A guide to making the most effective bait for river and lake snakehead fish

Tips for making river catfish bait – catch them wherever you fish

River catfish bait made from pork and shrimp paste

Ingredients:

• Pork: 200
• Shrimp paste: 100g
• Eggs: 2
• Fish sauce: 20ml
• Cotton wool: 50g

Ingredients for catfish bait

Method

• Finely chopped black pork
• Mix all the ingredients together.
• Place the mixture in an airtight container and leave to ferment for about one month
• This river catfish bait is extremely fragrant and highly attractive to catfish.
• When fishing, dip a piece of cotton wool into the fermented river catfish bait mixture and attach it to the hook.

Catfish are related to catfish; they usually feed on other aquatic creatures such as prawns and squid… see the article on catfish bait. 

River catfish bait made from squid and shrimp paste

Ingredients

• Shrimp paste: 2 teaspoons
• Fresh squid: 100g
• Fish sauce: 1 teaspoon
• Rotten chicken eggs: 2

Method:

• Rinse the fresh squid thoroughly, then mince it finely
• Mix all the ingredients together thoroughly
• Leave the mixture in an airtight container for about one month, then it’s ready for fishing.

This river catfish bait is specifically designed for bottom fishing and hook-and-line fishing

River catfish bait made from pig’s liver and fish meal

Ingredients:

• Bait mixture:
• Pork liver: 1 kg
• Fish meal: 200g
• Cold rice: 300g
• Crumpled sponge
• Hooked bait
• Earthworms: choose ones as thick as the tip of a chopstick

Method:

• Making bait balls:
• Finely minced pork liver
• Mash cold rice until smooth
• Mix in the fishmeal, rice, liver and sponge
• Place this river fishing bait mixture into a bait bed near where you’ll cast your line
• Cut earthworms into pieces, attach them to the hook and cast them about 50 cm away from the bait pile.
• Within just 10 minutes, the snakehead will take the bait.

This is a highly effective method for making river catfish bait, used by many anglers.

River catfish bait made from chicken and duck gizzards and feed

Ingredients for making the bait pile:

• Duck giblets: 1 kg
• Chicken giblets: 1 kg
• Fishmeal with a strong fishy smell: 500g
• Concentrated fish meal: 500g

Ingredients for the bait:

• Earthworms: 200g

Method

• Making a bait pile to attract river catfish
• Wash the chicken and duck giblets thoroughly, cut them into 5cm pieces, then leave them to ferment in an airtight container for approximately 2 days.
• After two days, remove the fermented giblets and mix them with the two types of feed mentioned above; the bait is then ready for fishing.
• How to fish for river catfish:
• When you reach your fishing spot, place the bait in a bag, spread it out thinly, add a stone, and tie the bag securely. Cast the bait into the fishing spot
• Cut earthworms in half and place them on the hook.
• Note: You should fish about 50 cm away from where you’ve placed the bait.

Although this method of making bait for river catfish is a little fiddly, the results it delivers will not disappoint you.

River catfish bait made from pork liver and shrimp paste

Ingredients:

• Pork liver: 200g
• Shrimp paste: 50g
• Fish sauce: 1 teaspoon
• Cotton wool

Method:

• Wash the pork liver thoroughly, then mince it finely.
• Mix the liver, fish sauce and shrimp paste thoroughly, then place in a container.
• Cover the container tightly and leave to marinate for about one month.
• When you go fishing, take the river catfish bait and cotton wool with you.
• Once you arrive, dip the cotton wool into the bait and cast it out.

This method for making river catfish bait is guaranteed to be incredibly effective, folks.

River catfish bait made from silver carp and star anise

Ingredients

• Mudfish: 500g
• Star anise: 20g
• Small star anise: 20g
• A nguỳ: 20g

Method

• Rinse the catfish and chop finely
• Lightly toast the star anise, fennel and aniseed over a low heat until fragrant, then grind to a fine powder.
• Mix all the ingredients together thoroughly.
• Leave the mixture to ferment for 15–20 days.

This river catfish bait is unbeatable in terms of sensitivity, but be careful not to let the bait stick to your hands. River catfish bait made from silver carp has a very strong odour; once it sticks to your hands, the smell won’t go away for a whole month.

River catfish bait made from anchovies and Chinese herbs

Ingredients:

• Sea sardines: 1 kg
• Linh fish sauce: 300g
• Duck eggs: 3
• Cotton wool
• Southern Pinellia: 1 chỉ
• Cinnamon bark: 1.5 chỉ
• Star anise: 3 chỉ
• Small star anise: 2 zhi
• Milk vetch: 2 zhi

Method:

• Roast the southern pinellia, cinnamon bark, star anise, fennel and milk vetch until golden, then grind to a fine powder.
• Wash the sardines thoroughly and mince them finely.
• Mix all the ingredients (except the anchovy sauce and duck eggs) together, then place in a container and leave to ferment for 3 days.
• After 3 days, add the finely chopped fish sauce and leave to ferment for a further 2 days.
• After 2 days of fermentation, add the duck eggs and leave to ferment for a further 7 days.
• After 7 days, add cotton wool, mix thoroughly, then leave to ferment for a further 2 days before taking it out to fish.

Although this method of making bait for river snakehead requires quite a bit of effort, it can be used for a long time and is extremely effective for catching snakehead.

How to make bait for red-tailed catfish

Traditional method for making red-tailed snakehead bait

I’d now like to share with you how to make red-tailed snakehead bait, a method I’ve picked up from experienced anglers in the Mekong Delta. To make this red-tailed snakehead bait, you’ll need the following ingredients:

• Anchovies: 500g
• Beef fat: 250g
• Cotton wool

How to make red-tailed catfish bait:

• Wash the anchovies thoroughly, then lay them out to dry.
• Once dry, place the fish in an airtight container and leave to mature for about 3 days.
• Wash the beef fat, cut it into small pieces, then fry it to render the fat.
• Once the fat has rendered, pour it immediately into the container of fish whilst it is still hot.
• Mix the fish and beef fat thoroughly.
• Gradually add cotton wool until the mixture becomes thick and sticky.

With this method for making bait for red-tailed catfish, you’ll be reeling in so many that you’ll be exhausted in no time.

The most effective way to make catfish bait

The most effective catfish bait recipe for novice anglers. To make this highly effective catfish bait, you’ll need the following ingredients:

• Pig’s intestines: 1 kg
• Tiger worms: 300g
• Pork fat: 300g
• Moth larvae: 200g
• Borax: 50g
• Cotton wool

The best way to make bait for catching snakehead fish is as follows:

• Wash the pig’s offal and tiger worms thoroughly, then mince them finely.
• Then mix with the remaining ingredients and leave to ferment in an airtight container for about 7 days.
• When you go fishing, add cotton wool and borax to the mix. Adding borax to this highly effective catfish bait will make it last longer. Simply roll the cotton wool into a ball, attach it to the hook, and you’re ready to fish.

A simple catfish bait method everyone should know

Ingredients for making simple catfish bait include

• Small anchovies: 0.5 kg
• Unhatched duck eggs: 3
• Cotton wool: 1 bag

Method:

• Soak the duck eggs for about one day. This step is intended to make the eggs rot
• Pound the mackerel to a paste
• Mix the eggs, fish and cotton wool, then continue to pound until well combined.
• Place this simple catfish bait mixture into a container and seal it tightly for 10 days.

With this simple method for making catfish bait, all you need to do is hone your fishing technique a little further and your success rate will reach 90 per cent.

How to make medicated bait for catfish

To make catfish bait, you’ll need the following ingredients:

• Linh fish: 1 kg (you can substitute with lòng tong or nục fish)
• Pork belly: 200g
• Mackerel: 100g
• Duck eggs: 4
• Finely shredded cotton wool: 50g
• Rendered beef fat: 2 tablespoons (buy the fat from the market and render it yourself at home to ensure quality)
• Snakehead fish bait mixture: 3 teaspoons

To make the catfish bait, follow these steps:

• Grind the catfish, pork belly and fish sauce until smooth, then mix with the duck eggs and bait mixture.
• Gradually add the cotton wool, mixing thoroughly until the mixture becomes thick and sticky. Try wrapping some catfish bait around the hook; if the bait doesn’t fall off, you’ve succeeded.
• Next, add the beef fat and mix it in.
• Place the mixture in an airtight container and leave to ferment for 7 days.

These are the steps for making extremely effective catfish bait.

Where to buy affordable catfish bait

If you don’t have time to make your own bait, you can buy ready-made catfish bait. The best place to buy affordable and highly effective catfish bait is currently at Tuấn Kiệt Fishing Tackle.

As well as catfish bait, Tuấn Kiệt Fishing Supplies also offers a range of high-quality, affordable fishing rods.

Buy fishing tackle from Tuấn Kiệt’s shop on Shopee: