I've always used chicken livers from a regular ol grocery store and have always had luck. So my question is, what is better? I always hear people using shad all the time for cats. I've never used shad since most of the time i dont have access to it. So is Shad better to use over chicken livers or are they about the same?

I think liver is good for channels, but if I was targeting blues I would go with shad. Shad is a blues main diet.

i have never fished with anything but livers ...but i dont have access to shad . so i guess unless i can find buffalo i will be stuck with the channels .

Just curious crappie daddy and Rebel78 , why don't you have access to shad ? Even if you don't have a cast net shad are sold at most baithouses . I've caught more catfish on frozen shad than I have chicken livers , but that might have more to do with where I fish than the bait itself . I like to catch my own shad and I can usually catch them year round , but I do freeze shad for the days when I can't catch any or I'm just to lazy to throw my net .

I used to use chicken liver but punch bait and cut shad far outclass it for cats. Cut Buffalo is third best but better for trotlines and juglines because it stays on the hook better.

Well where i live there are no bait shops close by and normally the lake i fish is right behind my house or like 3 miles away. So it is easier for me to get livers then shad. Now when i go camping at the SP i end up buying shad, but i've never used it. Ended up not doing as much fishing as i had liked do to other commitments. I also heard that shad was mainly for blues.

Also one of the lakes i fish at is a preservation and casting nets are not allowed.

I have had good luck on both of them, and my advice to you is if it aint broke dont fix it.

good fishin
matt

I mainly fish the Arkansas River in central Arkansas, and the most productive, reliable bait is fresh shad or skipjack. I catch about 75% blues and 25% channels. Best fallback bait seems to be cured chicken livers, but occasionally fresh livers do better.

Lake fishing Shad or worms dipped in Hog Wild.

Farm tank fishing chicken liver.

Shad will generally outfish anything for blues. Chicken liver is a good one for channels but in my opinions shad is still better for channels also.

Hey Rebel, you ought to look into purchasing a cast net. I have been catching endless amounts of shad in the shallows right off of docks in the morning. Nothing beats free bait, except i keep sticking my nets on trees!

Yea i have a casting net, but i dont always fish in the big lakes so that wont help me all the time unfortnately.

Use the bait you have or can get, where the bait is placed catches more fish than the type of bait. If you are in fish most bait will work OK.

Beleive it or not, I catch bluecat on a jugline with chunks of SPAM & this is no spam!!! I tried shad, chicken liver,weenees,& worms, SPAM caught the fish over all other bait!!!

I should have hundreds of cats hanging around my email server if they like spam!