Another wields a landing net. The first person pulls the line while the netter scoops under it and hopes the fish isn't too big to fit. Although flatheads prefer live prey, blue and channel catfish aren't picky about their diets. They scour the bottom for leftover morsels of dead animal scraps. Popular baits include fish chunks, beef or chicken livers, night crawlers, catalpa worms, clam meat, soap, cheese, grasshoppers, crayfish, commercial stink or blood baits, frogs, salamanders, dough balls, hot dogs and probably a few dozen other enticements.
Large catfish eat fish almost exclusively.
Use whole or chunked skipjack herring, mullet, shad or other oily fish. Large blues aren't picky. For cut bait, either fillet a skipjack and use undulating strips, or chop the fish into perpendicular chunks. Since catfish relish so many different baits, supplying their needs shouldn't drain your checkbook. Harvesting your own bait cuts down considerably on costs.