# Best catfish bait?



## Sniper338 (Oct 6, 2021)

Whats the best catfish bait? Most of my catfishing is in the river running trot lines from my ranch. Ive never had a boat to be able to do it really well...

I have something I do, but Im the only one I know of that does it and it works VERY well.

Curious to see what everyone uses though. I dont mind sharing what Ive figured out over the years in a later post if this goes anywhere.


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## Ducktracker (Aug 1, 2011)

I don’t think you can go wrong with using shad. We use cut buffalo and cut gou also.


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## AguaMala (Feb 28, 2012)

Ducktracker said:


> I don’t think you can go wrong with using shad. We use cut buffalo and cut gou also.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


That’s what we use when we run lines. Always do well with those baits


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## Jerry713 (Nov 6, 2019)

I grew up running lines and miss it. Lotta work but some of my best childhood memories. I think shad would be at the top of most everyone's list. I've mostly used cut or live bluegill just because it's the bait that is available to me most of the time. Bluegill is hit or miss with me.


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## Sniper338 (Oct 6, 2021)

Hmm.. ive never used shad. Ive heard stories of my great grandfather growing out goldfish and using goldfish on the lines. Ive seen a few black and white pictures of monster cats he used to haul out of the river with a boat and paddle.

Years ago my neighbors ran the river and said they used soap. I dont know what kind of soap they used, what was in it, if it was home made... they used to catch 50+ cats a night on it. I mean it worked.. ive never turned to a soap for bait personally. That seems like some old school thing now days.


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## Ducktracker (Aug 1, 2011)

Sniper338 said:


> Hmm.. ive never used shad. Ive heard stories of my great grandfather growing out goldfish and using goldfish on the lines. Ive seen a few black and white pictures of monster cats he used to haul out of the river with a boat and paddle.
> 
> Years ago my neighbors ran the river and said they used soap. I dont know what kind of soap they used, what was in it, if it was home made... they used to catch 50+ cats a night on it. I mean it worked.. ive never turned to a soap for bait personally. That seems like some old school thing now days.


When I was younger we used ivory soap and chicken hearts but that’s been a few years ago.


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## gatorgar55 (Sep 19, 2019)

Shad is #1 but you can also use chicken breast if you can’t get any shad


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## The Preacher (Oct 5, 2015)

The soap that caught catfish in rivers back in the day was P&G soap.


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## Sniper338 (Oct 6, 2021)

I havent seen soap made and sold in a long long time. It probably is one of those lost arts... i dont remember catching fish on soap, but people did... it faded away with time.


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## fishinganimal (Mar 30, 2006)

My dad and I used Goldfish on Lake Houston in the early 70s. Monster Blues/Opps and the biggest Crappie I have ever seen. Had to be rod-n-reel to have a lake record. I wish we had cameras back then. We paid $20 per hundred. Enough to bait two lines once.


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## AguaMala (Feb 28, 2012)

Sniper338 said:


> I havent seen soap made and sold in a long long time. It probably is one of those lost arts... i dont remember catching fish on soap, but people did... it faded away with time.


We also use the pink Zote soap. Get it at Walmart in the detergent isle. Works well in moving water. Turtles an gar shy from it


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## Plumbwader (Jan 17, 2009)

Squid works spectacularly for blues and channels. Its tough, pungent, cheap and stays on the hook.


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## AguaMala (Feb 28, 2012)

Plumbwader said:


> Squid works spectacularly for blues and channels. Its tough, pungent, cheap and stays on the hook.


I’m gonna have to try squid out


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## ronnie leblanc jr (Jan 9, 2010)

Gizzard shad, perch, mullet, beef or chicken liver, chicken hearts, and will sometimes use stink bait if I’m fishing a pond. So what’s your bait that works for you?


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## Sniper338 (Oct 6, 2021)

ronnie leblanc jr said:


> Gizzard shad, perch, mullet, beef or chicken liver, chicken hearts, and will sometimes use stink bait if I’m fishing a pond. So what’s your bait that works for you?


I buy chicken liver, put it in a gallon bag, then let it sit outside in the sun for a few days and let it go nasty. Up to a week..

Then I get elastic cylinder type gauze, and make sacks. Tie up an end with thread stuff it with some nasty liver, then tie the top shut. Then its ready to put on a hook. The elastoc gauze keeps it on the hook, and keeps it all held together on the hook. Works great.

The stuff is NASTY to handle and the stink you can wash off your hands for a day or two it seems. But letting that liver rot for several days creates a stink like no other and is the absolute best bait Ive ever come across.

WAY WAY more effective that new chicken liver used. Same goes for any liver though. Let it rot several days. Use the elastic gauze stuff. Can order it online, but not anywhere fishing related. Couldnt tell you the actual name of it either. Its a cylinder shape about the size of your pinky finger but it stretches out.

Thats how I set trot lines and fish with rods on the river at my ranch.


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## Painter (Jun 28, 2005)

The Preacher said:


> The soap that caught catfish in rivers back in the day was P&G soap.


Zone soap


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## AguaMala (Feb 28, 2012)

Used it almost exclusively on limb lines an always caught fish


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## SARGEANTSEACAT (Feb 12, 2020)

Sniper338 said:


> I buy chicken liver, put it in a gallon bag, then let it sit outside in the sun for a few days and let it go nasty. Up to a week..
> 
> Then I get elastic cylinder type gauze, and make sacks. Tie up an end with thread stuff it with some nasty liver, then tie the top shut. Then its ready to put on a hook. The elastoc gauze keeps it on the hook, and keeps it all held together on the hook. Works great.
> 
> ...


Sniper
Why wouldn't you put it in the bag BEFORE you left it out to rot?

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## Sniper338 (Oct 6, 2021)

SARGEANTSEACAT said:


> Sniper
> Why wouldn't you put it in the bag BEFORE you left it out to rot?
> 
> Sent from my E6910 using Tapatalk


I guess you could, youd have to thread it shut then. I just close the bag by sticking the hook through the top of the "bag" a few times before sticking the hook into the liver bag.


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## shadslinger (Aug 21, 2005)

The shell station by Beacon Bay Marina sells Zote.
Cooked peeled shrimp soaked in one of those shad scents is pretty good catfish bait around brushpiles.


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## whsalum (Mar 4, 2013)

We used P&G soap on tight lines in high water for years. Caught lots of blue cats on it. May favorite these days is shad if I’m fishing for numbers of blue cats. Can’t beat a 10” yellow polywog for a big old flathead.


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## RANCH (Apr 6, 2021)

.....chicken Titties soaked in red coolaid and minced garlic...


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## Hoggwilde (Apr 22, 2014)

Growing up fishing rivers we would get 5gal bucket beef blood and mix with salt and anise oil? Let it dry out on plywood for a day or 2. We then would cut small hook size chunks and freeze them. We would use this to run trot lines on the Navasota River.. always filled the boat up. Now it’s just easier to catch few doz bluegill or Shad for bait. 


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