Tony, it may be in the same family as anise, but it's dang sure not a kissing cousin to anise in the odor department.

wonder if you could just melt some Zote and mix in some of the catfish attractor from walmart with Ansie in it to help with the bait?? Might be worth a shot!!

Hi MikeC, playing junior botonist after I posted that I realized just about every spice in the spice drawer in related to Asafeotida (sp?). Well, typically I mix in "aged maize" with the stuff the scientists from Purina come up with. Works alright.

ensignjason, I'd form the zote around a treble hook when it dries. I'd buy and mix in the cod liver oil first amoung the ingredients mentioned, just think oil is less likely to screw up the soap when it dries. If you like going after smaller catfish, here is something that works for me and my kids after chumming up the banks. Thread the tiny precooked shrimp from walmart on a small jig head. Keep the shrimp in a liver container with blood soaked in. This is a warm weather tactic.

If all else fails or you forget to bring chum, a tried and true method of chumming involves a bucket of fresh dead shad and a pair of scissors.