How to fish with catfish bait chunks
Angler's Emporium offers custom scented catfish bait chunks in two colors. These chunks have become a popular bait for catfish across the United States. Though we still get questions about the best way to use them.
Most people who have fished for catfish have probably used chicken livers, cut bait and gobs of worms. The truth is that you can fish our bait chunks the same way you fish with those baits.
With its special blended scent, our bait chunks are most effective for channel catfish and white catfish. Though angler's have also caught bullheads and flathead catfish on them.
In this guide we will tell you how our catfish bait chunks work, and the best way to fish them.
Bait chunks vs chicken liver
We designed our catfish bait chunks to be like a more durable chicken liver. If you've fished with chicken liver before then you know it can be difficult to keep on the hook. People use things like borax, rubber bands and netting to help keep chicken livers on their hooks. Our bait chunks stay on the hook on their own.
Our catfish bait chunks are infused with scents and flavors that are similar to those found in real chicken livers. Though the scents we use are a bit stronger and better at diffusing in the water.
Catfish "smell" and "taste" things differently in the water than we do through the air. So while our catfish chunks might not stink as bad as a decaying chicken liver they do smell like food to catfish.
Artificial catfish bait?
Of course our bait chunks are an artificial bait. They are not made up of the same organic compounds found in a "real" bait like chicken liver or night crawlers. This means our bait will not break down and dissolve like natural bait. But over time our bait chunks will disperse less scent as the water washes them out.
Luckily our bait chunks can be recharged or even enhanced. To recharge the bait, simply put it back into the package so that it can soak up some more scent and flavoring. For an added boost, use the bait chunks with a dip bait like Hog Wild. The dip bait will break down in the water and help attract fish to the catfish chunks.
Anglers have been using dip bait worms with dip baits for years. Using a scented bait chunk works in the same way. Except that there is still a scented bait for the catfish to eat even if all the dip bait washes away.
Rigging bait chunks
Our catfish bait chunks can be fished in the same way you would use chicken liver, cut bait or a live bait like shad. Typically that means putting a bait chunk on a circle hook.
The bait chunks can be presented in a variety of ways. The most common would probably be a slip sinker rig. This consists of a sliding sinker, a swivel, a leader, and a hook.
The slip or sliding sinker rig is one of the most effective rigs to use for catfish. It works in most situations. The bait is held in the feeding zone until a catfish finds it. One a fish takes the bait the line can slide freely through the sinker minimizing resistance.
Where permitted, our catfish bait chunks can also work on other setups like limb lines, trot lines, and jug fishing rigs. Use them wherever you might use chicken livers or cut bait for catfish.