When pursuing a large number of catfish or trophy size specimens live or cut baits are still a way to go. But If you’re looking for a new and exciting experience and a catfishing challenge, consider using lures instead of traditional baits. To maximize your results, it’s crucial to understand how and when to use them.
Here are the top 5 lures for catfish (at a glance)
- Catfish Rattling Line Float Lure – Demon Dragon Style Peg
- Catfish Rattling Line Float Lure – Threadfin Shad
- Catfish Rattling Line Float Lure for Catfishing-wandering goldfish
- Catfish Rattling Line Float Lure- Green Crappie
- XBLACK Hard Fishing Lure Set
Cant decide which one to choose ? No worries ! we have covered details, pros, cons below
1. Catfish Rattling Line Float Lure – Demon Dragon Style Peg
This pack consists of a Purple Shinner, Blue Crappie, and a Green Sunfish line float lures. When scent alone isn’t enough to do the job, these lures come in. They tempt a whopping 4 of the catfish’s senses – smell, sight, hearing, and instinct. With reflecting holographic sides, it’s sure to catch their eye even in murky, low-light surroundings. Even louder rattling sounds attract the cats from far away. With a special type of coating that releases scent particles when it hits the water, the chance of landing a catch is even bigger. Build quality makes them durable enough to handle even the trophy catfish.
This pack consists of a Purple Shinner, Blue Crappie, and a Green Sunfish line float lures. When scent alone isn’t enough to do the job, these lures come in. They tempt a whopping 4 of the catfish’s senses – smell, sight, hearing, and instinct. With reflecting holographic sides, it’s sure to catch their eye even in murky, low-light surroundings. Even louder rattling sounds attract the cats from far away. With a special type of coating that releases scent particles when it hits the water, the chance of landing a catch is even bigger. Build quality makes them durable enough to handle even the trophy catfish.
2. Catfish Rattling Line Float Lure – Threadfin Shad
A pack with 3 silver threadfin shads. A great choice for attracting blue and flathead catfish. This lure also appeals to 4 catfish senses, making it one of the most attractive lures. They are made to endure the stress of fighting the biggest catfish. With an improved rattling feature, you’ll entice more cats than ever before. A total of three anchor points are useful for many catfishing techniques. Lure’s eye design makes them appear like it’s naturally looking backward to avoid being caught by a catfish.
3. Catfish Rattling Line Float Lure for Catfishing-wandering goldfish
In this pack, you’ll find 3 wandering goldfish line float lures. When scent alone isn’t enough to do the job, these lures come in. They tempt a whopping 4 of the catfish’s senses – smell, sight, hearing, and instinct. With reflecting holographic sides, it’s sure to catch their eye even in murky, low-light surroundings. Even louder rattling sounds attract the cats from far away. With a special type of coating that releases scent particles when it hits the water, the chance of landing a catch is even bigger. Build quality makes them durable enough to handle even the trophy catfish.
In the environment where catfish naturally feed on goldfish, this lure can be exceptional.
4. Catfish Rattling Line Float Lure- Green Crappie
A pack with 3 green crappie float lures. This lure is the same type as previous ones on the list and also appeals to 4 catfish senses, making it one of the most attractive lures. They are made to endure the stress of fighting the biggest catfish. Its rattling feature together with its scented coating will help you get the attention of more cats even in the murky waters. A total of three anchor points are useful for many catfishing techniques. It shows the performance when used in waters where crappies naturally live.
5. XBLACK Hard Fishing Lure Set
A big 30 piece lure set that includes: 5 Poppers, 4 Minnows, 4 VIBs, 5 Crickhoppers, 4 Cicadas, 4 Flies, and 4 Crankbaits. Being made from the durable ABS hard plastic body, exquisite coating, and sharp hooks is what sets these lures apart. Each one comes with a steel ball inside, that helps you set the bait further than usual. They are designed for multiple fishing techniques and both saltwater and freshwater fishing. The set contains harder and softer body lures, that can be used for surface as well as deepwater catfishing.
Things to Consider While Choosing a Catfish Lure
Catfishing using lures is more difficult compared to standard live or cut baits, but there are still a few things to consider to make it a bit easier.
A) Scent
Catfish have a well-developed sense of smell and use their whiskers to navigate dark and murky waters. They even have dedicated organs that allow them to detect protein levels in the water. This being said, using scented lures can make your catfishing trip a lot more effective. The scent makes the lures the lure feel as close as possible to a real thing, at least for catfish.
B) Rattle and vibration
Compared to other fish species, catfish also have more sensitive hearing organs. This helps them hunt prey even in the lowest visibility conditions. Naturally, lures that incorporate rattling or vibrating functions are easier to spot. For that reason, these types of lures will get you more baits in any season or water condition.
C) Water conditions
Contrary to a popular belief, catfish have really good eyesight. This means that using bright and highly visible lures can be even more effective. Together with lure scent and vibration, reflective colors maximize stimulation of the catfish senses. But you mustn’t forget the water conditions. Clear waters make the lure a lot more visible. In muddy or colored waters catfish won’t see as good, which will make your job a bit harder.
Lure vs Bait for catfish
As we’ve said before, catfishing using lures is harder compared to using live or cut bait, but it also carries many more pros and cons.
Here are some of the advantages when using lures instead of bait for catfishing :
- Lures can be re-used many times
- They don’t require special conditions for keeping
- Don’t have such a repulsive smell and aren’t messy like some baits
- They are better for catch and release, as they don’t hurt the fish as much
Some of the disadvantages lures have compared to baits for catfish :
- They are more expensive in the long term, and if you’re not careful you’ll need to buy them often
- Less effective in dark and muddy waters and at night compared to baits
- They can’t attract fish from a wider range and force you to move more to get bites
- There are too many lure options that can discourage the beginners
- Catfish are more attracted to real baits than lures generally
Catfish Lure setup
There are many ways to incorporate a lure in your catfish rigs. The simplest way is to tie your lure to a line, assuming that the lure comes with its hook. You can also use more complex rigs with both lures and traditional baits and even some extras. Here’s what you need for one of the most popular catfishing setups:
- Line (single line type setup or two-line types setup, with one main and one leading line)
- Foam float lure
- Swivel
- Hook
- Sinker
Float lure can help attract the catfish and also keeps the bait off the bottom, helping with the constant rebaiting problems. This setup is also great for drift catfishing.
Catfish Lure tips
To complete this Lure guide, here are a few useful tips when using lures for catfishing:
A) Try different types of lures
Just because one lure proved to be successful doesn’t mean you should restrict yourself to it. Catfish often change their behavior due to temperature and seasonal changes, so one lure won’t always be enough. Instead, try several types and see what works for you and in what circumstances.
B) Imitate
The best type of bait for almost any type of catfish is something they already feed on in their natural habitat. Smaller fish, frogs, crayfish, or worms are their most common food. Imitating them with your lures will give you the best chance at landing a catch. Pick the ones with similar size, color, and rattling functions.
C) Try different techniques
There are various techniques that anglers use when it comes to catfishing with lures. Maybe the best one is a Diving Plug technique. For this one, try using crank lures to hit the bottom of the water. Then bait the fish by making pulling the line slightly and then releasing it. This will make the catfish chase the bait and give you a higher possibility to catch it.
Frequently Asked Questions :
1. Do catfish like lures?
Catfish always prefer their natural food, but you can also catch them using lures. Make sure that lure closely resembles something they usually feed on.
2. Can you catch flatheads on lures?
You can flatheads using lures. They will try to eat almost anything they can catch. Try to use goldfish or bluegill lures as flatheads naturally feed on them.
3. Will catfish bite topwater lures?
This may come as a surprise, but you actually can catch catfish on topwater lures. They are mainly bottom feeders, but they also go up to the surface. Using big baits with a floating lure and trolling technique proved to be effective, especially at night.
Final Verdict :
Catfishing with lures is a lot of fun and you should definitely give it a try. We hope this article helped you understand how and when to use a catfishing lure. To make your catfishing experience even more exciting see more of our catfishing suggestions and try them out!
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