Learning to throw a cast net can give catfish anglers a leg up on
catching fresh baitfish to entice their quarry. (Photo by Keith Sutton)
Fresh-Fed Cats
by Brad Hierstetter
Day in and day out, fresh bait is hard to beat for river and creek blues and channels.
Catfish can be caught on an extremely wide variety of baits, including some that seem quite unusual like hot dogs, chicken (often enhanced with Kool-Aid), Slim Jim snack sticks, Ivory soap and bubble gum. However, year-round, under a range of conditions, fresh baits (especially fresh baitfish) generate more consistent catches.
Cast nets are an effective way to catch fresh bait. However, if you have never thrown a cast net, be sure to practice. Ask a friend who can throw one to show you how or review how-to videos online.
When selecting a net, carefully consider the size of your target bait(s), where you will be throwing (e.g., in open water or in tighter areas such as around piers or pilings), the water depth you will be pursuing bait in and the strength of the current. Let these factors guide your choice of mesh size, diameter and net weight—all of which are important to cast-netting success. Lastly, particularly if you are brand new, do not overlook cast nets containing built-in throwing rings. I have personally caught a great deal of bait using Fitec’s EZ THROW cast nets. Their EZ Accu-Throw ring shortens the learning curve immensely.

Drift-style gill nets are another highly effective means of catching fresh bait, particularly larger baitfish such as gizzard shad. These nets are comprised of a rope, which floats due to cork floats being spaced throughout its length, from which a wall of weighted netting is attached. The netting hangs in the water column (my nets hang six to eight feet deep) and traps fish that swim into it by their gills. Anglers remove baitfish as they pull the net into their boats. After setting the net, I often will drive my johnboat 100 yards or so away from the net (upcurrent, if possible) and move my boat slowly in a zigzag pattern toward the net. Essentially, I am trying to “encourage” any baitfish in the vicinity to move in the direction of my net.
Although often overlooked, wire bait traps are another great means of catching fresh bait, particularly bluegills, redears and bull minnows. If you are so inclined, you can fashion one yourself with nothing more than a tape measure, wire mesh (galvanized hardware cloth works fine), tin snips, fasteners such as zip ties or steel hog rings, and string or rope. While I have caught lots of bait in traps that I made, I prefer traps built by Mike of Reel Texas Outdoors. His traps are an excellent value. They are well-designed and, frankly, of much higher quality than what I can make myself.
Finally, let us not forget baitfish caught with a conventional rod and reel. I always carry an ultralight spinning combo in my vehicle. This allows me to easily test the bait-producing potential of any waters I encounter as I drive through the county I live in. I like to fish a tiny Dreamweaver Bee (hand-tied by Kim Burnett, owner of Crappie Stopper Jigs & Flies) tipped with a Berkley PowerBait Crappie Nibble, under a small adjustable Thingamabobber Strike Indicator.
Regardless of method, I highly recommend you familiarize yourself with local regulations.

My best tip for locating baitfish is to seek out smaller, more contained waters. As I drive around the county, by automobile and bicycle, I constantly pass over (or near) small, seemingly inconsequential waterways. I have never seen, or heard about, anyone fishing the overwhelming majority of these. I will often pull over and, using the ultralight rig I mentioned earlier, fish for several minutes. After returning to my vehicle or house, I will use Google Maps or Google Earth to further research those I catch baitfish from. Nearly all these tiny-yet-fruitful waterways eventually connect to a larger, more popular body of water known for good fishing. I can easily cast from one shoreline of my favorite bait spot to the other with just a light flick of my wrist. This spot, which ultimately connects to the spillway below the dam of a nearby popular freshwater lake, produces ample quantities of panfish year-round—by both rod and reel and by bait trap.
Once you have secured fresh bait, it is important to use ice to maintain firmness, particularly in seasons other than winter. I leverage three methods to avoid my baits becoming saturated, and thus mushy, due to my baits sitting in water stemming from ice in my cooler that has melted. Smaller baits can be placed in a zippered plastic bag on top of the ice. Alternately, you can place thick, highly absorbent cloth towels in the bottom of your cooler or, if your cooler is so equipped, use the drain plug to periodically release water that accumulates in the cooler’s bottom.
Finally, if you fish with multiple rods, be sure to amply spread out your baits—for example, at different depths along a ledge. Also, experiment with different bait sections such as head, body and back portions and, if you have them, with different baits. Pay careful attention to the specific location(s) you catch fish and which bait section or baits produce the most fish. Then adjust where you are casting your baits accordingly.
The topics discussed here, as well as in the other articles I have written for CatfishNow! this year, comprise some of the basics all catfish anglers should strive to master. Always remember that small adjustments (in this case, related to securing fresh bait), when factored collectively, typically go a long way to tilting the odds in favor of the catfish angler.
(In 2012 and 2013, Brad Hierstetter and his long-time friend, Mike Dodge, won two Potomac River Monster Cat tournaments on the tidal Potomac River. Hierstetter enjoys sharing the basics that can help any angler catch more catfish, more often.)