If you are putting them in a lake, it pays to bait. The commercial fishermen in Lake Verret use either cottonseed or soybean cake in the warm months and processed cheese in the cold months. They say that way they catch almost exclusively channel catfish. Adding any fish smell to the bait catches blue catfish. Fish oil, chopped pogies or something like that will increase the catch of blue catfish. They also say that the more bait you put, the more fish you catch. I've seen them put 18 bags of soybean cake in one hoopnet.
For flathead catfish I don't think they bait. I think they put them in the outside bend of the river where there is a cut bank.
Good luck. Let us know how you do.
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