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This includes many saltwater fish such as sea trout and bluefish, as well as freshwater bottom feeders such as carp and catfish. If you are fishing from one spot (still fishing), cut the fish into chunks thick enough to hide most of the hook. If you are dragging the fishing line behind a moving boat (trolling), cut the fish into long, thin V-shaped strips. Pierce the hook through the thicker end so the moving strip imitates a swimming fish. Any fish that hunts crayfish, such as pike or catfish, can be attracted by a severed tail with the hook pushed along the length of the meaty center. The same hooking process can be used to attract shoreline fish with a shrimp tail bait. Commercial doughball paste can be purchased in labeled varieties that attract bass, trout, or another specific species. You can also make your own by boiling hot water, flour, cornmeal, and molasses for a few minutes and letting it cool. Fishermen add anything from cheese to garlic to this recipe in their efforts to attract an individual fish species. Form the paste into a ball over the entire hook. Press it into place so the hook is hidden completely. Some hooks include wire springs to help keep the doughball in place. Shellfish are great for attracting fish in their native area. Clams, mussels, liver, and other soft meat should be left out in the sun to harden before use, or else frozen beforehand and used when partially thawed. Once the meat is hardened, pierce the hook through it in as many different places as possible. Hide the end of the hook in the meat. If it still won't adhere to the hook or you suspect a fish could peel it right off, use fine thread or wire to tie it on. You can find artificial lures that sink, float, or stay just under the surface. In addition to customizing for your fish's habits, you can find artificial bait intended to attract a specific species by smell or appearance. In order to hook a standard artificial "grub," thread the hook through the mouth of the bait until the front reaches the eye of the hook. Push the end of the hook out through the grub's stomach.
Use fish pieces to attract fish that hunt by scent. Bait with crayfish tail in freshwater or brackish water and shrimp tail in saltwater. Customize doughballs to your fish species. Use local clam and other soft meat. Buy artificial bait for the right depth.