Skipjack, Mooneye or Shad? Picking the Right Catfish Bait for Missouri Rivers
Back home in South Florida, everybody had an opinion on bait. Pilchards, pinfish, ballyhoo, you name it. Up here on the big rivers, the bait argument comes down to three fish: skipjack herring, mooneye and gizzard shad. All three are oily baitfish, and oil is what pulls catfish in. When a chunk of cut bait sits in the current, it bleeds scent downstream in a long trail, and every catfish in that trail knows dinner is served.
The Missouri Department of Conservation says it plainly. Skipjack herring and gizzard shad are bony, oily and flavorless for people, and they make superb live or cut bait for catfish. MDC also lists shad, skipjack herring and goldeye, a close cousin of the mooneye, among the good baits for blue catfish on the lower Missouri River.
So which one goes on your hook? That depends on what you're chasing, what time of year it is and what you can actually get your hands on. Here's how I break it down.
Gizzard shad: the everyday workhorse
Gizzard shad are the bread and butter of catfishing around St. Louis. They live in both rivers and most of our lakes, which means the catfish are already eating them every single day. One fresh dead shad cuts into heads, steaks and belly strips, so a single fish can bait several hooks.
Shad are the most versatile bait I carry. They work on blue catfish and channel catfish, and they're a strong pick for catfish tournaments. They'll catch bass, wipers and walleye too, and the small ones are a good size for crappie. Fresh dead shad from 319 Bait runs $3 each during the season.
Skipjack herring: the oil slick
Skipjack are the oiliest of the bunch, and a lot of trophy blue catfish guys swear by them. The catch is supply. MDC notes skipjack are most abundant in the Mississippi River south of the mouth of the Ohio River, so they only swing through St. Louis from time to time. Plenty of folks who throw a net for their own come home with shad and carp instead. When skipjack are around, grab them for big blues. Skipjack from 319 Bait run $6 each.
Mooneye: the seasonal secret
Mooneye look a lot like skipjack and fish a lot like them too. They're firm, shiny and loaded with scent, and a lot of river rats rank them right alongside skipjack or even ahead of it. Mooneye are seasonal, so they come and go. When I've got them, they're one of my favorite baits for big blues, hands down. Mooneye from 319 Bait run $6 each.
Quick comparison
- Gizzard shad: Blues, channels, tournaments, bass, wipers, walleye, crappie. Most of the season. $3 each, fresh dead.
- Skipjack herring: Big blue catfish. Limited, comes and goes. $6 each.
- Mooneye: Big blue catfish. Seasonal. $6 each.
Match the bait to the catfish
- Blue catfish love cut bait. Use big chunks of skipjack or mooneye when you can get them, and fresh shad the rest of the time.
- Channel catfish will eat just about anything. Smaller cuts of shad on a smaller hook get more bites than a giant chunk.
- Flathead catfish play by their own rules. MDC notes flatheads strongly prefer live bait like sunfish, goldfish and bullheads. If flatheads are the target, give me a call and we'll talk through live bait options.
Jeff's Quick Tip: Can't decide? Bring a mix. Start with shad, and if the big blues are biting, switch to a mooneye or skipjack head and hang on.
Why buy bait instead of catching your own?
Look, I love a good morning on the cast net as much as anybody. Baitfish on the big rivers move around with water levels and temperature, though, and a morning spent chasing bait is a morning spent away from the catfish. Skipjack and mooneye are especially hit or miss around here. Buying from a licensed dealer means you show up to the bank with a full cooler and spend your time actually fishing.
It keeps you on the right side of the rules too. Missouri regulates how baitfish are collected, and 319 Bait holds a commercial fishing permit and a bait dealer registration with MDC, so the bait you buy from me is legally sourced.
Fresh matters more than species
Whichever baitfish you pick, freshness decides how much scent it puts in the water. A bait that's been frozen and thawed turns soft, falls off the hook and loses the oil that makes it work. I wrote a whole post on why fresh dead shad outperforms frozen bait, and the same goes for skipjack and mooneye.
Order fresh bait in St. Charles and St. Louis
319 Bait is registered with the Missouri Department of Conservation as a live bait dealer, and I deliver across St. Charles and St. Louis counties. Call 314-600-8061 at least 24 to 36 hours ahead and I'll tell you what's running that week. I also supply bait for fishing tournaments near the Missouri and Mississippi confluence, so give me a call before your next event.
Watch the action
Here's what all this bait talk is for. Watch me bring in a blue catfish on the Mississippi River.
Tight lines!