SteveCorbett Loc: Lubbock, Texas

What works best for catfish? Cut bait (carp), real chicken liver, artificial chicken liver?

Spiritof27 Loc: Lincoln, CA

Depends on the catfish. Big cats are some wicked predators and will take whatever you want to put out there that's alive. Bluegills. I always had good luck with fresh mackerel - oily, bloody and tough, stays on the hook well. Then fresh chicken livers. Cut a patch from some panty hose and wrap the liver in that, keeps it on the hook. What are artificial chicken livers? Never heard of that.

JD HEAT Loc: Nebraska

Like Spiritof27 says. I have the best luck with cut mackerel. Very oily and pungent odor attracts'em!

ToMuch Loc: N E NE

My twp go to baits...bar s jumbo franks and cut garter snake. 8 minutes betwern bites. Love em

Jeremy Loc: America

I heard here on the stage so it has to be true😂.

Chicken marinated in strawberry Koolaid.. just the flavor and dye.. no sugar needed.

I have used cut fish from that river.. whatever other fish are in it. Chicken livers… night crawler cocktail.

You seen the stringer on Ronnie’s old photo post.

Randyhartford Loc: Lawrence, Kansas

Gulp makes them; sold in the little jars like power bait.
Smooth, red, irregular shaped chunks. Smelly...

Catfish hunter Loc: Riggins idaho (Paradise)

I’d check with the person that posted a picture of a truck load of cats on the ground. I’ll bet he has an idea. I’ve caught 15 to 20 chanel cats up the John day River when I lived in Oregon. It’s where EVERY body goes to catch catfish easy. They’ll take anything you throw to em any time of the year. How many you catch depends on how long you want to stay up there. We used night crawlers, Mormon crickets, hot dogs, chicken, chicken livers, salmon eggs, grasshoppers, you name it they’ll take it up there. Then I went down river to places where there were cats with some size and it was a whole different ball game. On the John Day it’s nothing to catch two pound catfish all day any day on just about anything you wanna use for bait. Not many places like that. You get out in the big rivers there and it’s a workout trying to catch those bigger cats. They know what they want and won’t just grab anything that comes by like the smaller rivers that are lacking food supply. When I couldn’t catch them on anything else they would always take a Mormon cricket or fresh cut fish with lots of stink on it. They seem to like the firmness of the fresh fish and the stink of smelly paste. Good luck.

Catfish hunter Loc: Riggins idaho (Paradise)

Yup. Those work well too👍

Catfish hunter Loc: Riggins idaho (Paradise)

Man! It would be nice to use live fish n the Columbia gorge. It’s not legal though. I know it works. There’s some dang nice cats in the Columbia. I’ve seen em upwards of 20 pounds hung up in the Indian hoop nets below the dams.

SteveCorbett Loc: Lubbock, Texas

Thanks, y’all, for your input!

Don Fischer

Been out to much on the John Day this year. Only 5 cats total and skunked a number of times. Never see the river this low before and kind of like wading in the bath tub, warm. Not sure what happened to them but just not doing well on them this year. Got 20 last September and all about 2#+, one 6 1/2#. The 5 I got this year were pretty thin. Found a stretch of nicer deeper water hoped to get some out of, not a thing!

ranger632 Loc: Near Yosemite Park Ca.

Caught catfish today, some on nightcrawlers, chicken breast, and dough bait for carp.