I know that I'm about to start a riot, but I want to know what kind of catfish bait is the best. Now I will go ahead and say that I am partial to Danny King's punch bait. Does anyone think that there is a better bait to pull in cats?

shad

I have heard of several but until Dk blood plug quits working for me, I wont quit it. I cannot fight them off of the bait. I am going to order some of the sure shot to have more options. I guess it depends on where your fishing also. I am in river channels with muddy bottoms. I have not had that much luck with shad where I am at.

Live shad, nightcrawlers, chicken liver....take your pick.

If you're looking for a prepared bait, Secret 7 dip bait is hard to beat. Side by side it's been outfishing punch bait 4 fish to 1 on Lewisville. I've talked to several other guys that are seeing similar results as well. If you're wanting a natural bait, shad will be your best bet.

No. 1 shad No 2. cut bait

I think the best bait is the bait you have the most confidence in day in and day out.. Having said that is is hard to beat fresh shad .. You will catch your better fish on it, cut or whole..As far a prepaired punch baits I have tryed them all with decents results coming off of DKs, and secret7... The best punch or dip bait I have used over the years has to be Sonnys punchbait.. I caught a total of 16 cats in the 1 to 5 pound range last night, 10 were on sonnys 0 on DK 2 on shrimp 4 the bigger fish on frozen shad.

sunday afternoon at my slip on hubbord they were tearing up sweet corn i quit counting after 15 lol

Cut shad! Either I got no hit at all or a big one

well, i agree with everyone except for one thing...for a long time i have heard big flat heads will only eat live bait(perch, shad, etc), well my dad and i made a trip to texoma last weekend and both of us ended up with 15+lbs flat heads, lots of 2 and 3 pound blues, one that was 13.2lbs and about a dozen 4 to 5 pound channels.

i like secret7, live shad, fresh cut shad, DK's...

but for the past 6 months all i have used is SureShot and i have caught more fish than all the times fishing previous put together. i just can't beat it!!!

I fish for bass but I am trying to branch out and catch some big cats. This may sound dumb but Do you use live shad on a hook and bobber or cut it up and fish it on the bottom?????

Hey there Abilene Angler. I'm from Tye. Where do you normally fish? Kirby mostly here

I find that very hard to beleive, but...I can't say that i've used the Secret 7.

I have much better than average results w/ Mr. Whisker's. Plus, it's not just about the baits ability to generate strikes, it's also the efficiently of the bait.

I'll make you a deal. Bring your Danny King bait and your tackle to Lake Arrowhead. I'll furnish the boat and gas and we will see who catches the most fish. I'll be using Bill Roger's Cheesebait.

If you are fishing river channels that have a muddy bottom, you might look on the bank next to the water line and and a few feet on shore to see if you can spot any worm holes. These would be what we called sod worms back in Kansas. They are terrific for catching catfish and flatheads from the rivers.

Never heard of those but sounds like good advice. Something they feed on regular. My luck I would pull a snake out.

Silly question...how do you hook the shad and what size and type of hook do you use, or actually whats the preferred way to rig your fishing line??

Does frozen shad work well for cats? I am trying to find a spot on the vine. Any suggestions.

Not compared to live or fresh dead

I personally like to call them on my old crank phone.
It brings the up every time. This beats any punch baits around.

I use a carolina rigged circle hook. About a 2 foor leader or so. I like my shad to be 3-6 in. I cut them in three pieces and get to fishin. I fish for blues and do well this way. Mainly at night. I like to throw the shad directly on ice. The fresher the better. Alive is good but you get as many sandbass as kittys.

SHAD My father in law holds the Rod & Reel Record on Lake Belton for Yellowcat 57 lbs. on dead but fresh 3 inch shad.

Since you have stated you river fished I would add a little more since I have fished river most of my life. One thing to always remember is look around where you are going to go fishing and see what is natural. Grasshoppers are very plentyful this time of the year, and it is a natural bait to river fish. Also, it would be hard to beat a lepoard frog you might catch close to the river and use hime for bait. And don't forget about the heligramites. That is a natural predator to catfish eggs and catfish will nail them in a heart beat. It is just sorta hard catching them and getting them on your hook. Take the throw net and see if you can catch any minnows or any kind of rough fish from the river while you are at it. And always look for the worms which I stated in the post above also. If you think natural you will probably do better than going to a bait shop and buying your bait. Ok, just another 2 cents worth here is all.