Top 5 Catfish Baits Part 3 - Dip Bait

Some folks make their own dips from well-guarded secret recipes that have been passed from generation to generation. Others have favored commercially manufactured blends that they buy by the case. Whether home brewed or store bought, dip baits are gooey concoctions that usually smell horrible, but catfish absolutely cannot resist them.

While all dip baits smell bad, a foul odor is not enough to make a tub of bait attractive to cats. A dip must have a cheese base or some kind of protein content. Dough balls, no matter how sour or smelly they are, do not offer much appeal to most cats. 

A bait's consistency also is critical. A good dip is soft enough that it breaks up gradually, but solid enough that it does not wash away quickly. In current, where dip baits are really at their best, that can be a delicate balance.

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Top 5 Catfish Baits Part 2 - Chicken Livers

Arguably, no bait is more closely associated with catfishing than a chicken liver. The reason is simple: livers produce catfish and lots of them. With their strong, meaty smell, chicken livers draw cats from broad areas. Once the cats find the bait, they have trouble resisting them.

Livers typically do not produce many huge catfish. However, for channel cats up to about 10 pounds, chicken livers are extremely productive. They also are inexpensive and available from any grocery store. One major caveat of baiting up with chicken livers is that they initially can be difficult to keep on the hook. They toughen up once they have been in the water a few minutes. But if you are not careful, casting this bait much farther than your hook travels is common.

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Top 5 Catfish Baits Part 1 - Shad

Catching any kind of fish begins with putting baits where the fish are. For catfish, which feed mostly by smell and taste, it is all about using the right kind of bait.

Of course, different species and sizes of cats prefer different kinds of meals, and some offerings lend themselves better to specific styles of catfishing than do others. Also, catfish are just like other kinds of fish -- or us for that matter -- in the sense that their preferences vary from day to day. One day's hot bait commonly may not yield much the next day, with no obvious change in conditions. With that in mind, you are wise to set the table with at least a couple of different kinds of baits and allow the cats to dictate their preferences.

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The Baung Catfish

Baung Catfish or its scientific name Mystus spp. are among the freshwater fish you can find in the ASEAN countries including Malaysia. There are different type of Baung Catfish. The one I caught is called Flat-headed catfish, Root catfish or Mystus Planiceps. 

This type of catfish can grow up to 20 kg. The baits you can use to fish Baung is usually ants, use 5 to 10 ants per hook, or use a large worm or chicken intestines if you can't find some ants. According to local residents, there was a time in the 60's, people used to fish Baung with soap. For me, I just use small shrimp. No fuss no cuss.

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