How to Make Great Catfish Bait
- 1). Order the 36 pounds of hog brains through a large meat market and acquire the 40 or 60 lbs (depending on how thick you want it) of expired and moldy cheese from a wholesale cheese distributor. Any cheese will do but smelly cheeses like Limburger are ideal. You can find one gallon of shad or any other small bait fish at a bait shop or possibly your local fish market.
- 2). Sour the brains. Wait until the weather is warm or a heat wave hits to get started. Take your 35 lbs of hog brains and spread them out in direct sun for two or three days to get the decomposition process started. Make sure the spot is upwind from your house and off limits to dogs and other animals.
- 3). Combine the ingredients. Shovel the soured brains into your plastic barrel and add your gallon of shad or other small bait fish. Run the cheese through your meat grinder to grate it up. Throw the cheese in the barrel on top of the rotting flesh. Make sure the barrel is filled up no more than one-third of the way to leave room for expansion. Blend everything together with the paint stirrer attached to your electric drill.
- 4). Ferment the bait. Put the lid on the barrel, with a small vent gap, and leave it in the sun for at least two weeks. Any maggots will die quickly so they won't be a problem. Stir your bait every couple of days while it's fermenting. When you notice the bait isn't expanding much between stirrings, it's ready to use.
- 5). Fill the jars. Dip your jars into the bait and fill the jar half way; filling the jar more than half way could cause the lid to pop off or the jar to break as a result of further expansion.
- 6). Bait your hook. Make sure to use a dip hook (sponge bait hooks) from your local tackle store. Get the small dip hooks and re-dip them in your bait every 20 minutes while you're fishing. Be sure to wring out the water before you re-dip the hook.
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