Catfish Bait That Turtles Won’t Eat: Catch Catfish Only

Catfish is slowly becoming popular in the fishing industry. They are certainly great catches and they don’t need very special bait. But the problem is turtles in the area often eat up the bait. Which is admittedly a problem. 

So, what are some catfish bait that turtles don’t eat? 

Danny King’s sticky catfish bait is a great option. Turtles tend to stay away from this bait. Turtles normally can’t eat sugary things and wild-caught fish. So you can soak your bait in kool-aid before hooking them.  Other baits include zote soap, homemade bait soap, and cotton seed cake. 

Besides these catfish bait that turtles won’t eat. There are other methods to raise the possibility of catching catfish. In this article, we’ll discuss more about catfish and how to catch more catfish.

Hop in if you want to learn more!

Best Catfish Bait That Turtle Won’t Eat

Fishing for channels and flatheads is done considerably differently than fishing for blue cats. This implies that the optimal catfish bait will vary greatly depending on the species.

There are many distinct species of catfish. Their eating habits and preferences are significantly different. For fishing catfish, you can use ⅛ and ¼ jig heads.

However, while catching catfish, turtles become a considerable obstacle. So, you’ll need some baits that turtles don’t eat.

Here are some catfish bait that turtles avoid – 

Danny King Catfish Punch Bait 

Danny King catfish Punch Bait is a tested bait that turtles actively avoid hooking onto. 

The bait is made of blood flavor. Even if you have lots of turtles around where you’re fishing. Only catfish will latch onto the hooks.

It won’t require a sponge or screw to stay on your treble hook. Simply use a “punch paddle” or a stick to push the hook into the container’s bottom. And then draw it out with the line. On the hook will be all the bait you require. No need to put your hands near the bait.

Hence, this bait doesn’t even require your hands to be dirty. And you’ll catch catfish only.

Live SunFish

Live fish are some of the best bait for catfish. Particularly a sunfish will guarantee you a giant catfish. This fish on the other hand does not attract turtles. 

Pick up a live sunfish and hook it just below the dorsal fin. Cast it out with a metal leader and a weight of a reasonable size. And before you know it, a monster will be at the other end.

Bait Soaked In Kool-Aid

Sugar is poison for turtles. You can use this info to your advantage. One such advantage is using Kool-Aid. 

Various varieties of meat mixed with Kool-Aid can make a potent and simple catfish bait. It is far easier to transport and store than live bait. And it lacks the mess and stench of blood or stink baits. It’s also one of the least expensive baits available.

All catfish species rely on their keen sense of smell to locate aquatic food sources. 

Catfish have been “enticed” by anglers all around the world using specialized bait formulations, and scents. Additionally, kool-aid is excellent for catching bullhead catfish, including channel, white, and white catfish.

Making Of Kool-Aid Catfish Bait That Turtles Avoid

Cut your meat into pieces that are about the size of bait. All types of meat, including chicken breast, liver, gizzards, and hot dogs, are excellent choices for this bait.

Place the meat chunk in the bag with the Kool-Aid. Be sure to include whatever juice, broth, blood, or water the meat may have.

Allow the bag to rest and marinate for at least a few hours. It’s best to let it sit in the refrigerator for several days. You may even leave the bags outside to marinade throughout the sweltering afternoon. 

Now you can use the marinated meat as catfish bait. The smell and taste will draw catfish in yet turtles will avoid it.

Fresh or Dead Shad and Skipjack

Typically, catfish consume the main forage fish in the body of water they inhabit. Usually, this will be skipjack herring, gizzard shad, or threadfin shad. It’s not unusual to see blue cats with their tummies completely full of skipjack or shad.

Catfish can be baited with these fish whether the bait is dead or alive. Turtles on the contrary can’t digest wild-caught fish like these well. The fish are also not the right size for turtle bait. 

Hence, Turtles will stay away from these fish baits.  

Keep Turtles Away While Fishing Catfish

We are talking about turtles as a hindrance in catfishing. We talked about baits that turtles don’t have so far. 

What you can also do is, keep the turtles away when you’re baiting catfish. 

So, how to keep away turtles while catfishing?

Bring some fish heads with you to the fishing area. Now throw the fish heads around the area you’ll fish. Wait for a while until you see turtles nearing those fish heads. This will keep the turtles busy and they won’t pay attention to the catfish bait in the water. 

Some other things you can do is bring stinky chicken meat, gizzards, and livers as catfish bait. Turtles don’t prefer stinky food so they will stay away from the bait in the water.

If all the methods fail, choose somewhere turtles are less in number. The absolute last resort is to kill the turtles first after luring them. When the number decreases by a few, set up your rods and start fishing. 

For catfishing, the ideal rod size recommended is 6’6 and 7’ rods like the ones below.

FAQs

What Attracts Catfish The Most?

Catfish are bottom feeders, and both sight and scent can draw them to food. They favor vivid hues like orange or red. Cheetos puffs are one of the best lures. They are drawn in by the vivid orange hue. And the cheesy corn aroma tempts them to eat. Other good baits are hotdogs and chicken livers.

What Is The Best Time To Catch Catfish?

The prime time of day to catch catfish is between dawn and ten in the morning. This window of opportunity occurs before the sun rises straight overhead. And the water is still cool from the previous evening. In order to eat before the prey fish seek shelter, catfish will become more active.

What Depth Do You Fish For Catfish?

The best depth for catching catfish is between 15 and 20 feet deep in lakes. This is known as the catfish zone because they reside within such depths in most lakes. However, It depends on the time of the year. And according to the temperature of the water, they can also reside in shallow areas

Conclusion

That concludes the discussion on catfish bait that turtles won’t eat. As turtles like the same food as catfish, it’s a bit difficult to find such baits. And we discussed how to bypass the issue and find the right bait.

What catfish bait are your favorites for fishing catfish? Let us know!