If you are in for a thrill, grabbing a few good rod and reels and some good bait and heading to your favorite catfishing spot can be a fisherman's dream--but the key to seeing any catfish bite at all is about using the right bait. Unfortunately, if there is one fish that is prone to tall tales and big stories when it comes to the best bait to use and how to catch it, it is definitely catfish. If you want to settle in for an afternoon of real action from the fishing bank or boat, it is best to get the common misconceptions about a catfish's eating habits out of the way first.
Misconception: Catfish only bite at night.
Fact: Long nights propped up in a boat or on a fishing bank may be a lot of fun, but catfish don't only feed at night. Some catfish varieties are more active at night than during the day because that's when a lot of prey works its way into the water, but you can just as easily land a trophy cat smack dab in the middle of broad daylight.
Misconception: Catfish will bite on pretty much anything that smells bad.
Fact: That stink bait you swear by or that rotten chicken liver you claim catches all the cats in the area may have been your trick to catfishing for a lot of years. But, (get ready for a shocker) catfish are not usually as attracted to the smell of this type of bait as what you think. Catfish love easy meals and when they spot a blob of something gooey in the water, like bait from sites like http://www.wilcoxbaitandtackle.com/, they will likely go after it whether it smells horrendous or like daisies. So if you choose to go for stinky bait because you think it works better, that idea is up for debate.
Misconception: Catfish only feed when the water is warm.
Fact: Even though there is some truth to the idea that most catfish varieties, including blue and channel cats, will be more active when the water is warm, it is not entirely true that the only time they will feed enough to be caught is when the water is warm. In general, catfish tend to move toward shallower waters when the temperatures get cooler, and sometimes, the fish will travel for miles in search of shallow, warmer water where they can feed. Therefore, you can still catch cats in the cooler months of the year because they do feed year round. You may just have to travel a little further to find them.
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