I've been going fishing for catfish for the last few days straight. And I've gotten skunked the last 2-3 times. It seems to me when I go out and catch a few blue gill and cut them up the same day, I get more hits on my bait. Versus catching them, putting them in my freezer and using them a few days later, or reusing cut bait trip after trip. I've always thought catfish will eat anything, but it seems to me they prefer fresh bait.
What do yall think?

The fresher the better in any instance. Hell if you can cut them up and there still moving afterwards that's best. The only time to use frozen is in the winter time when you can't catch any fresh bait AND you're too broke for chicken breast lol

Buuuut it still beats the hell out of no bait any day, frozen bait = backup bait

If you are fishing often, I would suggest just putting your bluegill on ice and not freezing it. They can stay on ice for a good while and still be fresh when you cut and use it.

The best bait is super fresh cut, actually you'd probably be better off using those bluegill alive

After we cut our fresh bait up, we put them in the ice chest to keep them fresh. If we freeze them, we put them in gallon bags and fill them up enough water to cover the bait.

If I am catching bluegill for bait I keep them alive in a cooler with an aerator. They are easy to keep alive for several days if you change the water occasionally and keep the water cool. I keep the cooler of fish in the garage till I'm ready to go. I used to have aquariums and I kind of enjoy keeping them. If my wife would let me, I would have a bait aquarium in the garage all the time.

Nothin is more refreshing then hearing aerating water first thing in the morning...

Personally, I don't freeze bait. Waste of time and freezer space.

Me either, just throw a net at the start of the fishing day, catch a about half a dozen or so cut them up and use them. Repeat the next day/trip.

Absolutely keep them alive, if possible. You can go to the local farm supply and buy a small horse tank to keep them in. Just be sure and not use water that has been chlorinated.

Sorry about that photobucket link. Video just wouldn't play for some reason. Not sure whats up with that. Anyways, I use to have my homemade bait tanks in my garage



but this spring I built a lean-too on my boat shed and moved em out and put em there.



It would get a wee bit rank in the garage every now and then when escape artist carp would barrel thru the lids and flop around under sumpin in the garage and I wouldn't know they we're missing until the smell kicked in. Lol! My oldest boy loved going out and catchin bait and fillin em up. Also, I couldn't keep him outta the tanks!!! If I wasn't working on another project right now I would have em up and running and loaded with carp and perch for now. Should be back after em soon though. And this winter I will load em up with gizzards every now and then. I got to tell ya, it takes years and sometimes almost a decade to get everything setup how you want it. Fishing is the neatest thing around though. There are so many tools and things one can use at certain times of the year that can really pay off big. The neatest things about loading up your own bait tanks is that when you are ready to go fish you can just grab what you need and go. Your not beat and wasting time trying to gather bait and then fish. You can rest and when the time comes for a good trip call a buddy and say lets go...

And P.S. If you have to use frozen bait, just use em on windy days or before and during storms. The monsters won't give em enough time to realize they suck...

Holy cow Rick!!!! That's pretty impressive brother. I would love to do something on that scale. When I had aquariums we would occasionally get a jumper that would find his way to the floor in the house. Our dogs would usually find them and have a seafood breakfast before we found them. It kinda sucks when a $60 fish ends up on the floor. I'm sure the dogs enjoyed it.

I love the smell of fresh cut bait in the morning! Smells like...Victory!