Chunks of pure soap are one of the "traditional" off-the-wall baits for catfish. Photo by Keith Sutton

One of the most amazing things about catfishing is the odd assortment of baits that fishermen use to entice big whiskerfish. Consider, for example, the story related by Hart Stilwell in his 1946 classic, Hunting and Fishing in Texas.

"I believe the fuzziest idea I ever saw put into practice in the taking of catfish," Stilwell wrote, "was revealed to me way out on the West Pecos River where a friend of mine . . . showed me how to catch big old flathead yellows with freshly killed (or freshly dead) baby chicks. His trouble was in getting the baby chicks, since his wife had strong moral and economic objections. She watched her baby chicks about as closely as the mother hen did, and I honestly believe she had taught that hen to set up a racket the instant Bill eased into the henhouse with the idea of sneaking out a baby chick.

"I hung around there several days, fishing for bass and catching mighty few of them," Stilwell continued. "From time to time, Bill would show up with a baby chick. Each time he managed to convince his wife the chick had died of causes beyond his control. Maybe it did; all I know is that Bill was there for the deathwatch, for the chick was still warm when he showed up with it.

"Each time he threaded a fluffy baby chick on a line and let it down into the river, he caught a big old flathead yellow, and one of them was big enough for Bill to carve a 5-pound steak off one side and give it to me to ice down and take back home."

The republication of this story, which was written nearly 60 years ago, is not an attempt to revive the lost art of "chick flipping" for catfish. No, indeed. I would no more recommend using fluffy chicks for bait than I would suggest using puppies or kittens, a practice that is not only highly illegal, but also highly unethical. I relate the story merely to open your mind to the endless possibilities. When it comes to catfish baits, the best are often unthinkable. For example:

SOAP
When Proctor and Gamble introduced Ivory soap in 1879, the folks at the company probably never imagined their product would become a popular catfish bait. That's exactly what happened, however, and for a century or so now, white bars of this "100 percent pure" hand cleaner have been a staple in the bait boxes of hardcore cat men.

Old-timers on the rivers I fished as a youngster often baited trotlines with chunks cut from bars of Ivory soap. My uncle was one of these old-timers, and when we ran lines he'd baited in this fashion, it wasn't unusual to find a cat on every other hook. A small piece threaded on a hook works equally well for rod-and-reel anglers.

Although Ivory is the brand most often used, I've heard that Octagon and Zote soaps also work great. These also are "pure" soaps, without added scents or chemicals. Some catfishermen I know use old-fashioned lye soap made at home, and it, too, seldom fails to coax a bite from hungry cats.