What kind of bait do you use?

When I go angling for Catfish I avoid the trendy prepared baits. Stink baits, dough baits, dipping baits and other exotic baits will catch fish but they are not the best way to fish for Catfish. If you want to catch large quantities of Catfish your best bait is simply put fish. My number one choice of bait would be a live fish. The bait needs to be of appropriate size for the type of Catfish you are angling for. Small fathead minnows work well for bullheads, larger shiners and suckers are great for Channel Catfish and Bluegills and Sunfish make great bait when angling for large Flathead Catfish and Blue Catfish. In the absence of live fish you can also use freshly killed fish or even cut up pieces of fish. The key thing is that the dead bait be fresh or freshly thawed frozen fish. Do not use rancid parts of fish for bait and expect the same results. I have a tip for you when fishing with live fish as bait. Cut a small portion of the tail off the fish before you cast it into the water. This accomplishes two objectives. First it will cause the fish to swim erratically and appear as it is injured. This triggers the natural instinct of a predatory fish and will cause it often to attack even if not hungry. Secondly it releases blood into the water which will act as chum to attract fish to its location.