I’m going catfishing here soon and I was wondering, if I can’t catch shad to cut them up can i buy a pre packaged thing of shad, like the stuff at Walmart. Is there any better bait alternatives. The outside temp should be in the 70s-80’s and the water is murky. I’m going after channels and flatheads

I’ve tried the package shad a few times, no joy. Chicken liver, nitecrawlers for channel cats yes.
Live bluegill or sunfish if legal also small carp for flathead.

If your going to buy blue/ channel catfish bait at walmart, get a tub of chicken liver and a spool of the cheapest sewing thread they have. Put a gob of liver on your hook and wrap about a 6 inch long piece of thread around it to hold it on.

Ok thanks

Shads best fresh . Bigger shad preserve best

Bluegill work great for blues and Channel's

I like crawdads for blues and channels and use live perch for flathead. Shad works good also but if you get some crawdads and fish them side by side the crawdads will out fish them shad for sure

Buy raw shrimp at walmart or a grocery store.

I'd find a small creek you could wade for about a mile and take a 3/8-oz beetle spin and catch a couple dozen green sunfish.... then you're having twice the fun anyway.

One really good bait I found over the years for catfish is little yellow bellied bullhead catfish. I take a pair of side cutter and cut the three barbs off... the two pectoral, and the dorsal and hook them through the back where you cut the dorsal barb off. Hook at the end of the line, 18 inches up, a sinker, to keep them close to the bottom. Sit back and hold on.

Garry-

Actor I agree that's the ticket for sure but I haven't cut the barbs off in years. I used to, but fishing side by side cut vs uncut, the uncut out produced three trips in a row so I haven't cut them off since.

Would it work to buy cut package shad bait at Walmart ? Baby shad I think, on tremble hooks ? Would cat be along bank Mississippi , below dam aways ?