# Catfish bait help



## GMTK (Sep 8, 2008)

Iâ€™m on Amistad. I have not been able to find any balls of shad so I can get some in a cast net and then use those as bait (which is what I did on Conroe for years). Any 2cool recommendations for bait? Havenâ€™t used stink bait since I was a kid. Just looking to get the kids to catch some fish, any help is appreciated.


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## Specktackulure (Jul 12, 2009)

Beef or Chicken Liver.


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## Norsehunter (Jan 30, 2013)

I have always had good luck with small shrimp with the head on


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## Sunbeam (Feb 24, 2009)

I have fished for cat nearly all my life. I have used everything from soap to 2 pound live carp.
But about ten years ago a long time catfisherman on Livingston taught me a new trick. He used shrimp. But not raw bait shrimp but those peeled, cooked and frozen cocktail shrimp. I scoffed at first till I spent a day fishing with him. I used a few different baits including dip baits and cut shad. Mark just used the cocktail shrimp. He was out catching me two to one. I finally used the shrimp and nearly caught up. I have used it on Livingston, Rayburn and in my private lake.
I think the reason it works so well is the firmness caused by the cooking. It still smells like shrimp but it certainly stays on the hook. I recommend a 1/0 Eagle claw circle hook.
PS. If the fish don't bite you can eat the bait.


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## Jimmy Blue (Nov 20, 2013)

I've had good success with the following recipe

Mark your spot and dump about three pounds of range cubes

Go do something for fifteen to twenty minutes

Return and use the fully cooked frozen shrimp as suggested buy Sunbeam above

This may not generate wall hangers but it should keep the kids occupied with eaten size fish for an hour or more

If they stop biting go back to step one

Happy fishing


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## bryan28 (Aug 22, 2013)

I live in TN but visited family and fished Galveston this past July. I bought a jackfish from a baitshop that I plan to use to try and chum up some blue cats with. It's a real oily, bloody fish. Gonna thaw and slice it up to get the juices flowing and put it in a mesh bag to hang over the boat. Will cut some off to put on my hooks.


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## cva34 (Dec 22, 2008)

Jimmy Blue said:


> I've had good success with the following recipe
> 
> Mark your spot and dump about three pounds of range cubes
> 
> ...


I too gave had good luck...with that...I have also used it in salt and fresh up in shallows to concentrate bait for cast netting...


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## skelly (Jan 20, 2010)

Sunbeam said:


> I have fished for cat nearly all my life. I have used everything from soap to 2 pound live carp.
> But about ten years ago a long time catfisherman on Livingston taught me a new trick. He used shrimp. But not raw bait shrimp but those peeled, cooked and frozen cocktail shrimp. I scoffed at first till I spent a day fishing with him. I used a few different baits including dip baits and cut shad. Mark just used the cocktail shrimp. He was out catching me two to one. I finally used the shrimp and nearly caught up. I have used it on Livingston, Rayburn and in my private lake.
> I think the reason it works so well is the firmness caused by the cooking. It still smells like shrimp but it certainly stays on the hook. I recommend a 1/0 Eagle claw circle hook.
> PS. If the fish don't bite you can eat the bait.


I'm assuming you're fishing this under a cork. If so, what length of leader are your using? Taking my 5 year old grandson to ranch this weekend and will be testing your method.

Thanks,


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## Bubblehead_688 (Feb 16, 2018)

GMTK said:


> Iâ€™m on Amistad. I have not been able to find any balls of shad so I can get some in a cast net and then use those as bait (which is what I did on Conroe for years). Any 2cool recommendations for bait? Havenâ€™t used stink bait since I was a kid. Just looking to get the kids to catch some fish, any help is appreciated.


Try cast netting near breakwater rip rap and bridge pilings in the 3-10' depth range. Especially where conditions allow for some algae accumulation on the structure.

Sent from my SM-G892A using Tapatalk


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## That Robbie Guy (Aug 11, 2009)

You said ranch, so I assume you are fishing a pond or a tank.
Try some cheap hot dogs as well such as the Bar-S brand.



skelly said:


> aking my 5 year old grandson to ranch this weekend and will be testing your method.


If the cats won't take the hot dogs, you can at least use them to catch some panfish. Then you turn around and turn them panfish into catfish bait.


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