Tomorrow I'm going after cats in Wausau dam. In mosinee.
Using chicken gizzard in koolaid alot of garlic power to smelland call them in. So what kind of bait you guys use?.

bread

In order
Live bait, prefer fish from the body of water , size depends on what size I'm after
Fresh cut
Frozen and then it's usually certain fish like skipjack or shrimp
Salted fish , usually skip jack
Worms and the like
Grocery store basics :
Beef liver
Chicken liver
Shrimp
Hotdogs
Then just all the super secret concoctions and store bought stuff

If there's a lot of fish and there hungry you can catch them on about anything it seems but if you have like a lower population or there fished heavy seems natty is best

Will say though if you have bullheads , gaf tops or hard heads it just needs to be edible lol

Cut shad for me. Give me a plate of them cats any day over those nasty walleye fish of the north!!

No particular order, depending on time of year here.
Chicken liver
Leopard frogs (grass frog)
Cut jumping carp (silver)
Night crawler
Sonys super sticky stink bait (SSS)

SSS, sit smile and skin.

blue gill heads ,tails being second for whatever reason the middle section seems to get me the least action.
worms but tend to be smaller cats

Cut shiners on the river. I get them with a throw net. Cut chunks of carp, redhorse sucker etc. work well but it's so easy to get shiners with a throw net. Little cut perch work OK but they don't have the oil content (smell) of the rough fish or shiners. Catfish hunt by smell.
Cut shad on the lake. Get them with a throw net in the back of coves.
Nightcrawlers are OK. Perch will aggravate the worms though and no telling what you'll catch.

I can almost always get shiners on the river, that's where I do most of my catfishing. Just a few; a dozen or less are enough for an evenings fishing. Bigger shiners, I fillet them in two pieces right down the backbone and get 2 to 4 baits out of them, depending on the size.
I keep a jars of 'Sonny's' catfishbait in the boat for the rare times I can't get shiners. It is only store bought catfish bait I've ever used that I've caught any fish on.

Thanks for all the reply I hope I'll get pics to post.

Live green sunfish on limblines or trotlines. Cut green sunfish when fishing with a rod and reel.

Mackrel number 1 bait followed by shrimp.

cast nets are a no go in most of WI

only suckers on the IA WI boarder , which is likely because IA allows it and it is shared water.

Chicken livers and shrimp work for me. I tie the livers on with elastic string you can buy at fishing stores. I feel the mesh makes them bite it but not take it.

Somjng great for livers is the egg loop knot

Worms,worms,worms

Blue and Channel cats are only variety available to my area.
My go to is stinky oily old raw shrimp.
2-4# channels and occasionally a larger Blue cat.

I hope to someday sink my teeth into some flathead cats.
People talk highly of their table fare.
Couple of nights of limb lining would tickle me to death.
Not legally an option in my state.

Live bait was leopard frogs and Catalpa Worms but they are pretty much disappeared around here.

Got a friend that chases lots of catfish successfully. He swears by chicken breast marinated in cherry koolaid.

Live Sunfish with either jugs or drifting

I sort of wish limb lining or yo-yos were legal here , but I get why they are not

it would be a glut of guys cruising up and down the river checking limb lines and fishing out a river in a hurry

3 lines and you need to be attending each of them.