I’ve been using and making homemade catfish bait since I was a small kid. There is nothing more exciting than trying out a new stinky dough bait or dip bait that has been marinading or sitting out in the sun for a few days. If you have the right ingredients in your homemade catfish bait recipe and it’s sticky and stinky enough – you’ll catch tons of catfish. Out of all the baits I’ve used, blood and cheese has given me more luck.
There are tons of resources online to find good bait recipes. Some work and some won’t catch a starving catfish. The best resource I’ve found is Catfish Edge.
The internet is littered with tons of catfish bait recipes and in recent years I’ve even begin to see books and other resources for sale with recipes to make your own catfish bait, but there are very few (if any) really good catfish bait recipes publicly available. Via catfishedge.com
The best homemade bait for catfish ingredients list:
- fresh or dehydrated and powdered chicken livers
- fresh beef or chicken blood from livers or gizards
- garlic powder or fresh
- Parmesan cheese
- cheap hot dogs
- red-jell0
- cornflakes or Wheaties
- anise drops
- hard dog food kibble
- peanut butter
- white bread
- yellow cornmeal
- red cream soda
- white flour
The above foods can be used to make dough baits, punch baits and dip baits. I use proven manufactured catfish baits most of the time because trying to find the time to whip the stuff up can be messy and time consuming. The ingredients above can be used to make just about any catfishing bait you can think of. Look at these homemade bait recipes.
My absolutely go to best catfish bait ever is Premo’s Super Sticky Blood Bait. I’ve caught catfish in creeks, ponds, lakes and rivers with it. Premo’s blood bait has awesome attractants that attract monster cats. I’ve caught channel after channel catfish using it. The smell stays on the sponge longer than any dip bait that I’ve fished with.
I make homemade sponge bait hooks and use them with the Premo’s. After dipping the sponge bait treble hook and covering it, I let it sit in the water for a few seconds before casting. It works so well because the scent stays on the sponge, and the sponge stays on the hook.
There are times when I catch several fish on the same sponge without dipping it back into the bait.
My favorite homemade catfish bait
Ingredients:
1 lb. boneless skinless chicken thighs
1 can oily fish like sardines
1 container chicken livers
optional (garlic, kool-aid, jello)
When I do make bait to take along on my fishing trip, I use a combination of boneless chicken thighs, chicken livers and some sort of oily fish. Start by cutting up 1 lb. of chicken thighs in small 1 inch chunks. Place 1 container of chicken livers and one can of fish (sardines, herring) in a food processor and process until well mixed and smooth.
I like to add garlic powder sometimes and or a package of cherry kool-aid. Put the bait mixture in bowls and freeze. If at all possible, let it stand in the refrigerator for a few days before using. This will give the bait time for the flavors to combine and attract more fish.
Feel free to tweak this recipe. If you have luck catching catfish with hot dogs in your area, use hot dogs instead of the chicken thighs. You could even use the chicken thighs and blend the hot dogs with the chicken livers. I’d probably add some cheese instead of garlic. A few tablespoons of grated Parmesan cheese or maybe some garlic and cheese croutons would work.
This is my go to concoction, but I also have luck on other homemade baits like soaking hot dogs in strawberry jello and garlic. This works great for channel catfish in lakes and ponds. Use small chunks of hot dogs on a bobber. This particular bait works the best in shallow waters around 5 feet. Don’t be afraid to come up with your own recipes. The above ingredient list is a good start to creating your own homemade bait for catfish.