Will Catfish Eat Hot Dogs?

It might sound weird, but catfish indeed fall prey to hot dogs if you use them as bait. Hot dogs are excellent to use as bait for catfish fishing. Even using cheaper hot dogs, you can get quite lucky in catfish fishing. Catfish are accustomed to eating insects and small fish. So, hot dogs are made out of meat and salt and the scent of meat attracts catfish. A small piece of hot dog could do wonders in your catfish fishing.

Is Hot Dog Good Fish Bait for Catfish?

Although using catfish as bait may sound unrealistic, it works wonders in catfish fishing. It is basically due to the meat and salt- the scent attracts the catfish and traps them. Even if you are new to this idea, many expert anglers have used hot dogs for years as the perfect bait for catfish.

Hot dogs can be just as good as other baits like worms, blood baits, and cut baits. The good thing is that it won’t be costly at all, as you can use small pieces and attract a lot of catfish. You can try out the cheapest brands and still catch a handful of catfish using that. It only takes the size of your thumb to attract the catfish using hot dogs. Moreover, hot dogs make great baits to catch catfish because of their lack of mess, easy usability, easily manageable, and rich smell that attracts the fish. 

Why Do Catfish Like Hot Dogs?

Hot dogs are rich in flavor and made of meat. The smell attracts the catfish that hunt for food. Also, the appearance and texture easily draw the catfish looking around for food. As catfish are habituated to eating small fish and insects, the smell of hot dogs lures them a lot. You can catch some nice channel catfish using hot dog baits, especially if you add to the bait with garlic or alcohol for flavor enhancement.

Which Catfish Like Hot Dogs?

Channel catfish are the best target to catch using hot dogs. Also, you can catch small blue catfish using hot dogs of the size of your thumb. However, hot dogs do not work well for flathead or blue catfish. As they do not like dead meat or pieced items- they are hard to catch using your hot dog piece. 

What Kind of Hot Dogs Do Catfish Like?

There is no specific type of hot dog that catfish like. You can use any brand or type, even the cheapest ones. The best thing is that even the ones you cannot eat- those can be used as bait for catfish fishing. However, to make the bait most effective, you can pick the ones that come with rich flavors. Also, make sure to cut the hot dogs to the size of your thumb to make it easy to fit the catfish’s mouth.

Using Hot Dogs as Catfish Bait: Tips And Tricks

Now we will share some tips and tricks to make your catfish fishing most effective using hot dogs. Let’s see what you can do:

Make The Hot Dog Rich in Flavor

The scent and flavor are what attract the catfish most. So, if you can add to the flavor, you will most likely attract more fish to your bait. You can use flavored juice powder like KoolAid to make the hot dog meat more flavorful and scented.

Cut In a Small Size

You cannot catch the fish if the shape of the bait does not fit its mouth. Therefore, you need to cut the hot dogs in the shape of your thumb and not more than 2 centimeters. Take some strong and smelly powder flavor, like garlic. Cut the hotdogs into pieces, and do not cut them too large. Less than 2.5 centimeter/one-inch chunks will work fine.

Make A Better Combination

Unlike using the hot dogs alone, you can mix it up a little bit with some stinky chicken. The combination increases the chances of luring the fish. Stinky chicken liver combined with hotdogs works wellt as catfish bait.

Use Garlic Powder

Garlic powder is an awesome spice to add to the hot dogs to make them more flavorful and full of scent. It will attract the catfish more, giving you plenty of opportunities to catch them.

Try Fishing in Shallow Water

The hot dog bait may fly off the hook if cast too far. You can try fishing near the shore in shallow water which will help you get a stroke of good luck catching the catfish quickly.

What Is the Best Season to Use Hot Dog Baits?

You can catch a break with hot dog bait for your catfish fishing during summer. During summer, as the catfish are more available in the shallow water at night, it becomes easier to set prey for them using hot dogs. Therefore, you can catch plenty of channel cats and small blue catfish.

What Attracts Catfish the Most?

Catfish get lured by both the sight and smell of the food. If you use anything with a strong smell, that will do it. Many anglers use spices like garlic powders to make the scent stronger for the catfish to get attracted to it.

Catfish have a picky nature for food that fits their mouth easily. If you can assure that the bait is small enough to fit a catfish mouth, that will do a great job. Also, bright colors like orange or red also attract catfish a lot.

Closing The Discussion

Catfish love hot dogs. It may sound unusual, but many expert anglers have used the technique for years, and it is high time you give it a try too. If you want to make it more effective, try setting the bait during summertime. Due to the tendency of catfish to swim near the shore on summer nights, you can easily set the bait and lead to a better chance to catch more catfish. Winter is not that good of a time for catching catfish using hot dogs, or catfish in general because they are cold-blooded. With the low cost of hot dogs, it is all about trying new things which don’t cost a lot to get those fish on the hook.