The trick is to check baits somewhat frequently early in the day to figure out how quickly they are disappearing. Of course, when the bite is right, that's not much of a factor because anglers are regularly reeling in fish or checking lines anyway because of fish strikes.

One common variation of a dip is the nugget-type bait, which sort of looks like a piece of dog food. Nuggets, which are often just denser versions of dip formulas, provide anglers with an alternative for when strong currents would wash the dip away too quickly, or for waters where small bait stealers are ultra-abundant.

Because the nuggets don't break up as readily, though, they don't broadcast the same scent trail and aren't quite as effective. Veteran catfishermen typically only choose these over actual dip baits when conditions necessitate doing so.

WORMS
Certainly there's not a more classic fishing bait than a simple worm strung on a hook, and there's a very good and simple reason for that: Fish like to eat worms. A worm, of course, isn't strictly a catfish bait. Worms also produce bass, bluegills and most other species of game fish. Keys to targeting cats with worms are picking the right worms for the job, rigging appropriately and putting worms where catfish live.

In terms of the right worms, bigger is usually better for targeting catfish. Beyond being more attractive than a little red worm to a hungry channel cat, a big night crawler is far less likely to get picked apart by pesky bluegills. However, upsizing doesn't necessarily make the bait cat-exclusive. Any worm is apt to produce an occasional bass, and even a big, juicy crawler might be attacked by an overzealous bream. However, a bigger worm won't get robbed from the hook as often, thus increasing the opportunity for a catfish to find and eat it.

Channel catfish spend the bulk of their time on or near the bottom, so the best rigs for targeting cats would deliver the worm on or near the bottom. For fairly open waters, a variety of simple bottom rigs will work fine, with the ideal amount of weight being just enough to allow for decent casting and to keep the rig in place.

Wherever channel cats abound on stump-studded flats, or other places where the cover is thick, a better approach is to use a slip-bobber pegged at a depth that will suspend the bait just off the bottom. Such a rig can be cast tight to cover where channel cats tend to hold, especially by day. In addition, this rig keeps the hook from dragging across the bottom and getting snagged, plus it allows the angler to know exactly what's happening anytime a catfish even nibbles.

Virtually all bait stores sell worms of some sort, and most have night crawlers as part of their offerings. Before going out and buying worms, though, it's never a bad idea for an angler to stick a shovel in the ground in a few shady spots in his own yard. If the soil looks good but none of the right worms are found, they can be "seeded" with any night crawlers left over from a bait store batch at the end of a day of fishing.

CUT FISH
For a real-life attraction, it's hard to beat a scent and flavor that fish are accustomed to having around them all the time -- that of fresh fish. Cut bait can be fabulous for making cats bite, and it stands out as an especially good bait choice for anglers who want to target larger cats. As channels gain age and pounds, they tend to shed some of their scavenging ways and have a tendency to add more fish to their diets.