For drift fishing here in Santee Cooper chain in SC I use herring.....only bait for me.

I'm only an occasional cat fisherman, but I am picking up a thread here. Seems the oilier the bait the better hence the Italian dressing thing. I have heard that bratwurst works, maybe for the same reason? Tom

1 Shad 2 bluegill 3 minnows anykind 4 raw shrimp 5 cooked shrimp 6 chicken breast cut up soaked in cherry koolaid 7 nightcrawler 8 can bisquit dough 9 chicken liver 10 crawdad i have caught fish on all of these but i have caught 3 really big cats they were flatheads 24,27,and 29 pounds the fist one i caught on bluegill(dead) number2 was bluegill(alive)number 3 minnow(dead)

I usually catch a few chubs from a nearby stream, take them to the big river for channels. Cut chubs works great here in MI. Also recently tried pickled bologna and had a pretty good night.

STIFFER LIVERS: Take a tub of chicken liver,drain off blood,spread out in high walled tupperware(ask your wife FIRST for you married men), sprinkle with vanilla extract, cover with about a half inch of brown sugar,put lid on tupperware,put in fridge(tell kids "it's what's for dinner if they mess with it"),let it chill overnight,take it out of tupperware,put it back in tub,pour some of the syrup on it or put in a big freezer bag. Take it fishin. Cut it with scissors(take your wife's best sewing shears ((teach her to use super braid for her sewing projects)) to cut bait with) just big enough to cover hook. Ya' can cast it a mile and it won't fall off hook. And for some odd reason they like the taste. Wipers like it too. What you don't use,toss it in the freezer. Keeps for a long time.

if a berry tree like mulberry is hnging over water pick a few berriies put on hook and hold on. not only catfish but i seen a boatload o smallies caught the same way. but the cats really eat it up. also 2-3 crickets on a large hook under a float for stocked catfish

with all of this info i got a 4lb channel cat last nite at BV thanx all you guys for all of that info

with all of this info i got a 4lb channel cat last nite at BV thanx all you guys for all of that info

I fish for catfish alot. There tastes change throughout the season.. But Sonny's stinkbait is one of my normals. It is made in farmington iowa. I also like using big night crawlers. Chad and chicken liver also work around here, but like i said it changes throughout the season.. Bait shops are a good place to find out what fish are biting on.

Posted By cmiller13 on 07 Jun 2010 08:59 PM
you know, i've been catfishing for years and the best bait that i've found combines my love for fishing and hunting. beleive it or not deer meat with just a little vanillia favoring has always give me great results in lakes, small ponds, and rivers.

Do eat alot of dear meat or is there just to much?  We end up giving ours away.

I like to get Chicken livers and leave them outside for a day or two

they will stink to high heaven but it work's,I add some garlic liquid

that you can buy at a bait shop.

Catch a Lot Of CatFish!! Have Fun!

                                                          Troutman3

Any body ever tried Magic Bait?

i use salmon eggs let them sit in the sun for a day or 2 make up some spwan sacs they work really good where i fish at

I've never used it personally but when I was around 14 or 15 years old (33 YO now) there used to be these two guys we'd run into on the river who swore by Irish Spring soap, they always seemed to have luck with it. Anyone else ever heard of this?

I've heard of people using soap for trot lines but have not heard of any one using it for pole fishing. But I've heard of some weird stuff being used as cat bait over the years and every body swears that you'll catch tons of fish.

Tried some shrimp this weekend, didn't have much luck, got some bumps but they kept cleaning the bait from my hooks.

in my small pond i give them old bread they love it

Best for channel catfish is anything that stinks, such as rotting or aged left over bait, kept in glass jar in backyard burial, and besure you leave the lid a bit loose, unless you want it to blow up. Just add some other items to it. I've used vanilla, cornmeal, anise, and like some, you can cook it on stove or electric burner in yard, and get rid of neighbors, draw cats, and help polute the air. Seriously, you should subscribe to North American Fisherman. I've been using their hints for all sorts of fish for over 50 years, and recording your time, tempature, wind, etc. and keeping good records can help you tremendously to achieve your goal of catching fish every time you go to the bank or on the water. Many good suggestions have been made. Don't use anything that's going to polute the water. But still the number one live bait is crayfish, crawfish, or pincer's. Not enough people use them and they are tremendous for all sorts of fish. Why do you think the manufacture's make look alike lures? Have fun, and don't forget, take a child fishing.
DonP.(SKIP)