When my father, brother, and I used to go fishing when I was a kid, we basically used worms and minnows for bait. Dad and I always had a friendly fishing contest going on. The contest led me to dig deep into the worm container in an effort to try to find the biggest worm for bait. I thought “bigger bait” meant a “larger catch”, but that wasn’t usually the case. Dad usually reeled the most fish in- as well as the largest- on every excursion we went on. He refused to reveal his “fish-catching secrets”, so I decided to create a secret of my own. I learned how to make homemade fish bait.
Catfish seem to be the least of the picky eaters when it comes to lake or pond fishing. They’ll go after most anything if they’re in the mood. There are many homemade fish baits made especially for catfish, but you’d be surprised what other types of fish will bite on the same bait.
The most popular homemade fish bait are probably “Doughballs.” They’re easy and inexpensive to make, and easy to put on your hook. Doughballs are probably my favorite homemade fish bait. You can simply mix together pieces of old white bread and tuna juice to make tasty doughballs the fish will snap your hook after. Or, buy some cheap, premade dough at your local grocery store. Make up one-inch round balls out of the dough. Then, place them in a sealable container and pour tuna juice over them. Allow them to soak until you’re ready to use them. To make a tastier treat for the fish, mix in some cheap shredded cheese. It also gives the doughballs a nice, bright orange color that will help attract the fish by sight.
You can make and experiment with many different ingredients for doughballs. I’ve used flour, cereals, peanut butter, hamburger, ground sausage, bacon bits, bologna, cheap canned cat food, and a variety of other ingredients to make my homemade doughballs. Just make sure that, whatever recipe you come up with, the dough is firm enough to shape into balls.
Then, to use doughballs as a homemade fish bait, simply mold one around your hook and cast it into the water. If you don’t get a hit within several minutes, the doughball will become soggy and fall off your hook. But, that’s usually not the case. Usually, some hungry fish will come along and devour the entire doughball while it’s still on your hook.
Once my father saw me using homemade fish bait, he joined in on the fun by adding some sage advice: “The stinkier the bait, the better to catch fish with.
That led me to try baiting my hook with chicken and beef livers…after they were left out in the sun for a day, that is. The bait worked fine, but the stink was so bad I thought I was going to pass out.
So, I experimented with other “stinky” smells that would catch fish, but not turn my stomach at the same time. I found out that chicken and beef livers soaked in tuna juice or garlic oil worked well.
Or, if you have some leftover shrimp- they’re awful expensive to buy just to use as homemade fish bait- they can make good fish bait too. Since shrimp aren’t very colorful, you’ll need to “jazz them up” by soaking them in red food coloring. Or, buy some packets of the cheap brands of Kool-Aid™. Use Cherry or Strawberry, any flavor that’s red.
To make homemade fish bait, the possibilities are almost endless. It seems that, as far as the fish are concerned, colorful, stinky baits attract them the best. Try using some of the same foods and condiments that you love as fish bait, and you’ll probably be amazed at the results! Horseradish, barbecue sauce, beer, peppermint- the list of possible ingredients goes on and on.
