The journals imply that the tinkered animated bait is superior to the
store-bought stuff. I had a bit of time on my hands, and needed some fish
to practice cooking, so I decided to put it to the test.

I tinkered up 40 animated baits. Then I gated back to Freeport, bought 40
baits from the store, sat on the dock, and started fishing.

The results? No difference.

Here's the breakdown:

40 STORE-BOUGHT BAIT
Casts: 115
Fish caught: 38
Scales/sandals/daggers: 10
Beer spilled: 18
Bait lost: 2

40 TINKERED BAIT
Casts: 121
Fish caught: 38
Scales/sandals/daggers: 13
Beer spilled: 13
Bait lost: 2

Each cast also took 11 or 12 seconds for each bait. My fishing skill was
previously maxed at 70.

Joe D