Catfish Bait?
 

Fellas, I need a little advice here. I just started trying to run jug lines and trotlines on some of the bayous around here. Today was only the second time I've ever put out jugs. I baited them with chicken livers, but didn't catch anything. I don't think it was so much the type of bait, but the bait falling off the hook.

Any advice on how to keep it on, and what other kind of baits have y'all used to catch cats? I've always heard chicken liver was good, but ive heard it doesn't work as well for catching flatheads.

I normally use crawfish and live perch or bream for the flatheads....

Ah I getcha. Is that something you would do anywhere, or only if you knew flatheads were around? I figure that might catch a gar or two as well wouldn't it? Not that I have a problem with gar, pretty good eating when done right.

For chicken livers get a old pair of your wife/girlfriends panty hose. Cut it in 3 inch squares put liver in middle bring coroners together and hook on hook. If done right
liver will stay on until you cut panty hose off to remove from hook. try to use as little as hose as possible to hold liver.

Never did real well with chicken livers, always did best with cut bait (some kind of fish), followed by night crawlers.

Our big secret for set line/trot line/jug line success? We chum the area with dog food. Buy a cheap bag of dog food at Wal-Mart or Sams. Put about 1/2 gallon out in the area you are setting your lines. The fishing usually gets better for two or three nights before we need to give it a rest or find a new spot. Too much current reduces effectiveness. We prefer a still spot.

zote soap . sell at walmart in cleaning supplies . cut little chunks put on hooks can even wash your hands with the bait after handling the fish . be sure and use the pink one .

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Shad shad shad
Live bream for flat heads


Spiral Out

Kill a bunch of coots during the season and save the gizzards

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My best limb line trips were with worms for blue and channel cats, outside bends of bayous when current isn't too strong. This was on bayou quedetortue (sp), so may be different where you are.

We would always set a few hooks of with each type of bait. Hearts, liver, worms and switch to what was catching.

Never did crawfish for cats

I use this anywhere....

Cut shad, mullet and crawfish.


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Ditch crawfish and fresh cut redfish.

If you want to use liver. Use beef liver.

Thanks for the advice guys. Definitely a few I want to try.

One more question: do y'all have more luck leaving lines set over night, or running during the day?

Biggest ones caught overnight.

My grandpa uses alot of cut buffalo fish, runs the hook through the meat and out the skin. We uses to use Ivory soap cut in squares and it worked well

The soap thing has always been strange to me. What is it about soap that makes it such a good catfish bait?

Not sure but I know we used the unscented kind.... I guess that as it devolves it drifts in the water, whatever it is it works

Cut up fish. As Clampy said shad does well but them flats like that live. We target laydowns and structure near ledges. Seems less moving water the better.


"Go ahead, share your opinion! I won't cry"

No nessissarily true. My biggest weighing in over 80# came at high noon. Also pulled in a 60# and 70# mid day. Live bream for ops no doubt. But if u jug lining use cut fish.