1
general::
Be tempted by or react to an enticement, as in We told him there'd be lots of single young women at the party, and he rose to the bait. Likening a fish rising to bait to human behavior dates from the late 1500s.
American Heritage Idioms
2
general::
Phrase(s): rise to the bait
Fig. to respond to an allurement; to fall for an enticement or fall into a trap. (Alludes to a fish coming up from deep water to seize bait.) • You can get him here easily. Tell him that there will be lots of food and he will rise to the bait. • He rose to the bait and did just as he was expected to do.
McGrawhill's American Idioms And Phrasal Verbs