Catfish chicken livers.

[toadfrog]

I fish for catfish a lot . Its a pain to keep chicken livers on the hook. So years ago I decided to start experimenting with them. This is my simple recipe for tough livers.
1 cup salt
1 cup granulated sugar
2 lbs. chicken livers
Mix this in a covered glass bowl place in the refridgerator. Stir the mix every day for three weeks. Drain off the excess and package them in heavy zip lock or mason jar. If you do this in the winter by summer you can fish all season. They can be frozen . Try it I think you'll like the result .I sold a ton of this when I had my store.
Forgot something I've found that pond catfish like turkey livers better than chicken. Go Figure ?

[dugger]

So what your saying is this toughens the liver ? If I keep it frozen untill I use it it wont get slimy and should I cut it into bait size pieces or leave it in big chunks untill its time to use it ? I love kitty cats and I like to use jugs and trout lines, liver has always been my bait of choice for channel and blues never could tough it up for jugging or trout lines unless I used panty hose or roe sack webbing ,used salt but not sugar, didnt work well the sugar must be the missing link I'll try it ,spring runoff is coming thanks Pal

[bass or bass?]

I quit using chicken liver for channel cat bait 2 years ago. Started using frozen squid instead. It is very tough and stays on the hook until you take it off. The squid heads make awesome jig trailers for bass fishing as well. The tentacles have the best action in the water you have ever seen, and the head leaves a scent trail as well. And 1 or 2 tentacles on a small hook will catch sunfish like crazy. They are too tough for the sunnies to steal off the hook and they go nuts for the action of the tentacles retrieved through the water. I catch a live well full of sunnies with only 1 or 2 squid head's worth of tentacles. Then I'm ready for a night of flathead cat fishing with the sunfish, and channel cat fishing with the squid bodies. Frozen squid is available at any Asian supermarket.

[toadfrog]

So what your saying is this toughens the liver ? If I keep it frozen untill I use it it wont get slimy and should I cut it into bait size pieces or leave it in big chunks untill its time to use it ? I love kitty cats and I like to use jugs and trout lines, liver has always been my bait of choice for channel and blues never could tough it up for jugging or trout lines unless I used panty hose or roe sack webbing ,used salt but not sugar, didnt work well the sugar must be the missing link I'll try it ,spring runoff is coming thanks PalYep freezing won't let it get slime. I'd cut it while frozen ,easier to handle. Be sure to stir it every day and go the full lenght of time. The longer it goes the better. You can add more sugar and salt when you start to thaw it. It will stay on a single hook pretty good.

[toadfrog]

I quit using chicken liver for channel cat bait 2 years ago. Started using frozen squid instead. It is very tough and stays on the hook until you take it off. The squid heads make awesome jig trailers for bass fishing as well. The tentacles have the best action in the water you have ever seen, and the head leaves a scent trail as well. And 1 or 2 tentacles on a small hook will catch sunfish like crazy. They are too tough for the sunnies to steal off the hook and they go nuts for the action of the tentacles retrieved through the water. I catch a live well full of sunnies with only 1 or 2 squid head's worth of tentacles. Then I'm ready for a night of flathead cat fishing with the sunfish, and channel cat fishing with the squid bodies. Frozen squid is available at any Asian supermarket.I'd like to try that but the closest asian market to me would be a 70 mile round trip. Plus fighting big city traffic. Might jus have to brave it anyway.

[dugger]

Squids good ,shrimps good but chicken liver has always produced more fish for me ,I like adding the tenacles to a lure Idea it makes since for the smell trail

[bass or bass?]

I'll bet I tried using chicken livers for @ 2 years. Never caught a thing on them. When I'd switch from the livers to shrimp ,squid, or cut bait I'd catch fish. Maybe it's just me, however, I don't think I've ever seen anyone else ever catch channels on chicken liver either. :confused:

[toadfrog]

I think a lot of times its lake specific. Here in OK. there are a lot of chicken farms. Their is a constant war between the industries and the states surrounding and including OK. The by products from these plants make it into the water systems. I suppose they develope a nose for it so to speak.

[dugger]

Go to my album fillets waiting to happen those catfish are channels caught on liver all I use sometimes we catch thirty of the 5lb to 20lb. I like squid and shrimp , hard to come bye here without munching it,,,.runoff time you can slay them .

[dugger]

Oh yea love some cut bait, but fresh cut bait but every one has their method of bait for them kittys liver works here and hot dogs go figure ,,,live for yellow cat here

[mo65]

Liver is a proven catfish bait...no denying that...but I can't think of a more cumbersome bait to work with! The key to its success is BLOOD, nothing turns those cats on more. I like to use liver and the blood in it for chum...while fishing with something easier to keep on my hook.
http://www.getsmile.com/emoticons/funny-smileys/thumbs-up.gif

[Tombo]

Love the livers for ice fishing channels. Put some on a jig or a deadstick and what for the kitties to bite.

[tholmes]

I found a method to keep chicken liver on the hook. It sounds kinda weird, but it works! Ask your wife (or GF) to save you an old pair of pantyhose (I told y'all it sounds weird). Cut a piece of the material about 4 inches square. Bait a small treble hook with a chunk of liver and place it in the middle of the square of hose material, pull up the corners around the hook shank and tie it with a piece of thread. This rig lets the blood from the liver seep into the water and allows the hook points to penetrate ol' whiskers' mouth.

Try it, it really works!

Tom

[Tombo]

I have used the panty hose and yes, it works great to keep the bait on the hook. I have used cheese cloth also.

[repair]

Another way to fish liver is to wrap it in a small piece of netted bag with the hook inside. I think its called a spore bag normally used for salmon eggs.

[desert rat]

I found a method to keep chicken liver on the hook. It sounds kinda weird, but it works! Ask your wife (or GF) to save you an old pair of pantyhose (I told y'all it sounds weird). Cut a piece of the material about 4 inches square. Bait a small treble hook with a chunk of liver and place it in the middle of the square of hose material, pull up the corners around the hook shank and tie it with a piece of thread. This rig lets the blood from the liver seep into the water and allows the hook points to penetrate ol' whiskers' mouth.

Try it, it really works!

Tom
you can do all the above and then freeze them also so you use several linesMy two cents

[bsullivan]

lot's of people I know bragged about chicken livers , but I never had much luck with them.Now I use minnows or fresh cut bait.also use gobies plenty of them around.

[pknapinski]

Have had success with chicken livers. Never used squid have to give it a try. We used regular old garden slugs just to see how they would do last year and with a couple on at a time they actually worked go figure.

[afeef745]

Thanks toadfrog for sharing this with us. I ll have to try chicken liver this season.

[afeef745]

Btw, does adding salt and sugar helps with the texture of the chicken liver only, or does it also attract catfish?

[bass or bass?]

To me, chicken liver is just a messy pain in the rear. Difficult to keep on the hook, flys off the hook while casting, and is easy for fish to steal without getting hooked. I stick with frozen squid and also use dip baits. Our sponsor, Team Catfish, makes a terrific dip bait; Secret 7. We also have another sponsor, Rippin' Lips, who makes a great ready to use catfish bait. Personally, I'd recommend any of those options before using chicken liver. My two cents

[afeef745]

I picked up Secret 7 from Cabelas over the weekend. I also bought Charlie Catfish dipbait earlier in the winter. I've heard that one is good to. Plus, I picked up another one over the winter I cant remember the name of.

I just wanna try chicken liver and see what works better around lakes here. Plus, I am planning on carrying 2-3 different kinds of catfish bait on a given day, and see which works better that day. Rather than using just one bait, using multiple ones on different rods to increase the chance of a catch.

Oh, I also picked up pre-packaged dead shad from a store. Have you ever used them before?

[bass or bass?]

I've seen the packaged shad but never tried it. Let us know how you do with it.
Don't forget to bait up with a big gob of nightcrawlers too!
And my partner uses cheese filled hot dogs with great success, although they too tend to fly off the hook and are easily stolen by fish.

[afeef745]

Yea, I was talking about using baits other than night crawlers, which I used last year. I have heard of hot dogs too. I was planing on trying them as well. Will let you know you the packaged shad do.

[afeef745]

When would the catfish start biting btw? I was planing on going after them start of May at the earliest.

[bass or bass?]

I would think the end of April or early May should be hot for channels in your area. My two cents

Channels are active here now and the flatheads should be on the move by the end of April here.