Ways to Bait a Catfish Hole

Chumming or baiting a catfish hole is a time-tested method for catching catfish. This technique requires throwing floating bait such as grain or range cubes into the hole and waiting for the fish to feed. Baiting and chumming for catfish is not legal in all waters, so check regulations with your local or state department of natural resources before fishing.

  1. Chumming

    • Some varieties of catfish, such as channel catfish, are scavengers and will eat any stray scrap of food they can find. To catch these fish, you can chum your catfish hole to attract them and get them to come to the surface to feed. This technique often brings smaller fish, but if you are successful you can catch many keeper-sized fish this way.

    Baiting

    • Baiting a hole is like chumming a hole, except the fisher chums the again and again over a long period of time. This will train the fish to begin feeding when they hear the sound of chum hitting the water, and it will also keep more fish in the area. You can also incorporate a sound signal before chumming, such as slapping your fishing pole on the water. Eventually you can bring catfish to the surface without even throwing chum by using the sound signal the fish associate with food.

    Baits to Use

    • Grains, and especially soured grains such as wheat or milo, can be used to bait or chum a catfish hole. Soured grain can be made at home by mixing grain, yeast and water, and allowing it to ferment for about two weeks before use. Other options include corn and hen scratch. Cottonseed cakes or cubes, also known as range cubes, can also be used to bait or chum for catfish, but should be given a little extra time in the water before fishing.

    How to Bait or Chum

    • If you plan to fish the day you chum, throw some bait into the water and wait an hour or so for the fish to begin feeding. Do not dump a whole bucket into the water -- instead sprinkle a small amount across a large area. Feeding the fish too much could fill them up and keep them from taking the bait on your hook. It's a good idea to throw a little more bait in the water after fishing to hold the fish in the area. If you are going to bait a hole over a summer, be consistent and chum the area up to twice per day, following the same instructions.