My Favorite Catfish Bait...

I'm off on the catfish count so far this year. There's several reasons. One is me and Cathy had Covid right after Christmas and while it was mild it did knock us back a bit and keep us from usual activity. Then came the great Texas ice storm. I was not interested in a 5 degree day on the lake or pulling a pontoon boat up an ice slick ramp. There have been a couple of fishing trips. We went over to the Sabine River for that dirty, guilty, secret pleasure of white bass fishing. With the rains that increased river flows I bet the white bass action has taken a break but rising lake levels should put catfish in the bushes for shallow water slip cork action. I am excited because I have my favorite catfish bait on hand.   

I use a punch bait. It's usually a thick mix of cheese, shad and shredded cattails or cotton fibers that you punch a treble hook down in with paint stirrer, pull it up and you have a baited hook, all without handling the stinking mess. The stink is not so bad you cannot enjoy catfishing and it stays on the hook so if you get a bite it's not immediately stolen if you miss the set. About a year ago the man who made the bait I like, J. Piggs, Jerry Martin passed away. Sales were temporarily suspended. Just at a whim last week I checked the old website and it was revamped. There was no online ordering but I called, they said send a check. I did and on Monday I received a text that bait was shipped. I got it on Tuesday. Note in the photo packaging was sturdy and the up arrow is important. Don't want to ship a bucket of catfish bait upside down.      

 All those punch baits will catch fish. I have used Danny King's, Lewis King's, and C.J.'s. I hear the tackle store in Zavalla carries Sureshot bait which has a good reputation and rumor claims it does not stink. Something about J.Piggs though makes it seem the best to me. The company has good service, it stays on the hook well and puts meat in the boat. 

You may well remember the old Catfish Charlie bait. It came in a tub and you rolled in into balls to place on your hook. It worked but it was messy. I recall one camping trip as a child when we took the old dog with us. We thought it would be great to give the dog a ride in the boat. We invited him in and to his delight he discovered that the bottom of the vessel was coated in the Charlie we had been balling up for trotlines. That dog was so busy licking the tasty stinking mess from the bottom of the boat he never knew he was on the water. 

Get some J Piggs. The catfish will be delighted and want to ride in your boat.