Along with depth and location, bait is a critical part of catching catfish at a paylake. A bait that works today may not work tomorrow. Don't be afraid to switch it up and be sure to take a diverse group of baits on your next fishing adventure. Catfish in paylakes could come from a variety of natural habitats. Keep this in mind as they have had a variety of different baits in the wild. When collecting bait, please follow all state rules and regulations.
A staple in the diet of catfish, shad are an excellent bait. Shad can be caught easily with a cast net in most public waters. Shad can be used either dead or alive, but are very difficult to keep alive. Sometimes, you just can't beat a fresh shad head. It is common for catfish anglers to catch a lot of shad and freeze them, but fresh always seems to work better. Due to the quick reproduction of shad, many paylakes do not allow the use of live shad. Some lakes prohibit the use of shad altogether. Please check with your local lake's rules before using shad.
CincyPaylakes rankings:
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Bluecat -
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This natural predator can easily be caught using artificial jigs and sabiki rigs. Skipjack are a river fish and are most commonly found around dams and hot water discharges. Locally, you can find them at Meldahl Dam and the hot water discharge in Aberdeen. Like shad, they are hard to keep alive, but make excellent cut bait.
CincyPaylakes rankings:
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Small fish like bluegill, pumpkinseed, and warmouth are members of the bream family. Bream make excellent bait for catfish, especially flatheads. They can easily be caught using small hooks and worms. Any bream caught in a cast net should be thrown back into the water immediately. A very hearty fish, bream can be used live as well as cut.
CincyPaylakes rankings:
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Yellow bullhead catfish, commonly referred to as 'yellow-bellied catfish', make excellent flathead bait. Bullhead can easily be caught on rod and reel with night crawlers, chicken livers, or minnows. Try farm ponds or your local public reservoir.
CincyPaylakes rankings:
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Traditionally caught with seine or castnet, chubs are a natural food item for catfish. Like other baits, chubs work well both live and cut. Chubs can be caught with rod and reel using very small tackle.
CincyPaylakes rankings:
Flathead -
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A strain of the common carp, these fish were originally bred in Isreal as a food source due to their quick growth and low amount of scales. Now, they have become a popular bait among paylakers.
CincyPaylakes rankings:
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Goldfish are a favorite among paylakers and can be found in most baithouses. Goldfish are not native to Ohio and must not be used as bait in public waters.
CincyPaylakes rankings:
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This parasite can be effective, especially in the spring. Try adding a leech to your favorite cutbait.
CincyPaylakes rankings:
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Caught in the backyard or bought at the local bait shop, night crawlers are the classic fishing bait. Most catfish anglers overlook nightcrawlers, but they can produce, especially after a good rain.
CincyPaylakes rankings:
Flathead -
Bluecat -
Channel -
Very cheap and messy, liver can produce a mess of channels. Many anglers 'cure' liver with salt and/or garlic powder to toughen it.
CincyPaylakes rankings:
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With a consistency like peanut butter and a smell you would like to soon forget, dip baits are becoming very popular and provide a great alternative to chicken livers. Dip baits require special hooks (see picture above).
CincyPaylakes rankings:
Flathead -
Bluecat -
Channel -
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