AboutMongo Expertise I can answer most basic questions concerning predator trapping and some water trapping. Questions about lures, baits, sets, traps, trap treatment, modification, sizes, equipment, usage, etc. I have been certified by the Okla. Dept. of Wildlife Conservation, First Okla. Trapper`s Assoc., and the Okla. State Univ. Extension Service as a trapping instructor, and in years past have given classes to people wishing to learn the sport...I also have a number of years experience in predator calling and can provide some basic answers to these questions as well.
Experience
Past/Present clients As far as teaching what I know to others. I take this to be what you mean here... I have helped my son, and son in law, as well as a number of others in this area, to get started in trapping and predator calling... I have had personal instruction from professional government ADC specialists, and I have 30 years experience running my own traplines, and over a half century of experience in the outdoors...... I have a friend who is a troop leader with the Boy Scouts. In the past I have done several demonstrations on trapping and predator calling for the boys, and on a number of occasions have helped the troop to set up and run a trapline during the winter, with proceeds going to the troop.
Question QUESTION: mongo can u tell me how to preservative fish oil so can i use glycerin . thank u roger
ANSWER: Hello Roger,
With correctly prepared fishoil no glycerin is needed or necessary. It will keep for several years as long as it is kept sealed and in a cool dark place, when not being used... Here is how I make fish oil. I have posted this method of making fishoil in several different places, so I will just copy and paste it here... I hope this will help......
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It's that time of year again, to start making up your fish oil for next trapping season...so I am reposting this for those who may be interested in making their own sun-rendered fish oil.
I have seen that this is an often asked question at trapping forums that I go to... So, just in case anyone wonders how it's done...here is how I make it.......
In the summer when it's pretty warm to hot, I'll take something like an old clean plastic one gallon milk jug, the kind with the handle. I will cut up my fish into chunks small enough to fit into the jug, and fill it not over 3/4 full. (I discard the intestines.) Then I drill a hole in the center of the lid, and screw it on the jug. I then stick a small plastic hose into the hole in the lid, but only letting it stick in a couple of inches...You want it to be well above the fish. Then I use silicone or epoxy to seal it in place and seal up any leaks where it sticks thru the lid. I also run some around the lid where it screws on to make sure the entire jug is sealed air tight.... I then tie a cord to the handle and tie a smaller bottle or jug to this cord, allowing it to hang maybe a foot below the milk jug of fish. I fill the second bottle or jar with water, and stick the free end of the hose into this bottle, running the hose end into the water and clear to the bottom. I put no lid on the second jar or jug, and I check it occasionally and make sure it always stays full of water and the end of the hose is still under water at the bottom... The gas that forms in the jug of fish will be vented off thru the hose, and with the end of it being underwater the flys can not get to the fish to lay eggs and create maggots which will ruin the fish oil... I then tie another cord to the milk jug handle and use this cord to hang the whole mess out of a tree(and away from the house) where cats, dogs, children, etc.., can't get to it... Let it hang until the solids appear to settle out to the bottom and it has turned to liquid. This may take a week or several weeks, depending on the temperature... Now, the oil that forms on the top is the actual fish oil, and has a milder odor, and can be skimmed off if desired,(Some people use a turkey baster to "suck" this oil up and then squirt it into a jar or bottle.) This is often called "top oil", and may be golden colored, or even lightly orange or reddish in color. Some people skim this off to use in lure making, or even as a lure itself... But most people just use all of the juice, calling it "fish oil"... I then strain it all thru a cloth into a bottle or jar and discard the solids that strain out... This liquid is the fish oil(actually fish juice) and is strong smelling and loud. This is often what is used if just using the fish oil/fish juice alone as a lure.... Now there are several ways to do this, but this is the way I generally do it...and "meat juice" can be made the same way.... However.... I have read that some people, particularly when in a hurry, make a kind of "fish oil" by mixing clam juice into cooking oil. I have not tried this, but they say it works well. In a setting close to other houses, or with neighbors close by, this may be a better (and more neighbor friendly) approach to take to making your own fish oil.
*NOTE 1.... If your wife/mother/husband/girl friend/boy friend/significant other/slave/personal chef/cooking class/meals-on-wheels sponsor/etc... cooks with canned mackerel or salmon, you can drain off the juice and save this to use as a sort of "fish oil" also. I drain it into a plastic squirt bottle, and I also drain the oil from sardines (the sardines in oil, NOT with mustard or hotsauce) and from canned oysters and clams, etc., into this same bottle to use as a lure on the coon line. I shake it up good before using.
*NOTE 2.... I have been told that Oriental Food stores sell a type of fish oil/fish sauce for cooking that is called "Patis", and some trappers have begun to use this as it appears to work well, is already made, and is relatively inexpensive... But I have had no experience with this product personally.
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I hope this helps Roger.
Mongo
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QUESTION: hello mongo i have some beaver castors hanging in my shed from last fall . are they still ok to use for lure making. and can u tell me a good coon lure i can make useing them and fish oil to gether thank u so much roger
Answer Hello again Roger,
Yes, the castors are still good, as long as they have not molded... In fact, I always hung castors over a wire to dry for several months or longer before cutting and grinding them up for use in lure making... Some people use the castors green, but I always preferred them dried, then ground.
Roger, I have not made many coon lures using beaver castor. Usually when I used beaver castor in a lure it was either a beaver lure, or an upland predator lure...but here is one you may find useful......
1 pint fish oil
3 to 4 ounces honey
1 oz. beaver castor
Actually the fish oil is a good coon lure by itself.
