I would like people to share there favorite or a few of there ways of making bait. I m currently trying to work out some fish oil. I read somewhere to extract the fish oil is to cut up into chunks or grind the fish. Then put in clear container, (trying plastic), sit in the sun until you can poor out the rancid juice. Try not to let it rot too much but more age. Add holes or cloth under lid to help vent out and keep bugs out. Was told that the bugs will not hurt the juice just not fun to deal with.
I was told I could use the left overs as more bait or mix into different types of bait.
Any ideas on the left over half rotted fish?
I Have all summer to get this right. Any failed attempts will be used as coyote bait, maybe it will serve to cover my sent by accident.*hope not!*

I only trap here in PA, mostly for coons, foxes, and mink. I started with cheap, canned salmon, but that was a long time ago.
I still can fish to use for bait, usually I use minnows and other small fish. There are always a few freezer burned fish in the freezer that find their way into these jars, too.
I also use groundhog, chopped into one inch cubes. I shoot them in August, put the pieces in a canning jar and screw on a lid. I bury them in the garden about a foot or more deep. Dig them up when it gets cold. If I expect the ground to freeze, I put a hay or straw bail over where they are buried.
I tried the fish oil thing, but never had any success, just got nasty, stinky, rotten fish, slimy juice, truly disgusting. Hope you have better luck.
Bfly

So your not after the juice bfly, but the aged fish?

My jug now has been sitting on the south side of my house for a few days and I m already starting to get the bottom to fill up with the juice. It doesn't really stink yet. With the days worming up more I m sure I m going to have to pull it from direct sunlight so it will rot less and age more.

Yeah, it's the juice. Sounds like yours is working. Might have to try this again. Mine just was a lot less than successful.
Blfy

Did you leave room for the gasses to escape? I poked holes in the plastic lid with my fish gutting knife. the holes are large enough to let the gases out and small enough to keep the flays out. The mag I read talked about using a old tee shirt over the top then screw on the macen jar lid loosely to let gases escape.

The directions I got were to put a piece of glass on top to keep the flies out. Come to think of it, that would also keep the air out so the whole thing could turn anaerobic, which is probably what happened to mine. Never gave it much thought until now. A piece of tee shirt, or screen makes a lot more sense.
Bfly

Was talking with a guy at the trappers meeting last night and he said the same thing about the glass. He said that it would vent the gasses out just fine. Thats what he said he did too. I like to use the word to describe what happens as burp. When the gasses build up enough it will lift the glass to vent the gasses. Unless you had too much weight? But in talking with them the juice is supposed to be the most rotten foul shit you would ever hope to come accost. You can not wash it off he says, "got a drop on the back of my hand and it didnt wash off, you have to let if ware off! It took a good week".

You are doing it the hard way.

Catch sardines in oil (not mustard) on sale, buy a few cans and leave them on the dash of a pickup for a few weeks. Deadly on coon and mink.

That fish juice mixed with a little skunk essence and some vasoline makes one hell of a good winter call lure for fox and coyote. Save the fish juice, and next time you catch a skunk try and kill him without him spraying. Take a syringe and draw out the essence and save it in a bottle. Mix with the fish juice and some vasoline to make a paste type lure.

Skunks have lots of white fat on them. Coyotes and fox know this, and will dig down in very deep snow if they smell skunk in there.