Catching Catfish With Dog Food

Catfish are not picky eaters, but you can find even more ways to draw them closer to your lure. The fish are attracted to strong smells and can come out of their hiding places to seek out bait such as dog food. These fish dwell in shallow water, usually in ponds at about 4 to 6 feet deep.

  1. Dog Food

    • Dog food is a very pungent bait, and catfish are known for their keen smell and aggression towards real bait. Wet dog food is difficult to use because it can fall apart easily on your lure. Dry dog food can still fall apart when you try to hook it on. The key is to bring lots of bait when using dog food.

    Dry Technique

    • Because dry dog food can be difficult to hook on, try soaking it in water for about an hour to make the food loose. The hook can then be easily threaded through the dog food. This stays on your hook for much longer than wet dog food. Other anglers mush up several pieces of dog food, then add flour and oatmeal to make it into a dough, which is easier to hook.

    Advantage

    • Dog food's strong odor is one key advantage when fishing for catfish. Fish are turned away from human scent, and anglers are often required to cover up their smell with a spray. Dog food, however, is so powerful that the fish will only smell the food. Dog food can also be used to apply to a lure to cover up human scent.

    Angling Tips

    • The dog food bait is most effective when you drop it from an anchored boat in shallow water. This method prevents the food from falling off the lure. Catfish frequently hide behind logs and other objects in the water, so finding an effective area to drop the dog food without snagging the hook on the wood is most effective. Catfish move very fast to consume the lure in a sucking motion.