Texas Fishing Forum
Using dry catfood as catfish chum?
Posted By: catdub
Using dry catfood as catfish chum? - 01/06/17 12:59 AM
Have any of y'all ever tried using dry catfood to chum a hole? If so did it help improve your catch rate . I wondering if I should throw some out there before I fish the next time.
Posted By: Bob Landry
Re: Using dry catfood as catfish chum? - 01/06/17 01:16 AM
Use 20% protein range cubes. You can get a 50# bag at Tractor Supply for around $10. Throw out a couple of handfuls and wait for the cats to come to dinner.
Ive used it in the San marcos before brought in the fiddlers I'm with Bob +1 on the cow cookies
Posted By: Big Zee
Re: Using dry catfood as catfish chum? - 01/06/17 02:05 PM
I've tried it before, not to good. If you want a fast catch, range cubes. If not get a bucket and sour some wheat or maze. In the winter, it takes up to 5 to 7 days to sour, depends on the temperature. Summer, 3 to 5 days to sour. If your wanting to bait it out for a period of time, range cubes melt away quickly compared to sour maze or wheat.
Posted By: CaptainBarkley
Re: Using dry catfood as catfish chum? - 01/06/17 03:36 PM
Have you all that do chum notice that it only draws in Channel cats or does it also draw the Blues and Flats?
Posted By: Dadsthatlove2fish
Re: Using dry catfood as catfish chum? - 01/06/17 04:09 PM
Every time I have used Range Cubes I bait 3-4 spots I go to a spot mark it throw out a few handfuls not to overfeed them then I go to 2 to 3 other spots do the same thing, then circle back to the 1st spot and I haven't caught a catfish yet doing that. I don't know if its the local lakes I fish but I have tried it on Belton lake nothing, Granger lake nothing, even Decker Lake (Walter E Long) nothing. I have tried different locations to, shallow, up in the back of creeks, and in the trees from 10 to 30 feet of water. I know up north if you do it on a lake like Fork you can tear them up but in Central Texas nada.
Am I doing something wrong or is a method to the madness as to where you are placing the range cubes?
Posted By: JJ4MEL
Re: Using dry catfood as catfish chum? - 01/06/17 06:53 PM
I grew up on Canyon lake and I would have a 5 gallon bucket full of corn and water sitting in the sunlight. After dinner, we would put our left overs in the bucket too along with left over beer, etc. After a week, I would throw that stuff in to my cove.Wait 24 hours and catch everything. Even the bass had corn in their gut. Channel cats were plentiful.
Posted By: dmunsie
Re: Using dry catfood as catfish chum? - 01/06/17 07:01 PM
Every time I have used Range Cubes I bait 3-4 spots I go to a spot mark it throw out a few handfuls not to overfeed them then I go to 2 to 3 other spots do the same thing, then circle back to the 1st spot and I haven't caught a catfish yet doing that. I don't know if its the local lakes I fish but I have tried it on Belton lake nothing, Granger lake nothing, even Decker Lake (Walter E Long) nothing. I have tried different locations to, shallow, up in the back of creeks, and in the trees from 10 to 30 feet of water. I know up north if you do it on a lake like Fork you can tear them up but in Central Texas nada.
Am I doing something wrong or is a method to the madness as to where you are placing the range cubes?
If possible... I would suggest throwing out the cubes in the same exact area(s) for multiple days in a row without fishing, and then eventually start fishing the holes. On each successive trip only throw out more cubes when you're done fishing.
Posted By: taterpop
Re: Using dry catfood as catfish chum? - 01/06/17 11:02 PM
Range Cubes worked this past summer placed in dollar store mesh laundry bags baiting a hole.If you have some extra catfood then put the cubes and catfood together,might work for you.After about three days in the water the bag will be M/T if you have activity if not your bag will swell up like a dead cow in that case move the bag.
Posted By: Twistedmidnite
Re: Using dry catfood as catfish chum? - 01/06/17 11:45 PM
Like everyone said, use cubes or get a sack of Milo, sour it in a bucket with water and beer. It makes a soup that gets in the water better/faster than the cubes.
Posted By: CamoKat
Re: Using dry catfood as catfish chum? - 01/07/17 12:35 PM
I've used milo a lot it works great. What you want to do is bait a hole heavily 2 to 3 days before you fish.
I have had great success with this I have never cought huge fish this way only eaters. If you run a trot line mybe 20 yards from the chumming area you will probably get some flatheads due the th bait fish running from the channel cats swarming the chum. I don't youse beer to sour my milo I use yeast and dead baby shad and 2 buckets of chicken livers and water . Let set all summer
Posted By: Muzzlebrake
Re: Using dry catfood as catfish chum? - 01/07/17 02:09 PM
Posted By: Twistedmidnite
Re: Using dry catfood as catfish chum? - 01/07/17 02:17 PM
Lol muzzle, this is true. What's crazy is when there's no one around and your catching cats. You get home and pop a side off and the guts are full of Milo. Wth
Posted By: Spooley
Re: Using dry catfood as catfish chum? - 01/07/17 07:05 PM
Don't get that milo chum on you. You been warned.
Posted By: CamoKat
Re: Using dry catfood as catfish chum? - 01/07/17 09:41 PM
I went through Starbucks with a bucket full in the back of the truck lol You should have seen there faces priceless
Posted By: Big Zee
Re: Using dry catfood as catfish chum? - 01/08/17 04:38 PM
Don't get that milo chum on you. You been warned.
Amen brother!!
Posted By: Big Zee
Re: Using dry catfood as catfish chum? - 01/08/17 04:44 PM
Every time I have used Range Cubes I bait 3-4 spots I go to a spot mark it throw out a few handfuls not to overfeed them then I go to 2 to 3 other spots do the same thing, then circle back to the 1st spot and I haven't caught a catfish yet doing that. I don't know if its the local lakes I fish but I have tried it on Belton lake nothing, Granger lake nothing, even Decker Lake (Walter E Long) nothing. I have tried different locations to, shallow, up in the back of creeks, and in the trees from 10 to 30 feet of water. I know up north if you do it on a lake like Fork you can tear them up but in Central Texas nada.
Am I doing something wrong or is a method to the madness as to where you are placing the range cubes?
Range cubes float away. Bait one area out and stay for about 40 minutes, if no bite, go to next spot.
Posted By: stubby77
Re: Using dry catfood as catfish chum? - 01/08/17 05:11 PM
Range cubes and your in
Posted By: Big Zee
Re: Using dry catfood as catfish chum? - 01/09/17 03:06 PM
Plus have Stubby's bait in the boat with you.
Posted By: stubby77
Re: Using dry catfood as catfish chum? - 01/11/17 12:13 AM
Plus have Stubby's bait in the boat with you.
that might help.But there are a lot of other good baits out there.But I glad u use mine.
Posted By: BAIT956
Re: Using dry catfood as catfish chum? - 01/11/17 02:41 PM
I use both soured milo and range cubes, sometimes both in baiting the same holes. When you catch a few, look to see what they spit up, then continue to chum other holes with that one.
Cubes are a lot cleaner and easier to use, soured milo is cheaper, but the smell of either will attract them.
Stubby's Cheese Bait is also a staple. Like he says, other baits work too, but his is easy and very effective and consistently works for me.
Posted By: Big Zee
Re: Using dry catfood as catfish chum? - 01/11/17 02:46 PM
Plus have Stubby's bait in the boat with you.
that might help.But there are a lot of other good baits out there.But I glad u use mine.
I got one bucket left. Being talking to ya soon.
Posted By: Big Zee
Re: Using dry catfood as catfish chum? - 01/11/17 02:53 PM
I make a chum holder for my sour milo. I just through out a few scoop full and then fill up the chum holder. On the lake I fish, it is silt bad and a lot of times you loose the thrown out milo to sinking in the bottom. The Chum Holder keeps it from sinking into the silt and can get the smell out at different. I also use the chum basket when drift fishing. You can also place range cubes in the chum basket. The cats will come up and hit the basket also dropping out some milo for them to eat.