I'll share my favorite coon bait

1 - 5 gal pail of fresh netted gizzard shad. other small fish will work also but the gizzard shad really has a kick to it.
put on a lid and cut 1, 1/2in. hole in it and put somthing like a cotton ball or two in the hole to keep out flies/bugs. Put this in a shady spot so it renders off slowly where animals can't get to it and people don't have to smell it.even better if you can dig a hole to put the bucket in with the lid at ground level them put something heavy over it so animals can't get to it.
wait 3 months or so
get your bucket and another one and pour off the oil that has floated to the top. or use a ladle.this is rendered fish oil.

too this rendered fish oil add 1 ounce of anise oil(in the baking section at the grocery store)
If you can get some or have some a 1/4 ounce or so of skunk essence is nice but not needed. I only use this sometimes and it doesn't seem to make much difference,just makes the smell carry further.
get a cheap bag of cornmeal when at the store getting your anise oil and slowly mix in cornmeal until it starts to thicken up a little but not too much.put a lid on the bucket and wait a couple of hours for the cornmeal to absorb the liquid open it and check its consistancy if you want it thicker add more cornmeal and stir,if you want it thinner add some vegtable oil to it.

I put this mix in squirt bottles so I can just squirt a dab out when I need it.

At the bottom of your original bucket will be millions of tiny little fish scales. these can be used with some water about 50/50 in a squirt bottle around the set for eye appeal too. will look like glitter at your set.

Here's how I use this for coon.
Along a creek find a likly looking spot with coon and/or mink sign.
with your foot form a 6" wide, 18" long trench in the mud so it fills with about 2" of water use a spade if you have too, at the back just above the waterline form a upward angling hole and put some bait in the back about 8 to 10 inches deep.
set a 1 1/2 coilspring on a sliding drowner set up and press the trap gently into the mud about 4" from the hole. I usually put the top stake right under the trap and the bottom stake or weight goes in the deep water at a slightly downstream angle so that debris grass twigs etc. from the stream collects out there instead of right at your set. All the trap equipment is underwater.Just before I leave I like to squirt some fish scales on the ground at the points of land right where your artificial channel meets the stream. just a little bit will do. I don't really know why the scales help but maybe they glitter in the moonlight or somthing,but they do seem to increase the catch rate a little.

I don't claim to know it all and there's alot of people on here with much more experience than me,so if anybody has something to improve this set or bait please chime in.
Also you may have to modify this set with/to your habitat / terrain conditions.
good luck