Catfish are a very popular species that almost every type of fishermen has fished for at some point in time. There are different species of catfish but the most well-known are the channel, blue, bullhead and flathead cats. All catfish are bottom feeders and they are extremely curious by nature. This is the reason that when they see something that gets their attention they will go check it out. This means that as long as you use bait that interests them, it won't be long before you start reeling in the catfish.



So, this brings us to the question of what is the best bait for catfish fishing. This is a hard question because it depends on who you ask, where you are fishing and what type of water you are fishing in. Different anglers have a specific type of bait that they like to use that works great for them. If you are new at catfish fishing and searching for that one bait that every angler would recommend under any condition, it would have to be stink bait.

Stink Baits

Many anglers will not use anything other than stink baits when fishing for catfish. This is because they know the catfish has a keen sense of smell and the odor will attract them to your bait faster. There are a variety of stink baits available and you can buy them at most any place that sells fish bait. This would be at some retail stores, grocery stores and bait shops. Most all stink baits have one common ingredient which will be some type of cheese but there are other ingredients used to make them as well.

Even through stink bait is considered the best catfish bait to use it is closely followed by live bait and a variety of other options. When fishing with live bait you need to choose something that is close to the natural food source of the catfish. One way to determine which bait to use is by being observant of your surroundings. Look to see what the fish are feeding on and you will know what kind of bait you should be using. Night crawlers, grasshoppers, crawdads, minnows and shad are some of the best baits to use for catfish fishing.

Other Baits

If for some reason you can't or don't want to use stink bait or live bait you do have other options. The catfish is not a very picky eater and they are drawn in the direction of your bait when it has an odor. Basically, they will eat just about anything that captures their attention provided it will fit in their mouths. Most anglers would agree that live bait, frozen baits and stink baits will all work great. It is recommended that you take a variety of baits with you so you can switch off if one thing is not working.

Below is a list of other baits that work extremely well when catfish fishing.

Chicken blood

Fish guts

Chicken livers

Shrimp

Dead minnows

Clams

Worms

Cut baits