I'm up for the challenge. Okay first I use Tuff Line for Sturgeon leader. It has more surface area compared to mono and is soft which makes half hitching a breeze.
Okay, say you have the bait hooked and holding it in your left hand, bait's head facing left. Take the leader with your right hand, with your palm facing up. Now close your right hand and turn it so your palm is facing down. You just created a loop. Slide that loop over the bait's tail and down towards the head, say an inch or two from the eye of the hook. Now pull the leader so that loop snugs up. Then just repeat the process as needed.
Also you might try using the squid body, remove the head and stuff the body with, sardine, smelt, roll mop herring or even sand shrimp. Works great! Hope this helped.