night in the | | | | You want to use a live bullhead that's three to six |
| summer if you're using set hooks or trotlines. That's | | | | inches long. Snip off the barbs, dorsal fins and spine. |
| because they're in the water for a longer period of | | | | The bullhead will flounder, attracting larger flatheads. |
| time, so they plump up and emit their fragrance. The | | | | You can usually seine for a supply of small bullheads. |
| gold color also makes them more visible for the fish. | | | | Flatheads will also eat channel cats--and many times |
| Regular raisins work well, too, and even grapes. | | | | other types of cats in the same waters. Hook the |
| Asafetida | | | | fish near the tail and float it right above the bottom. |
| Asafetida was a popular catfish bait in the 60s. Many | | | | Road Kill |
| anglers carried asafetida oil in their tackle boxes. This | | | | Some anglers have run out of bait and resorted to |
| oil or resin is also called Devil's Dung or stinking gum, | | | | using road kill, namely opossum. It can work better |
| thanks to its putrid aroma. It comes from Asian | | | | than worms, minnows or cut shad. But of course, |
| plants, and it is used in medicines--and even to flavor | | | | you should "steer clear" of intentionally causing road |
| east Indian foods, believe it or not. | | | | kill for bait! You're likely to charm heaps of catfish out |
| To use asafetida as bait, mix some of the oil or resin | | | | of the water with these gourmet morsels! The |
| in water. Then soak a small piece of cloth in the | | | | turban is optional. |