Catfish like smelly baits likes blood, gum, shrimp, fries, garlic, dog food, and spoiled foods. They have strong sense of smell and those baits really attract them.
We know there are fishes of many categories and their eating habits are different from each other. Catfish is one of them. But all catfishes are not the same also, you have to identify and categories the catfishes in terms of species and sizes. Catfishes of different sizes and species like different types of foods. Even sometimes you will face that the bait that was effective last day is not working today for catfish, but there is no change in conditions. Yes, it can happen. So, for fishing catfish, you must sit with different kinds of baits.
Baits with cow blood
Cow blood is favorite to the blue catfishes lives in the lake, rives and ponds. To prepare a bait with cow blood for catching catfishes you have to take cow blood, you can collect 2 to 2.5 gallons from your nearby butcher. You will wait until those blood takes a gelatinous form. If you are going to catch catfishes at night that this is the best bait for you. This bait attracts large catfishes. If you are lucky, you also can get a 35-pounds catfish!
Baits with green apple bubble gum
Channel catfishes are renowned for their strong sense of smell. This characteristic of the channel catfish is used by the fishermen for their own advantage. Green apple bubble gums have a strong and decent smell that can attract channel catfishes. So, you can make baits with these to catch catfish. This bait is popular among the fishermen. Because it is easy to found and carry, it doesn’t get messy since it is found well packaged in the shops, catfishes can’t easily remove the bait from the hook because of gum. Overall, this is a good bait for channel catfish catching. Not only green apple, you can use any other flavored gums for catfish fishing, catfishes love strawberry, grapes etc. also.
Bait with spoiled shrimp
There are different kinds of catfishes and those like different types of foods. Here we found another one, there are some blue channel and flathead catfishes those like to eat spoiled shrimps. So, if you find your favorite shrimps spoiled in the fridge, don’t throw it away, use those to prepare baits and you will end up having some catfishes on your hand. Spoiled shrimps are delicious food for catfishes, you can use this for bait either normal or frozen. I recommend you to keep your baits in several tightly sealed bags.
Bait with canned dog foods
Canned dog foods are also favorite to the catfishes. Since it has a good smell, you can use this for catching channel catfishes that has a strong sense of smell.
Bait with garlic and chicken skin
Catfishes love to eat chicken skins but you cannot catch big catfishes with chicken skin. Big catfishes require more blood than that have in the chicken skins. So, for catching small channel catfishes, you can use chicken skins.
Bait with French fries
Flathead and channel catfishes love French fries just the way we love those. So, it’s our opportunity to use French fries for catching those catfishes. When you use French fries as bait, the intoxicating smell of the French fries can bring even the most lethargic one out of the hole.
Preparing an appropriate bait is the secret of a successful fishing session. Since fishes are different in nature, their food habits are also different. That means you can’t offer the same food to all. Same is the case for your fishing bite, you just can’t offer the same bait to all types of fishes. If you do this, your fishing session will end with having not enough fishes. Fish like earthworms, marshmallows, garden worms, mealworms etc. so you can use these for bait making.
There are many kinds of catfishes with different food preference, the stinkier the better.
Marshmallow Bait
Marshmallows can be used as one of the greatest baits in order to catch a catfish. In general catfish is omnivorous can eat majority of the things such as insects snails crawfish algae and plants.
The reason behind this is catfish have a very strong sense of smell which guide them and get them attracted towards various foods with strong scent.
Small catfish usually eat small invertebrates and insect larvae. But when we talk about marshmallows we have to keep in mind that catfish also have a sweet tooth. Though these catfishes go for stinky things marshmallows float and are very porous enough to absorb other sense.
Ten sport marshmallows can be used as good catfish baits. There has been a record where various anglers use them i.e. marshmallows to get success in catching a catfish. But there is certain precautions and guidelines one need to take care of. Marshmallows must be dipped in one of the good sent as per the research on catfish. After that only a person can get success to catch such catfishes. As marshmallow the light in weight they can flow on the water with the lightweight it and it can be hooked through a nymph and ultimately catfish will be caught.
There are some other food baits which are also eaten by catfish. These are ivory so as well as some kind of dog food. Apart from marshmallows these two are also good kind of baits to catch a catfish.
One must keep in mind that catfish are unique in the fish world. They have the strength of genetically adopting the niches. They have the presence of whiskers. They can’t tolerate the conditions of water without any havoc. Bait is one of the only chances left in the hand of cat fisherman to catch such complex featured fishes.
That’s why because of the unique features of catfish anglers are also unique and having different and innovative ways to go for their business. It totally depends on nature and positions of fish whether to consider the things by doing upstream or downstream. Here the complete description regarding the same has been given in order to understand the concept in general regarding the given situation.
The most important things to keep in mind are the features of various flies and fishing. Among this all trout are very famous apart from catfish. Trout are usually found in cold places cool streams and clear lakes. Trout are usually found in North America, Northern Asia and Europe.
There are several types of trout present in the entire world. Some examples are brown trout found from England and rainbow trout from California. There are several other trout suggest seema trout was resemblance is founded in the many regions of India. But marshmallows can be consumed by these catfishes.
CATFISH
Aquatic creatures come in all shapes and sizes. They are true wonders of the nature, as they can be as tiny as an inch long or as huge as a blue whale of almost 108 feet and weighing over 208 tonnes. The smaller species of fishes are wonderful aquarium mates due to their colorful appearance and various shapes. However, the large varieties rule the oceans and the rivers. One of them is CATFISH.
Catfish is primarily native of South America, Europe, Asia and Africa. Since most prefer to live in muddy waters, catfish have names like “mud cat” or “polliwogs”.
CATFISH DESCRIPTION
Catfish belong to the order Siluriformes. They come in many sizes. The smaller variety can find place in home aquarium too. Nonetheless, the ones in the open can be really huge and heavy. The size varies from as small as 4-5 centimeters (Corydoras or micro cat) to large wels, a large European species, that is 15 feet long and weighs massive 660 pounds.
The fish gets its name from the facial features that represent a cat. There are long feelers or barbels on either side of its mouth that look like cat’s whiskers. All catfishes have at least one pair of barbels, usually on the upper jaw. However, some may have additional pairs on snout and its chin. Catfish generally live in murky, dark waters where there is limited visibility to spot the prey. Thus, the barbels that are actually feelers loaded with tiny taste buds and olfactory sensors enable them to smell the surrounding. Catfish have spines on their dorsal and pectoral fins. In fact, these spines are venom glands that cause injuries to unsuspecting nearby creatures. Catfish are usually naked or may have bony plates. However, none of them has scales like other fishes.
Majority of catfishes live in fresh water. Nevertheless, the ones belonging to the families Plotosidae and Ariidae are marine creatures. The freshwater habitat varies from gushing mountain streams to stagnant water. The marine variety rests in the shore waters of tropics. Catfishes are scavengers and survive on almost anything from animals to plant life. They are nocturnal creatures that hunt at night.
Catfishes are egg layers and display varied streaks in parental care. The brown bullhead builds a nest to protect the young ones. On the other hand, male sea catfishes from Ariidae family carry the marble sized eggs and the hatched young ones in their mouths.
UNDERSTANDING THE UNIQUE TYPES OF CATFISHES
Every creature and species on this planet has some unique traits that make their study interesting. Similarly, catfishes too have some peculiar traits that group them according to their behavior.
The ictalurids are typical catfishes. However, others may vary as per appearance and behavior. A popular aquarium fish belonging to Siluridae family is the glassfish (Kryptopterus bicirrhus) that has a slender, transparent body. The slim, rough flattened headed catfishes from South America resemble banjos and called banjo catfish. In Africa there is electric catfish (Malapterurus electricus) that has the ability to generate electricity up to 450 volts. The talking catfish (Acanthodoras spinosissimus) is an Amazonian species that is armored and makes grunting sounds. Synodontis batensoda and others from Mockokidae family swim upside down. The walking catfish (Clarias batrachus) of the family Clariidae can travel overland and breathe atmospheric air.
Bullhead or horned pout is a North American freshwater catfish belonging to genus Ameiurus. These have squared tails and not forked as in other fishes. They are less than a foot long and are considered for food and sport. The black bullheads come from Mississippi valley. The brown and yellow variety is native to east of the Rocky Mountains. The flat bullhead is located in coastal streams between Florida and North Carolina.
Candiru is a scale less, parasitic catfish from Trichomycteridae family that inhabits the Amazon River region. Candiru is an inch long, translucent, eel like fish that feeds on blood and normally resides in the gill cavities of other fishes. It attacks bathers and enters the urethras of the swimmers. Once inside, it erects the spines on its gill covers and causes inflammation or hemorrhage. In some cases, this may prove fatal for the victim.
CATFISH AQUACULTURE
Catfish is edible and it has mild flavor. It is low in calories but high in proteins. There is a good demand for the fish in local market for personal consumption as well as restaurants. The majority of the supply comes from the South American states of Alabama, Arkansas and Mississippi. The most commonly raised variety is the channel catfish. It is a warm water species that thrives in the temperature of 29C. In the nature, catfish are omnivorous surviving on plants and other aquatic creatures. However, when bred in ponds, the fish are served a prominently vegetarian diet comprising of soya bean meal and other grains. Animal protein is given in limited quantity.
Since the catfish is easy to raise in ponds and channels, they give a good source of income to the farmers on account of their high demand. During recent years catfish farming had seen a decline due to high cost of feed and competition in the market from other fish types like Basa, Tra and Swai sold as filets. However, they have revised the prices for the fish paid to farmers and thus it has brought in renewed hope of profitable business in catfish breeding.
Catfish do eat marshmallows, if fact they love them along with other foods, especially if placed on the bottom of water where they feed. Put some sinkers on to make them go to the bottom.
Catfish is actually a fish which is a diverse group of fish. They usually has moustaches thing like structure on their mouth. Most catfish are basically bottom feeders. When we have detailed study of species of catfish, catfish has a wide variety of body shapes but majority of them are cylindrical in shape. Some of the catfish have mouth that can expand to a large size with no teeth. They have greatest range of sizes within a single species.
At the end one should be very careful in order to make catfish into a trap. From the above lines we can say that marshmallows are a good option we consider as one of the bait for catfish as it has great observing capacity. Though among all the food baits marshmallows turns out to a great benefit. The reason behind this is this strong scent of marshmallows. Marshmallows are sweet in nature and can attract the smell of others baits as well as catfish which come on driven towards it.
If you want to be successful in catfish fishing you need go fish a night in deep water. Check the lake for deepest spot, then put your bait there, 10 ft – 30 ft is good. They will be near the bottom smelling for stinky foods.
Do catfishes like deep water?
Before going to find out the depth for catfish fishing, we have to know the basic. That’s whether catfishes like deep water or not. The answer is yes, catfishes like to stay in deep water. This is especially true for daytime. So, if you are fishing catfishes under daylight, you should know that the catfishes you’re waiting for are somewhere in the deepest area of your fishing spot. Sometimes, catfishes are found in the upper level of water also, but they hide themselves from daylights and heats. So, the perfect time for catching catfish is a dark night.
Choosing a proper color for the bait lure is as important as choosing a proper fishing line. This is because water sometimes tends to be different. Fishing can be a success, only if the fish falls for the fake prey that we throw as a trap to capture them. Always remember to have sharp hooks so that the fish does not slips out from the bait by any chance.
There is an exception when you go for bass fishing. Recent research found that the eyes of the bass are prone only to two colors: Red and Green. Hence use various shades of these colors in the respective regions when you go for bass fishing.
It’s okay to try any different color but if you find that fish doesn’t catch the bait, quit and follow only the below listed.
Clear water
For Clear water, use natural colors that the fish can spot at the bait as its prey and fall in the trap. Do not use bright colors here as the fish can be diverted and go protective. Colors like white, light shades of blue will be helpful. You can also find this technique useful for the summer days.
Unclean water
Use colors like orange, purple to be visible for the fishes. Using natural colors here wouldn’t allow the fish to identify in unclean waters.
Muddy water
When you go for fishing in any muddy or shaggy area to locate fishes, use bright colored baits for clear visible and being distinct from other particles. Hence you can use either red or orange shades in them. You can also this for cloudy days.
The logic used here is that clean water does not contain any muddy particles, so any natural color will be visible to the eyes of fishes and that the same applies to sunny days, Sunny days are very clear. Therefore, they can go with natural colors.
Unclean water contains some dirt particles. The fish should be able to distinguish the bait and others; hence we opt yellow ranges or purple.
Shaggy water is full of mud and is dingy, where the water itself will be yellow mostly. You have to use a very bright color for the bait to outstand among the shaggy particles under the water. Similarly, on a cloudy day, clouds cover the light and shadows fall on the water. So the same logic applies here.
These logics vary based on the vegetation and surrounding of the place that you choose to fish. Sometimes, the water resource that you choose can also be clean/unclean by itself.
Worms
You can also use plastic worms to make fishes fall in the trap. They can be of any but only natural color as that of worms. These techniques can be implemented when you suspect the fish to be inactive and not finding it around for a quite long time. Get your lures a little deeper slowly into the water and wait for the bait to catch the eye of any fish. These worms should also be used differently in different vegetation. For clean water, use blue or white color worms. For unclean water, do use black, brown, or purple color baits.
Also, note down what range you are ready to immerse your fishing line. Deeper the level you go, choose brighter the colors for them. If you are a night fishing person, it becomes a little more complex for you to choose the right color because of the following reasons. Fishes tend to come to the shallow regions more in the night time. And also the color variations are not as clear as the day time. Hence you can for yellowish-green color baits, red color, or even white colors, which are pretty visible in the night.
