if i am fishing for channel cat my fav. bait is chicken liver... if i am fishing for blues,i use cut bait ..and if i am fishing for shovels i use live bait : pumpkinseed , chub , israeli carp , gold fish ...they all seem to work well for my dad n i... but when we go pay laking we use skip jack...

i've been having pretty good luck using Johnsonville cheese filled brats by buddy and i got 15 fish 2 days ago all came on the brats including 3 that were over 10 lbs. the biggest was about 18 lbs. give them a try . tight lines to ya

i'm sorry i forgot to say these brats were freezer burnt bad

i'm sorry i forgot to say these brats were freezer burnt bad

I use Livers. I have tried shrimp and beef liver and the chicken just works better but hard to keep on the line. I plan on trying out bluegills and other pan fish... Most of the guys who go after the Blues here swear but the Gizzard Shad.

I know its been a little while since this question was asked, but a buddy of mine always used Minnows, and Eel. The Minnows were good sometimes, but in Eastern NC they seem to like pieces of cut eel. Which you can occasionaly catch out of the river, and if not you can buy them at your local bait store.

I live in MS and I use fresh cutbait (shad) and all I get is gar any1 got me another tactic I can do to catch more cats and less gar?

Chicken liver for channels and canadian nightcrawlers for blues and flatheads. By the way the tricks for chicken liver staying on the hook longer. Try tying some sewing thread a few times around the bait. I keep a few rolls of it in my tackle box.Color of thread don't matter but I seem to have more luck with the black thread.

jake    i use sudden impack and it works good you can use this stuff on a bear tribble hook and you can get it on line at team catfish or you can make your own stick bait buy useing apound of groun beff weatys and apoun of lumberger chesse micks it up and seat it out in the sun for a day then ball it up and put it on a tribble hook with a spring

Depends on whether you want to catch small cats or large ones. For smaller channels I like frozen squid, my partner likes cheese hot dogs. Nothing beats live bluegill or small carp for BIG cats. I've NEVER caught anything on chicken liver!

Hello all, i was just reading in my new magiazine called california game and fishing , there is a artical in there about useing bacon for catfish bait. It stated that you should get some put it in a ziplock baggie for a tleast 24 hrs out of the sun so it won't cook it and rap it around your hook and hold on............I was just woundering if any of you has tried this and dose it work??? THANK YOU JOHN

Jtaylor23, I used to use old bacon for salt water hard head catfish when I was a teenager and it did work. I think bacon is rather expensive catfish bait when there are other baits every bit as good for much less money.

bass or bass , I was just reading the artical and was wounding if it worked , i have never heard of it brfore and yes i'm sure it could be expensive...JOHN

Hog Wild, Live Shad, Chicken Liver in that order for channel cats.

Redear, bluegill, tilapia all alive and fresh caught for flatheads.

I am sure its been said , as I did not read through all the posts .

My favorite baits are , bluegill fillets , whole or cut shad , cut skipjack , and shad guts .

Another great bait for catching eater size cats is Sonnies dip bait .

personally I like using Shad.Either whole or as cut bait.
  If fishing for Channels it's usually Sonny's..
Also like using shrimp.bluegills ,Goldfish, and of course worms.
   Oh yeah don't forget the ASIAN CARP makes great cut bait for
Channels and Blues.

For channels chicken livers ,for flatheads  live bluegills or creek chubs!
never had any luck with store bought  baits.