Hi GS,
Its easy to make the bass think its the real thing cause it is the real thing. It's just dead. It still smells , feels and to a fish I guess it tastes about the same (do fish have a sense of taste?)
You have to keep it moving a little. As long as its got water going by it , it will slizer around. You won't get a nervous reaction when a bass approaches but my experience has been that they grab it anyway. Some people will say that the eel being alive would be better but I say having a tail hook , which is almost impossible with a live eel that will tangle it all up , is a better advantage than the liveliness of the eel. Just my opinion of coarse.