Well, I would first ask which month we were trapping in? Because that would make a difference right there. Also the weather would fall into play. As a full time ADC trapper, I trap raccons 12 months a year. Most of my control work is done in cage traps as I am trapping in residential areas, namely large cities and towns. Fish although a great coon attractant, will also catch a lot of unwanted catches, namely feral cats. This can be a real problem, especially if you don't charge for unwanted catches. Sardines, great coon bait, same problem. Marshmallows are a good coon attractant because being bright white, they practically "glow" in the dark. That and they're good to eat. However they don't have much odor, so one has to be on target, which with coon is not hard to do. My #1 choice for cage trapping is of course coon lure with marshmallows for eye appeal. Much of the lure I make, as I use a lot of it, however I do use others as well. I once caught over 90 coon on a gallon of Jamesons "Fireball" , which in the ADC business was a healthy return on my investment dollar. I have also used Blackies coon lures and The "ultimate" coon lure from Sterling fur. All good coon lures. Most of my paste bait lures go in a washed out sardine tin with a few large mashmallows on top for eye appeal. Few coons will resist that offering, although some may. In winter months I salt my fish type baits with plain old salt to keep them from freezing plus it helps with odor dispersal. After January, I add a skunky type call lure, which will really pull in the big boars when little else will. By the way, I keep my marshmallows in a cooler during warm months, the same kind you carry your lunch in. With an ice pack, they keep cool and don't stick together. At the end of the day, I pop'em back in the freezer, that is if I haven't eaten them all.
