I've drained the oil out of sardines packed in soybean oil and used it, works good. With just the smell it keeps 'em working the set longer as opposed to a piece of bait that they can get hold of and leave. But I would definitely use the whole sardine if I was cage trapping. It's a fairly cheap alternative if money is tight, but if you don't mind spending a little I believe some quality crawfish oil and fish oil from the lure suppliers would do just as good with a little less hassle. What got me to using it was when a guy told me about a hind foot set several years ago. If you have coon sign nearby and some water, then you can just set the trap in the water, cut a green sapling a little bigger in diameter than your thumb about waist high, cut one end sharp and the other end square, this where you put the oil I always had mine in a spray bottle it don't take much just enough to coat the end without running down the sides, I usually take my hatchet and checkerboard the square end, this helps it hold the lure better. You stick your stick in the mud 3-4 inches from the trap jaw. The coon will get on his hind legs and go round and round the stick smelling and 90 to 95 percent of the catches will be hind foot. This is basically the same concept as the pvc pipe sets that some of the guys on here use. I have caught coons days after a downpour with out reluring, so the green stick really holds the smell.
Last edited by Mountain Cur; 01/09/07 06:42 AM.