Bait

When my brother and I used to go catfishing, he would go out to the area we were going to fish several hours beforehand with a can of dogfood. He would punch several holes in the can, tie a stout line to it and toss it into the pond, then tie the other end to a stump, bush, or rock on shore. The fish were attracted to the dog food leaking from the can and would congregate. We caught Catfish by the dozen! If you don’t have dog food, all you need is something that gives off a pungent odor, and you don't need a can. Any type of meal leftovers will work just as well, and you can place this in a burlap, cotton, or cheese cloth bag to throw in the lake.

Offered by Brent.

My brother showed my oldest son a similar trick, often used in deep sea fishing, called 'chumming'. He caught a couple of small bluegill (which are overabundant in this lake anyway), chopped them up, and spread them over about a 10' square area. He then placed a trotline out with a small piece of bluegill as bait. About 15 minutes later he caught an 8 1/2 pound channel catfish!

Offered by George.