What Do Catfish Eat? A Complete Angler’s Guide

By: FishUSA Staff

October 22, 2025

Catfish eat what the water gives them. They follow scent, vibration, and current to easy food. They feed on baitfish, invertebrates, frogs, insects, and fresh dead prey. Your results improve when your bait matches that menu. This guide explains catfish diet by species, season, and habitat. It then shows you how to turn that knowledge into simple bait and rig choices.

How Catfish Find Food

What Catfish Eat (Core Menu)

Species Breakdown

Seasonal Diet Shifts

Lake vs. River Diet

Small Cats vs. Big Cats

Match Bait to Diet (Action Steps)

Scavenging vs. Hunting

Regional Forage Notes

Common Myths

Rig Tips that Fit the Menu

Quick Bait Planner

Simple Start Plans

Conclusion

How Catfish Find Food

Catfish use more than one sense to hunt. They read scent plumes with taste buds that cover skin and barbels. They feel vibration with a lateral line that tracks thumps and tail beats. They see well at short range, especially in clear water. Their bodies hold near bottom with little effort, so they spend time where food collects. Match these strengths with baits that bleed scent and move clean, and you will get more steady loads.

Scent: Strong scent draws fish in stain and at night. Fresh bait beats old bait.
Vibration: Live prey and head pieces thump and call big fish from distance.
Vision: Short-range vision helps close the deal in clear water and daylight.
Bottom focus: Edges, seams, and the first break funnel food to waiting fish.

What Catfish Eat (Core Menu)

The menu shifts with season and water type, but the staples stay the same. On reservoirs with shad, baitfish lead the diet. On northern lakes, panfish, shiners, and insect fallout matter more. In rivers, current brings chubs, suckers, crawfish, and mussels. Use the list below to guide bait choices, then fine-tune size and shape to match mood.

Baitfish: Shad, skipjack, herring, mooneye, shiners, sunfish (where legal), carp pieces.
Invertebrates: Crawfish, freshwater shrimp, mussels, clams, worms, leeches.
Amphibians: Frogs and tadpoles near weeds and warm banks in summer.
Insects: Mayflies and mixed hatch fallout along riprap and flats.
Dead or injured prey: Fresh cut bait and winter die-offs after cold snaps.
Prepared baits: Stink, punch, and dip baits for channels in moving water.

Species Breakdown

Blue Catfish

Blue catfish prefer fish-based food. They travel with bait schools and hold on edges and current. They answer both scent and vibration. Fresh cut bait matches their diet and holds up in flow. Use heads and mids for blood and thump on ledges, humps, and seams. Tough cuts from carp or drum work well on long drifts where soft flesh would wash out.

Primary foods: Shad, skipjack, herring, carp cuts.
Match with: Fresh cut shad or skipjack; heads, mids, and fillets.

Channel Catfish

Channel catfish are scent-first feeders. They eat small fish, worms, crawfish, and any strong-smelling food that drifts by. Wind-blown rocks and banks are prime because current and waves stack forage there. Prepared baits work in these lanes because they shed scent in a steady plume. Worms and small cuts also draw channels when traffic is low and water is clear.

Primary foods: Minnows, shad pieces, worms, crawfish, mussels.
Match with: Cut shad, nightcrawlers, dip or punch baits on sponges or worms.

Flathead Catfish

Flatheads hunt live prey. They wait in wood and rock and strike at night in warm water. They track tail beats and body roll more than other cats. A lively legal bait near cover is the best match. Large crawfish also score when fish hold tight in heavy timber or during heat.

Primary foods: Live sunfish (where legal), live shad, bullheads, suckers.
Match with: Lively baitfish or big crawfish placed beside cover, not buried in it.

Seasonal Diet Shifts

Water temperature and daylight shape forage movement. Follow bait, and you follow catfish. Use these notes to plan bait type and size across the year.

Spring (50–70°F)

Sun warms flats and creek arms. Shad and invertebrates move shallow. Catfish slide up on warming trends. Fresh cuts and worms draw quick bites. Late spring wakes the flathead bite on live bait near wood. Midday often beats early morning when surface temps rise fast.

Summer (70–85°F+)

Heat pushes the bite to dusk, night, and pre-dawn. Frogs, insects, and crawfish add to the diet, but fish-based food still leads for blues. Channels love riprap at night when insects fall. Flatheads feed hard after dark on live prey. Keep bait fresh and sized to match local forage.

Fall (55–70°F)

Bait schools tighten as water cools. Blues and channels feed heavy. Bigger cut bait starts to shine because fish bulk up. Even flatheads keep a strong evening bite as temps slide. Daytime windows grow longer on windy days when bait pins to points and humps.

Winter (<50°F)

Metabolism slows and fish group deep. Small pieces of fresh cut bait score more than big slabs. Fish eat less often, so clean scent and precise placement matter. Channels favor warm inflows and power plant discharges. Flatheads get tough; live bait near deep wood can still score but expect fewer bites.

Lake vs. River Diet

Lakes and rivers feed fish in different ways. Lakes depend on wind to push forage. Rivers depend on flow to deliver food. Adjust bait and position to fit the system you fish.

Lakes: Shad, alewife, and panfish drive the menu. Fish wind-blown banks, points, and humps near channels. Use fresh cuts and vary piece type until one profile wins.
Rivers: Chubs, suckers, shad, crawfish, mussels, and freshwater shrimp matter more. Fish seams, inside bends, and ledges. Use heads and tough strips that hold up in current.

Small Cats vs. Big Cats

Juvenile cats eat more invertebrates because they match size and mouth gape. Adult fish shift to baitfish and larger prey to meet energy needs. Size your bait to the fish you want. Small worms and one-inch cuts speed action. Big cuts and live bait weed out dinks and tempt trophies.

Juveniles: Worms, leeches, insect fallout, micro-cuts.
Adults: Baitfish, larger crawfish, live prey, upsized cuts.

Match Bait to Diet (Action Steps)

Start with what you see and mark. If your sonar or birds show shad, use shad. If rocks crawl with crawfish, use crawfish. If the river smells of die-off after a freeze, fish small fresh cuts where the flow slows. Simple matches beat guesswork.

Check out our full guide on The Best Bait For Catfish!

If You See Bait Schools

Follow birds and wind lanes. Drift fresh cut shad for blues and channels. Place live shad for flatheads at dusk beside cover. Rotate head, mid, and fillet until one out-fishes the rest.

Drift Santee rigs with shad heads and mids over flats near channels.
Anchor on the first break and mix piece types until a pattern shows.

If You Fish Rocky Banks with Crawfish

Work riprap, points, and boulder fields. Use live crawfish for flatheads and channels. If bait is scarce, use cut bait with a peg float to add lift and suggest movement over rock.

Three-way rigs save leaders in rock; add a small peg float near the hook.
Place baits 6–18 inches off bottom to dodge snags and shells.

If Water Is Stained with Steady Flow

Lean on scent. Dip and punch baits shine for channels on seams and eddies. Blues still favor fish-based food. Use tough cuts so bait lasts through the drift. Replace baits on a timer to keep the scent plume strong.

If Water Is Clear and Calm

Downsize and give fish a cleaner look. Use smaller cuts and worms for channels. Use live bait with longer leaders for flatheads at dusk. Place baits with care and keep the hook point exposed.

Scavenging vs. Hunting

All catfish scavenge when the buffet appears. Storms, die-offs, and cold snaps can load shallows with easy meals. Blues and flatheads still hunt when water is warm and current moves. Match the mode. If fish scavenge, use small fresh cuts and spread a grid. If fish hunt, use live bait or thumping head pieces on the travel lane.

Regional Forage Notes

Local food shapes daily choices. Learn the main forage and keep a few bait plans ready for each trip.

Shad and skipjack reservoirs: Fish-based diet rules. Fresh shad or skipjack cuts produce year-round.
Northern natural lakes: Perch, shiners, bluegill, and insect hatches feed channels. Worms and small cuts shine on riprap.
Big rivers: Shad, mooneye, goldeye, suckers, and mussels feed blues and flatheads. Tough cuts and live bait excel.

Common Myths

Simple checks keep you from chasing bad ideas. Catfish do not eat “anything” with equal interest. They eat what the water offers most. Stink bait does not beat fresh fish for blues and flatheads. Bigger bait is not always better; cold water and post-front days favor smaller pieces.

“Catfish eat anything.” Fresh local forage out-fishes random scraps.
“Stink wins for all cats.” Great for channels; fish-based baits win for blues and flatheads.
“Always go big.” Size to mood and season; downsize in cold or after fronts.

Rig Tips that Fit the Menu

Your rig should match bottom and speed. Keep it simple on clean sand and mud. Lift bait over grass and shell. Separate sinkers from leaders in rock and timber. Use circle hooks and steady pressure to let the hook turn home.

Cut bait near bottom: Carolina or three-way rigs with circle hooks.
Over grass or shells: Santee-Cooper with a peg float to lift bait 2–6 inches.
Prepared baits: Dip worms or sponge trebles; a slip float helps in heavy cover.
Live bait for flatheads: Three-way with a light breakaway dropper beside cover.

Quick Bait Planner

Use this short list to set your first spread. Adjust size and piece type after the first few bites.

Blue cats: Fresh cut shad or skipjack. Heads and mids in current; fillets on drifts.
Channel cats: Nightcrawlers, cut shad, dip or punch baits on seams and riprap.
Flatheads: Live shad or legal sunfish tight to wood; large crawfish as backup.

Simple Start Plans

Windy Summer Lake (Blues)

Find shad on a wind-blown point with a 12–20 foot flat near a channel. Drift Santee rigs at 0.6–0.8 mph with shad heads and mids. Copy the piece that draws repeat loads. Return after dark to anchor the same lane if day slows.

Scout bait on points and nearby flats.
Drift fresh cuts at steady speed; replace every 20–30 minutes.
Anchor at night and run a mixed spread on the first break.

Evening Riprap (Channels)

Walk 50–100 yards of rock at dusk. Set one Carolina rig on bottom with cut shad and two slip floats 1–3 feet deep with worms or punch bait. Move in short steps until a lane lights up, then stay and refresh baits on a timer.

Fish three lanes: tight to rock, first drop, and outside edge.
Re-bait often; old bait hides bites.
Slide to the first break before dawn.

Warm Night River Bend (Flatheads)

Pick an outside bend with timber in 6–12 feet. Place live bait two to five feet off the wood on a three-way with a light breakaway dropper. Give each tree 30–45 minutes. Move if the rod does not load.

Stagger depths and keep hook points clear.
Use smooth drags and steady pressure.
Rotate cover until you mark life or get a take.

Conclusion

Catfish eat baitfish, crawfish, worms, insects, frogs, and fresh dead prey. Match that menu to your water. Choose fresh cuts for blues, scent-forward baits for channels, and live prey for flatheads. Adjust bait size to mood and season. Pick rigs that fit the bottom and keep the hook point exposed. Follow these steps, and your bait will look like food, not a guess.

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