Scents

[fishinphilly]

do you believe putting scents on your baits help you catch more fish? i know someone who won't even touch their bait because they believe the fish will smell their scent, but i was never really a scent person so what do you think?

[A-Jay]

I use scents on the majority of baits, plastics, swimbaits & trailers I throw.

 

Can't say for sure if "They Work", but do believe they don't hurt.

 

Get a tube of Megastrike and see what happens.

 

You just might find out you'll never want to fish a bait without it again.

 

A-Jay

[bigbill]

Scents work plain and simple. Fact.

I fish the same spot for months. The current flows by me slowly. I spray my lures. Plus I give the water a squirt. I noticed the bass fishing picking up more and more.

I stopped using scents at one spot because everyone was catching bass.

My scents attracted them to the area.

I was using the original baitmate bass scent. The bite is usually good.

I was up to 9/10 fish per outing. I'm fishing for an hour when I'm in pain. My time fishing is limited from shore. Now one day it was very very slow I couldn't buy a bite. I switched from the original bass scent to the baitmate garlic scent. The bite was on right away.

Do scents work?

I'm fishing in the evening and using a crankbait. An old man asks me if that lure works? Before I could answer him I pulled in a 3lb bass. He says I guess they do work. I let the bass go, give my crank a shot of scent. He asks me if that juice works? Before I could answer him I pull in another bass. He says I guess the juice works too.

He says give me a shot of juice on my spinnerbait.

I did but he caught nothing.

There was three other guys watching me pull in bass after bass too. The next night all three showed up with new rods/reels and tackle boxes with new lures and scents too. They all caught bass.

I feel like a field salesman for fishing equipment.

I like to see others catch fish too.

Scents cover foul oders. Wash your tackle box and your lures. Keep everything clean from foul oders. Now I wash my hands with big orange hand soap before I go fishing. I touch nothing but my tackle. I don't pump gas when I'm going fishing.

The fish can smell ppm in the water. That's really good smelling. You can't fool them with foul smelling lures?

Scents work. I match the correct scent to the correct bait. It works for me?

But I get dressed the same exact way every morning before I go fishing.

I have my lucky that and polarized glasses. Then my skill takes over its our skill that catches fish.

I been on this site since it was started some know me and others don't. I'm not going to lie to you. I love bass fishing. While I'm no pro nor claim to be I take my bass fishing as serious as a pro.

Retired from an engineering r&d test lab I like to test stuff to see if it works. I use lures only. Only because they out fish live bait if we match the lure color, lure size and the style of lure to the situation. Using the correct presentation helps too.

Tip, don't wear bright colored clothes when fishing. If you can see the fish they can see you.

[kickerfish1]

I tend to only use two scents. The first is megastrike original formula and the second is the smelly jelly in baitfish. The smelly jelly is more like a thicker liquid than a true jelly. The megastrike is a thicker paste. These seem to work the best w/out having foul odors to them. I also believe they aren't very messy to apply either.

[bigbill]

I use a top water bait with scent first. I cast it out as far as I can throw it to get the attracting out there. I might cast a few different areas to cover the whole area. Just a little will do.

Then I throw my ritual of lures all different styles and colors searching for a pattern and presentation on what the bass want. From crankbaits, minnow baits, top water poppers/spooks, inline spinners, spinnerbaits, to a Carolina rig brushogs-plastics, jig n pig, etc.

Vary your presentations.

It's not the scent alone that catches bass.

Read every article here more than once, watch every video, watch what they do and listen to what they say too. Watch how they use the rod to work that certain bait.

Using scents is one piece to the puzzle. Remember we never stop learning. Takes notes from every trip. Refresh often to keep the edge. You can be as good as you want to be just stay focused and motivated. Focus on your presentation.

It has to be a perfect presentation on every cast. The bass will let you know when we get it right.

[SPEEDBEAD.]

I'm with Ajay in the "can't hurt" camp. 

 

Definitely slicks up a soft bait to help slide out of the mouth, through weeds, etc. I'm using two, Megastrike and Pro Cure.

[Cgolf]

When using scents I have had many second strikes on a soft bait that I don't feel I would have gotten without the scent. I also feel the fish hang onto a bait with scent longer giving me more time to get the hook set.

Do I get more initial strikes with scent, have always thought no, my last trip last year started to change my mind. The day after Christmas it was warm enough that the river was open and putting scent an x rap I had my best River trip landing 5 pike and missed one or two. Was it the warm up that triggered the fish or the scent of both? I guess I will just have to fish some more to figure it out.

[eyedabassman]

I do use them also. But I tend to use them after a front or in dark water!

[bigbill]

On salted plastics, senkos, I use nothing on the first cast. If I get a strike and miss it one shot of scent on the second cast is a definite hook up.

If your on a tight budget buy the cheapest scent at Wal-Mart. Just to try it.

[corn-on-the-rob]

I use attractants for flavor not scent. Even though it is possible they find your lure due to scent, my real intentions are to make the bass hold on to the bait longer even if only a fraction of a second. Better hooksets = better landing ratio.

[Steveo-1969]

I use Spike-It garlic chartreuse most of the time on my soft plastics, it's just a confidence thing for me.  Numerous times I've been fishing a soft plastic without it and not getting bit.  Dip the tip of my bait and start getting bit in the same area.  Is it the garlic scent? The chartreuse color? Or just my raised level of confidence?  However, last year on my annual KY Lake trip my buddy outfished me all week (more and bigger fish) and he doesn't believe in using any scent or dye.  Hmmmmm...

[Choporoz]

I'm also in A-Jay's camp.  Can't hurt.

 

Some time back, I watched Bobby U video with bass hanging on to MegaStriked plastics for dear life - and there was no hook.  I was hooked.  I use MegaStrike and JJ's.  JJ's as much because I like the smell and the chartreuse accents....not sure how the fish feel about it, but they haven't told me it sucks.

[scaleface]

I once sprayed a worm with Riverside Real Craw . Was fishing in 15 foot of water , got a pickup and slowly reeled the keeper sized bass to the surface, never setting the hook. Maybe the bass would have held on even if I had not used the scent , I will never know.