Was looking for some, I like fish bait by self but also a paste type bait, some stuff from trapline supply is by pint an pricey., Don't taste good, I like bait taste good

I salt my bait fish so it keeps, but I am not sure if it tastes good.

make a couple sammiches for you and leave the fish for the coon.as bad as my buddy that would eat my sardines when we were young.

Maybe grind some carp or suckers fresh and add enough sodium benzoate to keep it from tainting. Then use a good mink lure. That should do the trick (and taste good if you fry it right...only joking of course) I have not tried it but might do the trick. You could add whatever oils or tinctures you think they want to it to improve taste over just fish but just fish has always worked for me in pockets. I dont know just spitballing.

Slightly hijacking the thread, but this summer I've been saving the carcasses and heads of bluegill and crappie and freezing them in hopes of them being good pocket set baits come season. Anyone do something similar or have experience using 6mo old frozen fish?

Of course the fish would be thawed before using at sets.

X2, thoughts appreciated!

works great.i like a little salt on my fish to prevent spoiling in warm weather or freezing rock solid in the real cold.

They would be good,i go fishing but not enough bait, I buy 5 gallon buckets fish heads in fall, like to make bait like u see venders sell that taste good

You ain't supposed to be eating your bait. There may be someyhing in it that might not sit well with you.

Have you ever heard the expression, "IF IT AIN'T BROKE, DON'T FIX IT !!! Just keep using fish that you catch or buy. Nothing better than natural bait.

The heads of crappie, blue gill, catfish, walleye, etc. all make good mink bait.

Don't know anything about eating trapline bait except for sardines carrots and apples. Would have to be starving to try asafoetida on anything. Probably what my ex wife was using in her cooking all those years

give the busboy at red lobster $20 and 4 five gallon buckets.

Have him fill them up with table scraps, and let you know when to pick them up.



Crab, and shrimp shells, butter, etc. They have good eye appeal, good smell appeal, very attractive to water animals

I like lemon and Old Bay on my seafood

Does liquid smoke taste good on bait ? Not attractive to mink ? What about dogs? I would not want them go at bait in pocket ? What are other good boughten ingredients for coon an mink bait

You will spend more on ingredients than what a coon and mink are worth.

Store your bait in a blue lid tote and you will have to beat the coons on the head to keep them away.

Salted fish.
Take some 2" sized chunks of fish, make a layer of these fish chunks in the bottom of a the 5 gallon bucket cover with a layer of salt. I used granulated water softener salt. Keep that up till you fill the bucket. No need to cover the bucket flies wont bother It. Place It In a cool shaded area where varmints wont get In to It.
This bait won't rot at the set and It's pretty much freeze proof. And you can eat It If you want.

It's better to gut and freeze your fish before cutting Into chunks It just makes It so much easier.

Frozen fish chunks.

Gut freeze then cut into chunks. Then do what ever trips your trigger to add a secondary odor. When your done with that place the individual chunks of prepared bait on cookie sheets then place In freezer. Once frozen take the chunks and place them In buckets and then place them back into the freezer. I like to use those square buckets since they take up less room.
Know when your ready to start trapping just open a bucket and take out what ever you need for the day. No need to thaw the bait It will thaw on It's own once placed at the set.
I wouldn't recommended eating this bait.

Would ground fish, salmon oil that u buy from trappers supply ,cup salt an mix an freeze. Be a tasty bait, or would the salmon oil that u buy trappers supply taste bad ? Or be betrer to mix preservative az like use as paste bait in PVC pipes or some in pockets along with fish an not want it to stink, an taste good, u have to order preservative from trspping supply ?

Ttt

I’d suggest making tennis ball (or smaller) balls of dried grass. Squirt salmon oil on them and push into pipe or bank hole set. No need for buckets of fish. The odor is there without anything that’s going to rot when it’s warm.

Salted carp chunks is something I use a lot of for coon, mink, and coyotes here.
I cut mine up in 1 or 2 inch pieces and pack them in 3 quart ice cream pails with canning salt. They cure completely in a few weeks and it makes a very good universal species bait. I don't know about taste but I only need the animal to investigate long enough to get caught, I'm not feeding them. This is a great pocket set bait. I also use them in cages and boxes, or dirtholes.
Carp I catch in summer, and a box or two of canning salt is only a couple bucks at dollar general. If I want a stronger or different odor grab a $1 can or two of smoked sardines or oysters at same dollar general and dump those in the pail with the carp chunks and salt. Works great.

Jim