Stink Bait 101: Putrid Perfection

Here at Whisker Seeker Tackle we love to use live bait and cut bait to catch our favorite whiskered fish.However, catfish can also be readily caught with various types of stink bait. This genre of catfish bait includes manufactured stink baits like Sonny’s Super Stinky Blood Formula, Doc’s Stink Bait, Catfish Charlie’s, and others. These prepared stink baits share a few common ingredients with hog brains, cheese, and pulverized meat being common base materials. The different brands add signature “spices” to their recipes for a competitive edge and to increase attraction...

For me, harvested organ meat from chickens, turkeys, rabbits, and cattle also fall in the stink bait category. Common Thanksgiving giblets like livers and gizzards, as well as more exotic pieces like spleens, kidneys, and coagulated blood round off the list.

Finally, on the extreme end of the spectrum there are homegrown offerings including fermented and spoiled cuts of rough fish like suckers, shad, and carp. I’m not exaggerating when I tell folks to use these baits at their own risk! It can take days or weeks to get the smell off thoroughly washed hands and clothing, if you get it out at all! We’re talking legitimate rubber gloves territory people. In the past, when using my father in law’s special spoiled carp recipe, I endured name calling and cursing when using pliers, instead of my fingers, to bait my hooks to prevent getting even a drop of this God-awful stuff on my skin. As my Dad used to say, “…that stuff could gag a maggot!!!”  

Several catfish rigs can be used to present stink bait, and the most common in my experience are the slip sinker and slip float rigs. The key to both approaches is to employ a hook that effectively holds whichever stink bait you’re using. For manufactured stink bait there is a large variety of terminal tackle available, but my personal favorites are the pre-snelled rubber stink bait worms and the hollow rubber tear drops that bait can be squirted into. Both leverage medium to large treble hooks to increase the odds of hooking up.

Organ meat can be a little more challenging to secure to a hook. For this application I look for the treble hooks with a spring coiled around the common shank. I’ve also used treble hooks with a sponge impaled on the shank. In both cases, you’ll want to first impale the meat as many times past the barbs as possible to hold it. Next you want to mash the meat into the spring and sponge to maximize bait and scent retention. These baits require a more aggressive hands on approach, and can really attract the gnats and flies, especially in hot weather. As a result, rubber gloves or at least frequent hand washing are recommended to avoid these pests.

PRO TIP 1: When using the pre-rigged stink bait worms, cut off and remove about half of the rubber worm. The extra length is unnecessary, wastes bait, and makes it harder for a catfish to fully take the bait. However, don’t throw this excess away. With a sowing needle, leader line, and treble hook you can DIY additional stink bait worms with the extra rubber, essentially doubling your supply for the same price!

PRO TIP 2: Make sure to widen the treble hook gaps at the bottom of stink bait worms with your pliers. Very often they’re tight to the rubber from the factory and opening the gaps to expose the barbs increases your hookup percentage.  

When using manufactured baits, the hotter the weather the better. As the temperature rises, solids in the stink bait melt and become extra gooey. My personal favorite, Sonny’s Super Sticky Blood Formula becomes an obnoxious, putrescent, cocktail with the consistency of a thin shake or malt. This reduced viscosity makes the bait easier to apply and helps it stick. It also improves scent dispersion under water. One word of caution: On super hot days make sure you don’t screw the lid down too tight as the jars are known to explode! If you think baked nightcrawlers in your trunk smell bad, you haven’t smelled anything like detonated stink bait in the back of your Chevy. It's pure horror I’m here to tell you.

No matter how you rig stink bait, casting it requires a little more deliberation to avoid splattering yourself, buddies, or other anglers in the vicinity. Do not wind the rod up and whip it like you’re casting a jig or crankbait. As the bait whips back it will shower anyone directly behind you and as you rip it forward, the change in momentum and direction will drench folks to the side and in front of you, not to mention your own backside and head. To limit this unctuous assault on friends, neighbors, and your person, pivot the rod back slowly and try to cast it forward in a smooth arc without snapping or putting any bend in the rod to cause recoil. This will reduce the whip and drenching and generally make for a nicer experience. However, as a veteran of dozens of stink bait adventures, no matter how careful you are it’s nearly impossible to prevent getting stink bait where it doesn’t belong and you usually find it where you least expect it. As a result, if you’re going to fish with stink bait, make sure to bring a catfish rag with you to clean up the mess.

Catfishing with stink bait can be an extremely effective way to catch large numbers of small to medium sized fish. It can be especially deadly on rivers during the dog days of summer as the current carries the scent downstream to attract hungry cats. Often bites can be violent and it's important to have rods secured in rod holders or in your hand to avoid losing them in the drink. The best part is that on the right stretch of river you may not have to move spots once you find the fish. Simply keep your hooks slathered and the stink bait slick will ring the dinner bell for you.