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The best catfish bait for a particular species and conditions is not answered by a cut-and-dried formula. There is a wide variety of catfish in North America inhabiting waters from small creeks to large impoundments and everything in between. They’re prolific, can grow to immense proportions, and in some cases, are pretty tasty. That makes them popular to fish for, but it doesn’t necessarily make them easy to catch. If you want to consistently catch more and bigger catfish than your buddies, you’ll need to use the proper bait. We rounded up the best catfish baits to help you land more fish this year.
Best Overall: Berkley PowerBait Catfish Bait Chunks
Best for Channel Catfish: Triple S Channel Cat Bait
Best for Treble Hooks: Danny King’s Catfish Punch Bait
Best Preformulated Nuggets: Team Catfish Fiber Nuggets
Best Stink Bait: Junnie’s Cat Tracker Wicked Sticky Catfish Bait
How We Picked the Best Catfish Bait
While many anglers rely on a wide range of natural and cut baits, including nightcrawlers and dead local shad, I limited my search to those items that are generally commercially available via mail order, tackle shops, or big box stores. That means no early morning searches or efforts with a cast net. It also means that someone else has done the dirty work for you.
Of course, not all catfish baits are created equally. We wanted solutions that stay on a hook but at the same time create a scent trail with no negative cues to turn off neutral fish. We also wanted enough variety to cover a wide variety of regions.
The Best Catfish Bait: Reviews & Recommendations
Best Overall: Berkley PowerBait Catfish Bait Chunks
Why It Made the Cut: After years perfecting scent and flavor, Berkley hit on a product that catches big cats and works as advertised, making novice anglers good and good anglers great.
Key Features
Six flavors
Three shapes
Based on Berkley’s scientifically-derived findings
Pros
Easy to rig
Inexpensive
Multiple flavor patterns for any application
Cons
No larger versions for monster cats
In their Spirit Lake, Iowa laboratory, Berkley’s team of scientists has taken bait development to the next level with rounds of testing and data. Much of that has been in the bass and saltwater arenas, but this deep dive into catfishing will pay dividends, too. Berkley’s PowerBait Catfish Bait Chunks come in blood and cheese, chicken blood, chicken liver, liver and blood, cut shad, or liver and cheese formulas to attract and fool even the most discerning whiskered palettes. Making this bait our pick for the best catfish bait overall.
Best for Channel Catfish: Triple S Channel Cat Bait
Why It Made the Cut: As the best bait for channel catfish, this dip bait has a proven record for attracting the biggest channel cats that swim, and you can buy a large tub original formula or blooded — for an eminently reasonable price.
Key Features
Available in various sizes, including 45 ounces and 3.5 gallon tubs
Optional blood additive
Works with sponge hooks or dip worms
Pros
Catfish can’t resist
Available in large quantities
Cheese flavored
Cons
Not best when an extra-large offering is required
Catfish experts and the catfish themselves consistently refer to the Iowa-born Triple-S (and its predecessor, Sonny’s Super Channel Catfish Bait) as an ultra-effective dip bait for all cats, but especially channel catfish. It relies on the same proven formula that Iowa’s Sonny Hootman developed decades ago. Sometimes the cheese formula is enough, but the blood additive is often a crucial ingredient in tempting and hooking the largest channel cats around.
Best for Treble Hooks: Danny King’s Catfish Punch Bait
Why it Made the Cut: This doughy, fibrous bait is sticky and holds tight to a treble hook, even in current, while still providing a followable scent trail.
Key Features
Hook doesn’t need a sponge or screw to hold bait in place
Comes in original, blood, and garlic
Available in pint, quart, and gallon containers.
Pros
Incredibly strong scent
Stays in place even under stress
Treble hook presentation provides increased hookup percentages
Cons
Some anglers claim that punch baits don’t produce the largest cats, but this is disputed
It’s hard to beat Danny King’s Catfish Punch Bait for ease of application. Simply push your treble hook into a ball of this hand-cooked bait, then pull it out at an angle, and you have a concoction that will stay in place even when under duress. The formula is secret but clearly includes cheese and beef fat to be malodorous (albeit not to the fish) and tempting from a distance. Cattail fluff is what keeps it on the hook.
Best Preformulated Nuggets: Team Catfish Fiber Nuggets
Why it Made the Cut: Team Catfish has taken most of the messy work out of formulating perfectly-sized catfish nuggets and is ready to impale on a variety of different hook styles.
Key Features
Four different flavors
Not sticky to the touch
Pros
Resealable bag allows for long-term storage
Clean application but still stinky underwater
Can be used with J hooks, circle hooks, and treble hooks
Cons
Not available in larger sizes
Not available in larger quantities
Whether you want nuggets flavored like nightcrawlers, gizzard shad, cheese or baitfish blood, Team Catfish has you covered with resealable bags of bite-sized nuggets, ready to be impaled. Because Team Catfish Fiber Nuggets are not sticky until wet, you can remain reasonably clean and scent-free. But they come alive when dunked below the surface, and that’s what attracts the cats to the buffet.
Best Stink Bait: Junnie’s Cat Tracker Wicked Sticky Catfish Bait
Why it Made the Cut: Junnie’s Wicked Sticky is a thick and rich recipe that provides a massive smell profile without being unmanageable or unhookable
Key Features
Cheese Dip formula provides hookable base
Blood added for extra attraction
Available in 15 ounce jar, 60 ounce bucket, or 4 gallon pail.
Pros
Thick formulation stays on the hook, even in current
Different flavor profiles for varying conditions
Comes in varying sizes depending on how much you need
Cons
If you get it on you, the rest of the family might not let you back in the house
This stuff will curl your toes, but in this case, that’s a good thing. Junnie’s Wicked Sticky comes in three flavors: Regular; blood, which has a high amino acid content; and “Sewer,” which is at its best in the heat of the summer. All three are cheese-based and stay on a hook well, but their true calling card is the fact that they outsmell the competition.
Things to Consider Before Buying Catfish Bait
A wide variety of baits will work for just about every species of catfish. They rely heavily on their olfactory sense to locate food and are nearly omnivorous. But that doesn’t mean they don’t occasionally discriminate. This is especially true in highly-pressured waters or under adverse conditions. The lack of a one-size-fits-all approach to catfish bait can make choosing one difficult. Here’s what you need to know before you bait up.
Native Forage
While catfish can be virtually omnivorous, as noted above, that doesn’t mean one baitfish compound won’t work better than another. If your local waters are filled with giant gizzard shad, or menhaden, or clams, the catfish therein may have a distinct preference for the native diet. That doesn’t mean it’s the only thing that’ll work—after all, chicken livers are a time-tested catfish bait—but it’s a factor to consider when times get tough.
Species and Size
How big do the catfish in your waters grow? What species are they? A two- to three-pounder may not be able to eat the same large meals that an 80-pounder covets. On occasion, the opposite can be true, with the Goliath chowing down on bite-sized morsels. But as a general rule, you’ll want to tailor your offerings to the size of the fish as well as their usual diet.
Scent Dispersal and Longevity
How long will the bait hold on the hook and how quickly does it disperse? Do you dip a sponge in it or impale it on a hook? This one is a double-edged sword. On the one hand, in most situations, you’ll want to develop a scent trail. This requires some disintegration from the bait. On the other hand, by the time your quarry works its way up that trail, you want there to be something left for him to chow down upon. Then, depending on the size of the hook you’re using, you may need to have a certain amount left to disguise the steel while still providing ample gap to set the hook and keep it firmly embedded. The best catfish bait will be able to juggle all these tasks.
Acquisition and Transportation
Finally, is the bait readily available and how does it have to be stored? Can you keep it in your garage forever, or does it need to be refrigerated? It might be the best catfish bait in the world for a particular application, but if it’s dried and crusty or expired, you’re out of luck. Sometimes it’s better not to let the perfect be the enemy of the good – you can use your “second choice catfish bait” because it stays fresh longer or is more readily available to buy fresh.
Of course, you can always catch your own bait. Just grab a cast net and load up.
FAQs
Q: What is catfish bait made of?
The components of most commercially prepared catfish baits are closely guarded secrets, but some of the most common ingredients include cheese, blood, livers, and fish parts. They often have some sort of “binder” to keep them on a hook longer.
Q: How long do catfishing baits last?
In their properly-sealed containers, refrigerated in some cases, catfishing baits can last indefinitely. On a hook, many of the best catfishing baits disintegrate slowly over time, creating a scent trail.
Q: Where can I get catfishing bait?
Natural baits like nightcrawlers, clams, and local oily baitfish can be found at most tackle shops, as well as some convenience stores. But resealable jars or bags of commercially prepared catfishing bait is even more widely available. Look not only to tackle shops, but also to feed stores and even grocery chains.
The Best Catfish Baits: Final Thoughts
The best catfish bait is determined by the fish themselves. The type of catfish, the body of water they inhabit, and the forage base present all play a role in their dietary preferences. Use this guide to get it dialed in and catch some cats of your own. You’ll know once you figure it out: The fish will signal their approval by greedily devouring your offering. Tight lines!
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