Catfish soft bait

The different types of soft lures for catfish

There are 3 main types of soft lure for catfish fishing:

• shads
• grubs, commas
• finesse lures

Each soft bait has its own qualities for each situation. For exploratory fishing, shads and grubs are very popular. The vibrations they generate make them easy to spot on catfish.

Grubs (commas) are particularly useful in places where eels or lampreys are present. The vibrations of these soft bait are similar to those emitted by these 2 species on which catfish occasionally feed. What's more, the comma swims even at low retrieve, making it a good soft bait for difficult catfish.

How to choose a soft bait for catfish?

Catfish are opportunistic fish that feed on large fish. They will sometimes feed on crayfish, molluscs or small fish, but if you want to attract their attention, go for large lures to ward off other predators.

A soft bait for catfish fishing should be at least 18cm long. When it comes to shape, colour and size, rely on the biotope and ask yourself the right questions.

What species are present? Bream, roach, carp, chub, eel, tench... What's the season? The season influences the average size of the fish present. In winter, on a river populated by bream, the use of a large, stocky shad is not to be overlooked. On a river where eels are present, however, you should use grubs or finesse. These flexible lures reproduce the vibrations and movements of these species.