50 Campfires The Camping Authority
Camping Friendly Catfish Bait
When it comes to catching catfish, you’ll hear about all kinds of weird concoctions used for bait. Some sound so strange, you can’t imagine what the fish that would eat it is thinking. Some smell so bad you don’t want to be in the same county let alone the same boat with them. And others might fill in as your own lunch if the fish don’t want it!
Renowned expert cat fisherman Keith Sutton touts Little Red Wieners as one of his favorite catfish baits. This is a perfect choice for the car camper who’ll be doing a little fishing for catfish along the way because:
1) THEY CATCH CATFISH, and
2) all the ingredients are usually found in the average camper’s larder.
Take a package of the cheapest hotdogs you can find (6-8 of them.) Cut them into ¾- to 1-inch lengths and put them in a resealable freezer bag. Add three tablespoons of minced garlic and mush it together and around the hotdog pieces in the bag. Next pour a packet of strawberry Kool-Aid powder into the bag and just enough water to cover everything. Seal the bag and mush it around again.
Make this at least a day ahead of your planned fishing trip and keep the package cool. Just in your cooler works great.
When you’re ready to fish, run a hook through a piece of the hotdog so the barb is just exposed. Fish it on or near the bottom with a catfish rig and get ready!
