Author: Aerica

Why Make Your Own?

Three reasons:

• Cheap — basic ingredients cost pennies per jar
• Customizable — adjust scent profile to local conditions
• Fun — kids love it (then they smell terrible)

That said, commercial stink bait has its place — see why at the end.

Recipe 1: Classic Cheese Bait (Punch Bait Style)

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs sharp cheddar (block, not pre-shredded — has no anti-cake additives)
• 1 lb chicken livers
• 1 cup flour
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/4 cup garlic powder
• 1/4 cup anise extract (optional, adds licorice scent cats like)

Method:

1. Cut cheese into chunks. Let sit at room temp for 2-3 days in a sealed bag until soft and pungent
2. Blend chicken livers in a food processor (use one you don’t love — it’ll never smell right again)
3. Mix all ingredients in a 5-gallon bucket with a stick
4. Cover and let “cure” outside in the sun for 5-7 days, stirring daily
5. Store in screw-top jars

Recipe 2: Wheaties & Garlic (Dough Bait Style)

Ingredients:

• 2 boxes Wheaties cereal
• 1 can chicken broth
• 4 tbsp garlic powder
• 2 tbsp anise extract
• 2 tbsp ground catfish food (sinking pellets, crushed)

Method:

1. Crush Wheaties to powder
2. Mix dry ingredients
3. Slowly add chicken broth, mixing until dough-like (firm enough to stay on a hook but soft enough to mold)
4. Form into balls, store in fridge in plastic bags

Use within a week — doesn’t keep as long as cheese-based bait.

Recipe 3: Pure Catfish Funk (Old Timer Recipe)

This is the recipe your grandfather’s brother-in-law swears by. Don’t make it indoors.

Ingredients:

• Old fish heads (you’ve been freezing for this purpose)
• 2 lbs raw chicken
• 1 box of cornflakes
• Whatever Kool-Aid packet is in the cabinet (yes, really — adds color and flavor cats like)
• Garlic powder, generous
• Water as needed

Method: Grind everything together. Let sit in a sealed bucket outdoors for 7-10 days. Stir occasionally. Try not to throw up. The worse it smells, the better it fishes.

What Makes Commercial Stink Bait Better (Sometimes)

DIY stink bait works. But commercial bait — and specifically Mr. Mc’s Magical Catfish Stink Bait — has advantages:

• Consistent scent profile — same jar to jar, predictable performance
• Better binding — won’t fall off the hook on hard casts or in current
• Longer shelf life — properly cured commercial bait keeps for a year+
• No prep time — buy jar, fish
• No basement smell — your wife will thank you

For fishing weekends or guided trips, commercial wins. For tinkering and pride of catching on your own recipe, DIY wins.

Rigs & Tactics

Whether you use DIY or commercial bait, fishing technique is the same. See our stink bait rigging guide for the right rigs and beginner mistakes.

Related

• Behind the Jar: What Makes Our Stink Bait Work
• How to Use Catfish Stink Bait
• Catfishing in Wichita
• Bait & Tackle Shop

Why Brush Piles Work

Crappie are ambush predators. They hold tight to vertical structure and wait for baitfish to swim past. A good brush pile gives them:

• Cover from bass and bigger predators
• Shade from direct sun
• Ambush positions to attack baitfish
• Spawning structure in spring (3-6 ft of water with brush)

One stack of cedar in the right spot can hold 30+ crappie.

Finding Existing Brush in Wichita Lakes

Building Your Own (Legally)

Best materials

• Cedar trees — last 5-10 years underwater. Cheapest crappie magnet.
• Bamboo bundles — last 3-5 years. Easy to sink with concrete blocks.
• PVC structures — pre-built fish attractors that last decades. More expensive but permanent.
• Hardwood (oak, hickory) — lasts longest (10+ years) but harder to sink.

How to sink them

1. Wire 2-3 trees together at the base
2. Wire a cinder block to the base
3. Drop in 10-20 ft of water near a known transition (point, drop-off, creek channel)
4. Mark the GPS location — you won’t find it later without one

When to build them

Winter is the best season to build brush piles. Water is low (you can wade out farther), fish aren’t pressured, and the brush has 3-4 months to settle before spring crappie spawn.

Fishing the Brush

Once you’ve found (or built) a brush pile:

• Anchor 15-20 ft away (don’t spook the school)
• Vertical-jig small jigs (1/16 oz, chartreuse or pink) just above the brush
• Live minnow on a slip bobber works at the right depth
• Move when the bite slows — crappie move with light and temperature

For full crappie tactics see our Crappie Fishing in Wichita guide.

Related

• Fishing in Wichita KS Hub
• Best Kansas Lakes Within 30 Min of Wichita
• Bait & Tackle Shop

First — Keep Them Alive Until You Clean Them

Catfish flesh goes soft fast. Best practice:

• Keep on a stringer in the water while you fish, OR in a cooler with ice + a little water
• Clean within a few hours of catching
• Don’t let them sit in warm sun — quality drops by the hour

Cleaning Method 1: Skin & Gut Whole (Old School)

1. Nail the head to a board through the eye socket
2. Cut around the head behind the gills with a sharp fillet knife
3. Use pliers to peel the skin back from the cut, working from head toward tail (catfish skin is leathery)
4. Once skinned, cut off the head and tail
5. Slit the belly, remove guts, rinse clean
6. Cook whole, on the bone

Pros: faster, less waste. Best for small to medium fish.

Cleaning Method 2: Fillet (Boneless)

1. Make a cut behind the gills down to the spine
2. Turn the knife flat and cut along the spine toward the tail, riding the bones
3. Cut down through the rib cage on each side
4. Lift the fillet off — should come away cleanly
5. Flip the fish and repeat the other side
6. Skin each fillet: lay skin-side down, hold the tail end, slide knife between skin and meat
7. Trim out the red lateral line meat (looks like a dark stripe) — it’s where the strong “muddy” flavor lives

Pros: boneless, restaurant-grade. Best for bigger fish.

Soak Before Cooking (Optional but Recommended)

Soak fillets in salt water or buttermilk for 1–4 hours before cooking. Buttermilk pulls out any remaining muddy taste and tenderizes the meat. Pat dry before breading.

Recipe 1: Fried Catfish (Wichita Classic)

Ingredients:

• Catfish fillets, soaked
• 1 cup cornmeal
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp pepper, 1 tsp paprika, 1/2 tsp cayenne
• 1 egg + 1/2 cup buttermilk (egg wash)
• Oil for frying (peanut or vegetable)

Method:

1. Heat oil to 350°F in a heavy skillet or dutch oven
2. Mix cornmeal, flour, and seasonings
3. Dip fillet in egg wash, then dredge in cornmeal mix
4. Fry 3–5 minutes per side until golden and flaky
5. Drain on paper towels, season with extra salt while hot

Serve with hush puppies, coleslaw, and tartar sauce.

Recipe 2: Blackened Catfish (Cast Iron)

1. Mix Cajun seasoning: paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, thyme, salt, pepper, cayenne
2. Coat fillets in melted butter, then heavy on the seasoning
3. Heat a cast iron skillet until smoking hot
4. Lay fillet in dry pan, cook 2 minutes per side
5. Serve with lemon and rice

Recipe 3: Grilled Catfish (Foil Pack)

1. Lay fillet on a sheet of foil with butter, lemon slices, onion, and garlic
2. Season with salt, pepper, Cajun seasoning
3. Seal the foil pack
4. Grill 10–12 minutes over medium heat

Pairs well with a cold beer and corn on the cob.

Related

• Catfishing in Wichita — Bait, Spots & Times
• Catfishing the Arkansas River Through Wichita
• Flathead Catfish in Kansas