Bait Tips to Save Money and Time

Catfishing requires bait. To get bait, no matter what kind, you’re going to pay for it in either time or money.Here’s a few tricks to save you a few more hours and take it a little easier on your wallet.

1 - Plywood Is Good

Plywood was pretty pricy there for a while, but if you are fortunate to have a few scraps laying around, they can make getting worms easier and more efficient. Simply lay it down in a corner of your yard that consistently has worms in it. The real trick to get worms to start concentrating under it quickly is to do it in the spring when rain is a little more frequent. I also recommend laying something heavy on top of the board. The rain and weight helps the board settle to the ground faster, and makes it more inviting for the night crawlers. Once you have it where the worms have become established, you can use them to catch live bait or just use the worms themselves. Catfish love worms, especially in the spring.

2 - Build It and They Will Fish

Building a home bait tank is super handy. Not only will you have bait ready when you have time to fish, but any left over baits can be returned to the tank when you’re finished, making it that much easier to get going on your next trip. You’re only limited by your imagination on what can become a bait tank. Cattle troughs, old chest freezers, big coolers, Rubbermaid containers, and the list goes on. The two main things that generally go into a tank are aeration and filtration. You can forego the filtration, you’ll just have to change the water more frequently, but aeration is an absolute must. However you put your tank together, you will be glad you have it the next time you want to hit the water.

3 - Buying Your Bait At The Grocery Store

When time is limited and you just want to hit the water for a bit, grocery store baits can save the day. Catfish are curious critters, and have been known to have been caught on a variety of weird things. However, some grocery store baits are more consistent producers than others. If I could only pick one, my money goes towards shrimp. Keep them on ice and bring some cocktail sauce while you’re waiting for a rod to fold too. Better buy two bags if you go that route though. Shrimp seem to attract more big fish bites than chicken liver, soap, or whatever other bait your buddy swears is the best thing out there.

4 - Bring A Bait Rod

For a lot of people, this is second nature, but some of you may have just experienced an epiphany. Now the effectiveness of this varies based off of location and regulations. This is less practical if you live somewhere you are only allowed to use one fishing rod. However, to toss out an additional rod with worms or corn can not only produce additional livebait and cutbait, but these are often the best baits. They are native to the watershed and the fish in those waters are used to eating them. For days when you feel a little light on bait, or if the bite is on fire and you run out, this can extend the length of your trip and your fun.

There’s lots of ways to catch bait, and many more ways to save time and money, but these are a few I have done. Good luck on the water and I hope you catch a giant!