It turns out that one of the simplest and effective baits used to catch catfish is a bar of lye soap. The old timers still swear by it and maybe some of modern anglers think it's an urban legend. Maybe the only way to verify is to try it out.
The problem with modern day soap being used as catfish bait is that it is ineffective in catching catfish. It may actually be a repellent because it is filled with perfumes, chemicals, and other additives.
You can still find natural lye soap through niche retailers. However, when you make your own soap catfish bait, you are also able to customize the bait by adding additional ingredients to entice the catfish to bite. And making your own catfish bait is more fun and rewarding.
Making catfish soap bait is kind of easy to make. The ingredients needed are water, lye, and animal fat (beef, pork or lard). Lye is also known as sodium hydroxide. It must be noted that lye be used with caution. Read the label for all warnings and the correct ways of handling.
Lye also reacts with certain metals so that it is highly recommended that the catfish bait soap be mixed in glass or plastic. Lye can be found wherever drain cleaners are sold. The product must be 100% lye ? no additives. Liquid drain cleaners are not acceptable.
Material list is as follows:
One can of 100% lye ? 12 oz
6 pounds of animal fat or lard
3 cups of water
The lye must be poured into the water. You do not want to pour water onto the lye. While adding the lye into the water, stir to dissolve. Be careful of any fumes and splatters of lye water. Allow the lye water to sit as it adjusts to room temperature.
Melt the animal fat in a glass bowl. Make sure that the bowl is made for stove top cooking or boiling. Once melted, allow to cool to around 90-95 degrees Fahrenheit.
Start mixing the fat with a wooden spoon and slowly pour the lye water into the fat. Don't stop stirring until mixture begins to thicken. You are looking for a consistency similar to pudding. This mixing process may take up to an hour depending on temperature and purity of ingredients.
You may add additional ingredients, at this point, to help attract catfish. Popular additives include anise extract, garlic salt, garlic powder, gelatin mixes, juice from can of corn.
Pour the mixture into glass bowls, soap molds, or the bottom of cut milk containers. The soap needs at least three to four days to harden.
Secret formulas for catfish baits were developed through trial and error and using lye soap as a base for your personal catfish bait is a good starting point. You are encouraged to experiment by adding additional ingredients to the catfish soap bait. It is very possible that you will hit upon the next legendary catfish bait soap that will win competitions and fill your stringer full of fish.
A lot of times I will get the polite smile and response such as ?just lucky today? or ?you know...same ol? stuff.? I'll ask what type of bait and that is usually when I will get the silent treatment. The typical response, ?sorry, secret family recipe? or ?if I tell you, I'll have to kill you.?
Through the years, I have collected some very useful information concerning fishing baits. The most important realization was that the people who were catching the most fish were not using store bought baits. It seems that they made their own baits.
Some anglers in the past divulged some secrets pertaining to their baits. I thank them for it. I have developed my own formulas but this is not the time or place to reveal them. However, I have compiled the main ingredients found in the most potent catfish bait formulas.
I want to encourage you to develop your own formulas based on these ingredients found below. You will notice that these ingredients are easy to find. You can find the majority of the supplies at a well stocked grocer.
When developing your own formulas, do not use all the ingredients listed. Just take three or four items and see what happens. You are not bound to the items listed below. Feel free to test others.
I have found the most important aspect of making your own bait is testing. You will need to test your homemade bait several times because maybe a certain day, the fish aren't biting, or there are no fish, or some other variable that has nothing to do with the potency of the bait. Bring several batches of your baits on your fishing outing and test several to increase your chances of success.
Another tip is to write everything down. You don't want to develop bait and find that it is successful only to realize that you forgot how to make it. Also, you can make batches of bait for literally pennies a pound. You may store the batches in zipper plastic bags in the freezer.
Since these ingredients are for developing catfish bait, I will warn you ahead of time to do your experimenting in the garage or outdoors because some of the ingredients have a pungent smell and some create a mess.
1) Uncooked oatmeal - popular as a base (keeps all the ingredients together in a doughy mixture)
2) Baking flour - another popular base
3) Corn and wheat flakes or similar types of cereals - base to keep bait on hook
4) Water - required in most cases to help make the mixture workable
5) Garlic salt - found in most store bought baits (probably a good idea if you used it also)
6) Garlic powder - similar to salt but may alter the fish attractant properties
7) Can of tuna - found in many homemade bait recipes. Maybe the old timers know something.
8) Anise oil extract - almost a requirement for all types of fishing bait
9) meats from the meat counter (raw livers, brains, fish parts) - the more blood, the better
10) canned or packaged meats such as cat food, dog food, spam, sandwich meats, hot dogs - an alternative to the raw meats
11) cheeses - smellier the better - think limburger or rotten cheddar
12) miscellaneous - fish food pellets, cattle feed pellets, molasses, gelatin mixes, can of corn, strawberry soda, bbq sauce
13) Zipper storage bags - great for mixing your ingredients, storage, and taking to fishing hole.
Remember, if it smells, is bloody, or rotted, it might be a great addition to your catfish bait formula. I hope this will information will get you started in developing your own secret catfish bait.
The most important tip of all is to remember to have fun. Share the experience with your family and friends. Have contests on who catches the most fish with his or her bait. I guarantee you will remember the fishing stories for the rest of your life.
Darren Takenaga has sinced written about articles on various topics from Interior Design, Education and Network Marketing. Darren Takenaga is an outdoor enthusiast, and avid angler. Visit http://www.CatfishBaitAndTips.com to discover secret fish bait recipes to fill your stringer full of fish.. Darren Takenaga's top article generates over 2400 views. to your Favourites.