Catfish Bait

[PondHunter]

Has anyone had any experience using a piece of cow's tongue to catch catfish? Sounds like it would stay on the hook really well. What do you think?

[wavewalker]

should work i use beef when i go for cats works on bass pike to

[32251]

There is a bait shop where I fish that has rooster livers. Try em'!

[PondHunter]

Chickn livers are my favorite catfish bait, but keeping it on the hook can be a challenge. That is why I am wondering about the cow's tongue. As long a you remove the outer skin, the soft center should stay on the hook and attract plenty of cats.

[SDoolittle]

If you like chicken liver, try beef liver. It stays on the hook real well and the catfish don't seem to care that it came from a cow instead of a chicken.

[fisher1973]

If your using liver [beef or chicken] try using a liver hook. It's like a treble ,but has only two hook points a long shank with a safety pin device attached. I get mine at bps.

[bass or bass ?]

For flatheads nothing beats a live bluegill. For channels I've always used shrimp, aged in the sun for several hours, with good results, but recently found another great method. Secret 7 catfish paste bait. I rig a deeply ribbed soft plastic bass worm by threading it on the hook till only the curly tail is free to wiggle in the current, then dip it into the bait. I like this better than using tubes for this bait. Happy fishing.

~B.A.S.S.~N.A.F.C.~BoatU.S.~N.R.A.~

[PondHunter]

I like the idea of the beef livers. I will have to try that.

[jack1]

A good trick to help keep chicken liver on your hook is to wrap it with a piece of your girl friend, wife, mother, or grandmother's (you get the picture) nylon stocking.  It's just like tying a salmon spawn sack.  Not the greatest thing on earth, but it does help.

I've never had the opportunity to fish for flatheads and blues since they're not around my neck of the woods, but I've done well on channel cats withstink baits, cut baits, minnows, chicken livers, crawfish, and even some plastics.  I've heard and seen people catch channels onground beef, night crawlers, grasshoppers, and frogs.  

[mrlitetackle]

sounds like it would indeed.

but in cat baits i prefer gooey gross things that leave tons of scent.  I posted something on cat baits quite some time ago, and the two main things i have used from it were.

live bluegill, sunk to the bottom.

and chicken liver wrapped up in women's nylons. (it keeps them on the hook nicely, and lets all the great foulness disperse as well.)

since then these have been my top producers.... though the livers are much easier to obtain than catching BG's....

[wvbucketmouth]

I have not tried this "yet", but its frog gigging season here, which we have been doing a little of. I "heard" that frog heads are great flathead bait. Sounds reasonable, and would put the heads to good use I guess. Heck, ill try anything once ;D

[Busy]

I think some cheese cloth works better than nylon's.  It's more environmentally friendly thats for sure.  But really I don't use either.  Be careful with your liver bait, cut it instead of ripping it and it should stay on the hook fine.  I use big circle hooks with no barbs for catfish and they seem to have no problem holding chicken liver on.

It's not all that frequent that the big guys will eat liver or worms.  You want big flatheads use a whole fish.  Shad works great but bluegill are heartier and will stay alive on the hook longer.  You can also use cut sides from shad and bluegill.  Found a channel cat one time in a big flatheads stomach that weighed a little over a pound (bigger bait, bigger fish).

I've also had some success on channel cats using hot dogs for bait.

Please let me know how cow tongue works if you try it

[Marshfisher]

Chickn livers are my favorite catfish bait, but keeping it on the hook can be a challenge. That is why I am wondering about the cow's tongue. As long a you remove the outer skin, the soft center should stay on the hook and attract plenty of cats.

I've used cheesecloth to wrap the chicken liver but found it works just as well to just hook yhe liber then wrap it with some thin string and give it a simple knot or two. That's all I do anymore and don't lose the bait very often. Also I generally use 3/0 and up hooks.

[B0STON]

Honestly... I had no money one afternoon. I used some ballpark franks (hot dogs) and i was pulling in some nice cat fish & stripers.

I had a HUGGEEEE striper and it ripped off. It was almost on shore so i seen it.

[crw]

I am a firm believer that catfish (except Flatheads) will eat anything including Ivory soap, liver, worms, squid, mullet gut, hotdogs, hearts, cut bait , gizzards, crankbaits and spinners.

Flatheads like live bait.  

[NewAngler]

I'm gonna go catfishin', well, leaving now actually. I'm gonna use chicken liver and pork that's been sitting in garlic for a couple weeks in the freezer. Thawed it over night and smells like death. I should have a par performance. Will post anything special.

[Lynx]

SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA

WHEN I AM CATFISHING ALOT OF THE TIME I WILL USE PRO-CURES OCTOPUS BABY BAIT, ALL BEEF HOTDOGS (YEA THEY WORK BETTER THEN MOST OTHER BAIT), ANCHOVIES, OR CHICKEN LIVERS.

BUT I AM SURE THAT THEY'LL TAKE THE TONGUE, I MEAN THESE FISH WILL EAT ANYTHING. I HAVE EVEN CAUGHT THEM USING POWER BAIT BEFORE.

GOOD LUCKS TO YOU IN CATCHING THE "BIG KAHUNA."

[BrnzeBckStalker]

A good trick to help keep chicken liver on your hook is to wrap it with a piece of your girl friend, wife, mother, or grandmother's (you get the picture) nylon stocking. It's just like tying a salmon spawn sack. Not the greatest thing on earth, but it does help.

I've never had the opportunity to fish for flatheads and blues since they're not around my neck of the woods, but I've done well on channel cats withstink baits, cut baits, minnows, chicken livers, crawfish, and even some plastics. I've heard and seen people catch channels onground beef, night crawlers, grasshoppers, and frogs.

X2- on the stockings/panty hose. i also used hot dogs (beef franks, turkey franks, whichever) and catch mudcats or yellow belly cats most commonly known as bullhead i am sure though. and if you get a good 6-8in one, cut the fins off him enough to make him bleed and throw him on a hook. catfish are cannibals as well. small chanel cats work well too in the same method. i personally would take the live blue gill for flat heads. and my buddy yesterday when we were bass fishing was drop shotting a 3in Berkley Gulp shad/minnow, and caught two nice blue cats. hope this helps a bit.