The No. 1 recipe for catfish stink bait

Many family recipes are handed down from generation to generation. Some recipes make it to the Thanksgiving table while others, like this one from Robert “Kud” Stevenson of Tallulah, La., wind up on a hook.

Stevenson said the key to making his homemade catfish stink bait is to let the recipe season in a cool, dry place, preferably a refrigerator (which he keeps in the garage), until it’s fully ripened. His recipe, step by step:

1. 1. Cut 3 lbs. of overly ripe cheese into small squares. Some catters prefer orange-colored cheese, such as American or cheddar.
   2. Place the diced cheese into a large plastic bucket or trash can that has an airtight lid.

1. Cover the cheese with hot water, and mash the cheese until a paste forms.
2. Pulverize 2 to 3 lbs. of raw chicken livers and blood in a blender. Buy chicken livers in a small tub. This type of package includes the most blood.
3. Add the pulverized chicken livers to the cheese-and-water paste. Mix thoroughly.
4. Put the lid on the container. Remove as much air as possible before closing the lid by depressing the sides of the container. As the mixture ferments, it will create gases, and removing the air from the bucket will keep it from blowing the lid off.
5. After the mixture as fermented, add in enough flour and cod liver oil to form a paste.