AN IRRESISTIBLE LURE

The bait catfish can't resist.

The fisherman's dream has finally come true: Modern science has developed a
substance that drives catfish into a feeding frenzy Even a minuscule amount of
the formula-called Gotta Bite-will have catfish crawling all over one another to
chomp the baited hook.

Gotta Bite resulted from 15 years of research on the basic physiology of taste
and smell. Physiologist John Caprio of Louisiana State University uses catfish
for his research because they're "swimming tongues-they have taste buds all over
their bodies," he says. While experimenting with different combinations of the
amino acids that trigger both taste and smell responses in catfish, Caprio and
his colleague Tine Valentincic stumbled on a blend that seemed to drive the fish
crazy: Just a few drops in a tank of water had them biting at the aquarium walls
and even trying to eat rocks.

Caprio cautions that he and Valentincic haven't tested Gotta Bite's effects on
other game fish. "I'm not saying it won't work," he says. "I'm just saying
it's not designed for other fish." Still, LSU has applied for two patents on the
stuff, and Gotta Bite has sent the fishing industry into a feeding frenzy of its
own. "We've been inundated," Caprio says. "Name a sport fishing company, and
it's called us."