I recently covered the best baits for channel catfish and this weeks Catfishing Quick Tip is all about the best baits for blue catfish.
Catfish baits are always a hot topic here at Learn To Catch Catfish and people who contact me are always on a quest to find the best catfish baits and homemade catfish bait recipes. I get so many questions from people looking for a “magic bullet” to help them start catching catfish. Being successful catching fish is a combination of using the right catfish rigs, the right catfishing techniques, and making sure you are fishing where the fish are. If you are not fishing where the fish are then it does not matter how good your bait is, you are just not going to catch fish.
I have talked a lot about baits for blue catfish in the past and am pretty opinionated on this topic, as are most hardcore blue catfish anglers. While it is possible to catch blue catfish on prepared bait like punch bait and dip bait as well as other natural baits I am of the opinion that the best bait for blue catfish is the primary food source of these fish in the water body you are fishing.
This may vary depending on where you are in the United States but you can pretty much sum it up into three basic baits, threadfin shad, gizzard shad and skipjack herring. Blue cats spend the majority of their time following and or feeding on these food sources so it only makes sense that you would use their primary food source to catch them in the body of water you are fishing.
In this weeks Catfishing Quick Tip we cover the best bait for blue catfish and everything you need to know about baits for blue catfish. One you have finished watching the video head over to the Learn To Catch Catfish community and let us know what your favorite bait!
Catching shad is an essential part of targeting blue catfish. Not only is fresh shad one of the best baits for blue catfish but learning to pattern shad will do wonders for you in your quest to catch blue catfish.
To get more information including an in depth guide on choosing a cast net and tips and tricks on finding and catching shad and everything else you ever need to know on catching bait, click here.
About Chad
Howdy Chad,
Thanx, for the tip, AGAIN, on fresh bait for blues!!
Get out there and catch some catfish!!!!!!!!
Hey, so I live here in houston, tx and fish here in clear lake in this channel where I have to say finger or cut mullet works amazing for blues as well as channel cat. I;m thinking this must be a major food source here as well seeing how plentiful they are out in this part. Any thoughts on this?
Know matter watt i use for bait, all i keep catching is turtles,i tried ,live minnows,dead minnows,worms,catfish bait,home maid recipes,fishing on bottom,on top,during the day, night,lures,guess watt ! turtles……? I live near a lake, and menny ponds, i’m new to florida,i live’d in maine and never had this happend to me ,i could fish enny species of fish,summer,winter,and allways,get watt i when out to fish,trout,pike,bass,stripers,white perch,musky,sturgeon,ext….so it’s bean 1year and and my fish story is turtles. Ps….please help befor i give up the sport that i love so mush. Thanks.mike
I went out this Monday and all the blue were biting on is Secret 7. Ignored cut and whole shad completely, where at another lake they eat that stuff up.