I'm headin out to a lake where catfish are the majority of fish in the lake.

and i haven't really ever fished for Catfish be for so i was wondering what  type of baits or rigs you guys use when fishing for these.

and they're channel catfish.

any advice you have would be great.

anything that stinks is an easy go to.   liver, stink bait and so on....  for bigger catfish go with live bait i.e. bluegills.    get there early , use half of a nightcrawler   get what u can and keep them alive.      use a slider weight, to a swivel,to a 12-24 inch leader, to a nice sized hook.   put a bluegill (or any panfish) on there. cast it out , and     keep the drag super light and bring some beers.

I like Bluegill or Perch. Also try liver, chicken, gizzards, stuff like that. You might also try "chumming" up the water. (you'll have to use this tip next time.)

I'll take a 5 gallon bucket (with a lid) And stick some wheat and mix with water. Then leave that out in the sun for a month or 2 (the longer you wait the better it gets!) then next time you go catfishing throw out a coffee can full over your hole and the cats wll swarm in there!

Good luck! Keep us posted!

-Ike

hey thanks guys. yea if i catch anything ill be sure to let ya'll know and post some picutres  ;D

the more it stinks the better

Sam,

Before you use bluegill or other panfish check your local laws. Some states consider bluegill and bream (panfish) to be game fish and using them for bait could get you a hefty fine.

When fishing for channel cats I use King Kat bloodbait with chicken blood. Chicken livers also works well but sometimes they fly off the hook when casting. When using these baits you'll need to use treble hooks to keep the bait on the hook but they are a bear sometimes when unhooking the catfish.  

Night Crawlers also work well but bream tend to attack them and you end up using up a lot of bait...unless of course you enjoy a good panfish fry.... 8-)

Yeah I did check my local laws and it is illegal around here to use bluegill or really any fish accept for minnows as bait.

If they're really thick in there, frozen shrimp or squid makes a good, fairly clean bait that you can buy at any grocery store. hook, 1/8 oz split shot about 12 inches up the line and you're good to go.

Try frozen shrimp sprayed with YUM shrimp spray.

1-inch cubes of spam lightly dusted the previous night in garlic powder. Leave 'em in a ziplock overnight. Can be tough to keep on the hook -- you need to pass the hook right thru then turn it 180-degrees. Fantastic bait though. The only down-side is you might attract a lot of turtles, too, if you have them in your local water.

Try a pack of the cheapest hot dog wieners you can find. Cut off chunks about 2 inches long. Hook 'em and catch 'em!

Try it with your HANDS!!!!!!!!!    Man, what a thrill!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Put the chicken livers in pantyhose, then hook em.  

i use chicken livers

pantyhose works but is a pain to rebait cause you  cause you have to cut it off the hook

i like to chum with the chicken blood in the chicken liver tub, just find a way to get it out there

use a slip sinker with an open bail

hook with a two - three foot leader swivel and then an egg sinker so the catfish can pull the line through the sinker and feel zero resistance and when you see line moving off your bail, close it and set the hook, good luck