Back to the Basics - a Guide to Catch More Catfish

I have been a passionate catfisherman for many years. Many hot days and balmy nights have been spent along side of faithful fisherman consisting of friends and family. Sounds of laughter fill the air as we cast our lines into our favorite fishing hole, exchanging long fisherman's tales when only the mosquitoes were the only thing biting, methodically trying different baits to catch more and bigger catfish.

Several of the surefire homemade fish baits I have tried over the years to catch more catfish have been nostril; hair-curling recipes. These putrid concoctions often have resembled props of gore and guts used in bad horror movies, consistency of some of the nastiest and bloodiest matter I have seen. A collage of the most awful elements make up these hand me down fish baits. Many of these baits consist of putrefied hamburger meat, surrounded by flies, aged in the sun for days. Oatmeal and cotton balls are used to hold these ingredients together, cans of Budweiser Beer, and vanilla extract flavor the rotten dough bait, sworn on by fellow catfisherman in Kentucky.

I have tried many of these gross nauseous recipes in my quest to catch more catfish, but I have always gone back to the basics to catch more fish.

Night-crawlers- One of my favorite basic cat-fishing baits is night crawlers. During those hot, summer nights when fishing along your favorite fishing hole, thread one of these critters on your line to catch more catfish. Night crawlers seem to work very well in the evening and late into the hot summer nights, and when the air is balmy and thick during the day.

Common earthworm- This common and plentiful bait is one of the most effective baits in catching more catfish. Earthworms can be found slightly under the moist soil just about anywhere during the spring and hot summer. Remember catfish love to eat food, which is already plentiful in their environment, and you will find fishing with earthworms will help you bring home bigger fish for the frying pan.

Chicken livers- For as long as I can remember I have been fishing with chicken livers. I have many successful fishing outings with this bloody nasty bait. Remember some of the bloodiest bait you can think of will drive catfish into a feeding frenzy. A few suggestions for keeping them on your line; always buy fresh chicken livers from your local meat market, and try to stay away from frozen baits. In addition, using a treble hook will greatly increase your success by catching more catfish with this particular bait.

Shad Guts- These powerful, petrified, entrails, is one of the best baits in fishing rivers, creeks and streams to catch more catfish. Shad guts will stay on your fishhook extremely well, even in some of the swiftest water. The shad is a natural food source for the catfish, and is found in most bodies of moving bodies, making this the natural killer bait for catching more catfish.