MAKING OR PURCHASING FISH OIL

[NEPISIGUIT]

Which is better on the line, fish oil that has been made from fish that one collects or that purchased from a comercial intrest. And if made from a good fatty fish is it necessary to add preservatives for long term storage?

[trappnman]

I think it depends on what you want it for. No doubt to me, that homemade sun rendered fish oil smells more fishy. Perhaps if I just wanted to use the fish oil as a stand alone lure, I'd prefer it. But my only use in fish oil is as a medium for distributing lure. When squirted around the inside of the hole or pipe, the fish oil allows less lure use, by spereading out the lure so it covers more surface, thus allowing it to move more with the air currents. My opinion anyways.

Processed fish oil has a subtle, almost smoky type smell. It does work alone as an attractant for sure, but not sure how much carrying power it has alone.

[FWS]

Not all fish oil is the same because not all fish are the same.

The flesh and oil content of the more sedentary freshwater white muscled fish is vastly different from that of saltwater pelagic species.

I'd be curious to know what species are being used to make 'fish oil' by the various lure makers.

[mostinterestingmanintheworld]

I think that I prefer fermented fish of my own making to rendered fish oil.

I think the fermentation smell may carry better and be more attractive to both canines and felines.

However it is a pain so I just buy the oil.

Joel

[Bob Jameson]

Cod, menhaden,salmon and trout oil are some of most common used fish oils. The first three are primarily what is referred to pressed fish oils. I prefer true sunrendered trout oil compared to all those mentioned. It is the most robust, sweet and has trueness in odor compared to other type oils in my experience.

All fish oils have merit and some are more economical then others. They all will do a job for the trapper but I much prefer sunrendered dark fatty fish oils compared to pressed types when using a fish oil in a formula.

[NEPISIGUIT]

GOOD ANSWERS. Does fish oil have to be preserved to keep in volume? Salt water fish as oposed to fresh water. and does one or the other have greater properties depending on the species of animal that the trapper is trying for?

[NEPISIGUIT]

Anyone use eel as it is quite fat?

[DaveLyons]

On the mink line I like sun rendered creek chub. Very different oil for sure. Creek cubs are in the rivers around here year round. But the fall the rivers are full of salmon. Another oil I make myself is crawfish oil plus make bait with the crawfish also. I have found crawfish oil works on a lot of animals well. When trapping the river banks. I have caught coyotes,greyfox, and other water animals with this bait and oil mixture.

Everything is sun rendered.

Dave

[gcs]

I can get all the Menhaden I want for the price of catching it, the few times I tried to make oil the yield was so small it wasn't worth it, and Menhaden are one of the oiliest fish on the planet. Maybe it was just me screwing it up???
I can't afford to use Eels, at $3.00 a pound, they go to market.

I have chunked Menhaden and Herring and salted it, this makes a good bait. I'll do that again with any dead Eels I get.

Dave, I also have an unlimited source of about 5 species of crab, I've wondered about the oil from them, what kind of yield do you get from the Crawfish?

[bobwendt]

interesting topic. in the nelson formula , old bill called for" fish oil", or "fish juice", using them intercgangably- as if equal. that right there told me bill was drunk , or really was just a giant bull chitter con man. hate to say it, but I`m thinking the latter. not to say many of his lure and bait formulas aren`t good, as they are, but not rocket science either and most anyone couild comre up with ther basic ideas of the ingredients. now, back to the oil, I`d repeat what bob J said. I consider the pressed oils far inferior to true rendered trout oil. terry biondo ( character that he is) from pa. peddled true trout oil he made himself from heads he got free by the 55 gallon drum, from a trout processing plant that butchered farn trout, and he rendered out. they were super fat from being farm fed, and his oil was top in the land. don`t even know if he still does it or sells it. now, this "fish juice", that is sewage and will ruin any decent bait or lure down to possum lure, at best. I imagine old bill is laughing his arse off up in trapper heaven at all the guys living on every word he ever breathed. about like the live bills are today at the same groupies. no one wants to be a john.

[Wright Brothers]

I caught one big eel in my life. I chunked it up and froze until needed. It was one of the best home made baits I have ever used.
If I ever get another I will clean, cook, and eat it. After using it, I see why the meat is worth money. Never tasted anything like it.

If someone makes an eel based lure or bait, I want some.
If it sells to market there has to be byproduct from it.

[DaveLyons]

gcs,

It takes well over 300-500 crawfish to come up with about 1/2 gal. of pure oil. With about 6 traps I can get that many in one night. Then it gets spiked with Stef's pro coon. Plus a few other things.

I have a near endless supply of rusty crawfish.

Dave

[thebeav2]

I remember Terry's trout oil. In fact i just talked to the man yesterday.He's still down in Georgia trapping coyotes. I will have to ask him about the oil.

[billcat]

Old Willey Carroll was big on eels. He sent me a dozens of different formulas years ago with everything under the sun in them, which I've since lost. Shame on me.

Bill

[trappnman]

remember reading an article by someone, where the only bait used for mink was a piece of eel.

[gcs]

Everything likes Eels. It's oily, the skin is tough and the meat won't fall apart very fast, must smell good too, I know I like them chunked and fried.
Once upon a time... Eels were very plentiful, meaning cheap, anyone could catch a mess for themselves quite easily. Not so today, $ 3 - 3.50 per pound live for large, .75 - $1.00 a piece for the smaller "bait eels". A lure would get pretty expensive quick.

I'll be focusing on Eels this year and will save the dead ones. Other then chunking, if anyone has a simple bait recipe, I could whip up a batch.

[irnhdmike]

Eels are great bait . It has to be really cold for them to freeze hard. Drives cats crazy. EEl oil. I bet it would be super.

[Jeffrey]

What about shellfish oil is that any good? Would you use fresh water mussels for that and sun render it.

[Bob Jameson]

You can certainly sunrender many things it is the amount of fat contained within that material that will determine if you will extract adequate oil material or just broken down tissue juice. It will certainly have good odor potential either way.

Just dont keep the rendered juice in a sealed container after processing. It must be kept cool or it will develop tremendous pressure in a sealed container and pop the lid or break a glass jar if over heated.It keeps working even after ageing. Oil will not continue to develop gas to any great degree. Juices on the other hand will keep working due to the bacteria content. You must add a preservative to the juice to prevent any more gasing then you can bottle without concern.

Shellfish is more practically purchased via a lure dealer as it is not really that expensive and it is available in different strengths as well. Shellfish oil is a synthetic man made material. It was developed to mirror the odor of shellfish type life forms that have become slightly tainted.

[mostinterestingmanintheworld]

I have had tremendous luck with the juice and good luck with the oil.

I think the juice has an odor that is a bit more attractive than oil, not much but some.

Not sewer smelling stuff but aged juice like fine wine with some fermentation still going on.

I remember in college a friend of mine roomed with some fellows from vietnam or someplace and they had some fish juice they put on their rice. Smelled just like they stuff I put on my coyote sets. I believe it was fermented fish juice.

Joel