About Us
Catfish Chris
Chris is the sole proprietor to the formula of Whisker Pudding and Part owner. Growing up in Kentucky and Georgia, he spent many days along the waters edge perusing anything that could swim. Catfishing slowly became his favorite type of fishing because they were usually going to be the strongest and biggest in most bodies of water. At age 14, he began using dip bait after trying out a jar of "Hog Wild". After trip after trip, with increasing success, dip bait became a bait of choice when chasing channel catfish. At age 18, he was in a motor vehicle accident that left him a C5 quadriplegic. With the help of his family, therapist, and friends, he was able to regain a quality of life worth living. His Grandfather was instrumental in this by adapting a fishing reel and brace from some pvc pipe and a drill motor/gearbox. For Chris, fishing was always the one thing that he never lost interest in and was so much more than just the act of fishing, it was some of the best therapy out there.
After struggling several years with limited bank access to fish from a wheelchair and not being able to get to the fish he wanted to catch, he started adding ingredients to commercially available dip baits to make them more stimulating and arousing to channel catfish in order to draw them to him. To find the most enticing ingredients, Chris meticulously tracked catch rates and nutritional profiles on every bait additive or ingredient available, even sending off baits to labs for nutritional analysis. Whisker Pudding is the result. It's a culmination of 25+ years of using dip baits and anecdotal research.
Over the years, Chris has been featured in Field and Stream, Catfish Now, and New Mobility. He continues to advocate in his local area to get those with disabilities out fishing with events, modifying equipment, and donating his time to help others.
Richard Ditto IV "Thomas"
Thomas is a partner and founder for Whisker Pudding Dip Bait and Tackle, he also happens to be an avid outdoorsman and has been Catfish Chris's partner in crime on several big adventures over the years. Thomas met Chris and his mothers place of employment where Chris was a case manager for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Even though Thomas was only 12 years old or so at the time, you could see the passion burning bright inside when any kind of conversation would come up about fishing, especially catfishing. Often times, you would find Chris and Thomas ducking out to the back of company events or meetings to talk about fishing. Over the years, a mutual relationship began to form between Chris and Thomas. Chris had the knowledge and means to go fishing, but lacked the physical abilities needed, Thomas had the physical capabilities but lacked the means to go.
With a little time, Thomas pretty much became like a little brother to Chris. It wasn't uncommon for the pair to stay up all night before a fishing trip, working on new baits or additives in the "Chemistry Lab" (at the time, the chemistry lab was a few foot lockers of different ingredients and dip baits in a garage). Thomas came along on numerous fishing trips over the years, from local ponds/lakes to the Outer Banks and Gulf of Mexico. Two days of fishing and 6 hours of rest for a week or so, weren't uncommon on vacation trips by any means. If you asked him about any fishing trips the pair had, "It was always a new adventure" and "We hardly ever got skunked" would be a few of the comments.
Thomas continues to be one of Chris's Right Hand Men when it comes to Whisker Pudding. When he heard about the opportunity, he jumped at it. Thomas had been a part of enough fishing trips and witnessed first hand how effective the ingredients Chris was processing to add in to baits, that when he heard from Chris that he was going to start making his dip bait commercially, it was a no brainer. Thomas continues to support Whisker Pudding Dip Bait and Tackle by being the muscle behind the process of physically making the bait, experimenting with Chris on new processes or additives, running/filling orders, and most of all to this day "One of Chris's fishing partners".