Fish attractants

[Brett_22]

I have a garlic fish attractant and I can't really tell a difference on bite % so I was wondering if y'all think they really do help?

[Bluebasser86]

I mainly use it during the colder months when I'm fishing very slowly. Whether it helps is debatable, but I think everyone would probably agree that it doesn't hurt anything. Megastrike and JJ's are my attractants of choice. 

[Catt]

I use Fish Formula II (when I can find it) or Baitmate (clear) with a ½ oz of pure anise oil added; this is to mast any odor my plastic may have pick up.

 

Secondly it acts as a lubricant because I fish in grass a lot and it helps my plastic baits slide through easier

 

The only place y'all find 100% pure anise oil is at your local pharmacy, the rest will be Essential Oil which is 40-70% max.

 

I also use MegaStrike & Spike-It Dip-N-Glo Garlic!

[Oregon Native]

Have used scent for years and have tried quite a few.  Hands down it's been Smelly Jelly in the paste.  Many times it doesn't seem to make a difference other than going through weeds better.  But also, many times I have seen where you cast to a spot and get a "tick"....reel bank in...put on some Jelly and cast back and you get one to hold on.

......guess I've spent too much time on the water.....

Tight Lines

[NHBull]

When I remember, I use megastrike on non worm plastics and arnice on worms, especially the BPS ones.  The arnice comes as an aresol and I spray it in the bag in hopes that it sticks

 

Heck.....if I thought KY jelly would help my ratio, I would use it!

 

Side note, I have found that megastrike on jigs seams to help them slide through the grass easier

[Crestliner2008]

I'm a MegaStrike fan. Have been using it for years, especially when drop shotting plastics. I don't use an attractant with hardbaits though.

[Cgolf]

Liquid Mayhem gel scent fan here and I definately believe scent makes a big difference. The last trip I was on, was a bite where you cast out, let the plastic sit for a couple of seconds and then popped it and the fish either had it or not. I never had a fish pick up a bait without the scent or after it had worn off. I am sure if I would have fished the whole week without scent, I would have caught some fish, but nowhere close to as many as I caught with it. 

 

No matter what brand you go with, over the years I have found the gel based scents to work the best. 

[chattooga_ basser]

Another vote for Megastrike, I smear it on the skirts of my spinnerbaits, jigs etc. and any soft plastics. I also like adding chartreuse Spike It to my Senkos and EZ swimmers. 

[A-Jay]

This works for me . . 

A-Jay

[kickerfish1]

I try to use as much Rage (Coffee scent) and Keitech (Squid scent) when possibly so I don't have to hassle with applying scents. If I do use them I will use smelly jelly in baitfish or Megastrike.

[Dtrombly]

I've had multiple days throwing plastics where I can't get bit at all, and the second I dip a tail/claw in Spike-It, I catch a fish almost immediately. Could be completely coincidental, but I'll continue to use it as a last resort 

[JustJames]

I use them, I don't use them doesn't really matter, sometime I use them and get no bite or don't use them but get pretty good bite. It the thing you cannot really prove.

There are a myth about cig smell after you smoke and touch the plastic as well that cannot be prove since I've even heard of people using cig-butt to catch fish.

BTW, I have mega strike, mayhem, just magic and one of those green garlic liquid bottle.

[clh121787]

Most  bag of plastics I open gets a dose of the "sauce" garlic , crawdad, jjs, spike, bang, bass dynasty etc. Can't hurt right? 

[lo n slo]

megastrike garlic

[GetBent]

Been using smelly jelly lately. Hook up ratio and follow ups seem to have improved since. 

[Sam]

Brett, it all boils down to confidence.

 

If you have confidence in the attractant then use it.

 

I like MegaStrike and JJ's Magic.

 

Does it help the bass to hold on to the bait for a few seconds longer? I have no idea.

 

But I have confidence in both so I use them just as the guys have penned above.

 

And to answer your garlic question, in the book, Knowing  Bass, The Scientific Approach to Catching More Fish by Dr. Keith A. Jones of Pure Fishing, here is his list of the flavors that the bass liked and hated in his laboratory studies as illustrated on page 57:

 

1.  Worm Extract

2.  Prey Salt Mix

3.  Salt

4.  Sugar

5.  Garlic

6.  Anise

 

We will not go into how smell and taste control feeding.

 

To take this discussion one step farther, Dr. Joes does illustrate in a chart on page 72 in the book that his studies of putting scent on crankbaits got 1) more strikes and 2) the bass had a longer retention to scented crankbaits.

 

So use scent on both plastics and hard baits.

 

And remember, it all boils down to confidence.

 

P.S.  I have used worm extract made with fresh Nightcrawlers and did not really see any appreciable difference between the extract and MegaStrike and JJ's Magic. Will try again in the future.