Hi Janis,

thanks for sharing the tip. That's a great idea and very helpful. 
Sometimes they also sell the elastic bait band at fishing stores, but it's probably a bunch cheaper to buy it at Walmart.

Also good when fishing with other baits, like frozen sardines or anything that falls off the hook easily.

happy fishing!

Hi Janis,

I am just coming up to 48 years fishing experience. Apart from catching some catfish last year when I was in Queensland, I know nothing about it. I was actually fishing for silver perch and yellow belly. Yellow belly is also known as golden perch. I landed quite a few silvers and even got a few keepers for the BBQ...but alas not even one yellow....Heaps of catfish thou!! :)

There is no such thing as a silly question...and there is no such thing as bad advice...You might be surprised at the number of people reading this. It is counted in the 10's of thousands. And I bet not even 10% would have known or heard of tying bait to the hook !! 

There is a way to save your elastic. You can make a loop in the main line and pass that loop over the bait. Then repeat with a second or even third loop. When the bait is taken the loops slide free leaving the hook set and the main line straight.

Thanks for your tips. I am sure many people will find it helpful...I know I have...Next time I am in Queensland them catfish are history 😊 I will teach them for thieving my worms. I wish I had of thought of looping the worms on last year :)

Thanks for the very helpful trick! 

I just read about the largest catfish ever caught in South Carolina was 116 lbs and was caught with a hunk of Spam. Those crazy cats will hit anything! (Leave chunks in the sun for a couple of hours so it gets hard).

will be good fun to catch those big ones from a kayak.
What kind of kayak have you got?

We use pieces of panty hose to hold the bait on the hook. Works great for liver and home made baits. We sometimes pre make small panty hose pouches, about thumb size, with home made baits. Secure them with those things rubber bands. We soak them in tub of chicken livers over night. The catfish around here LOVE it!