Bass attractants... something to invest in?

[TriStateBassin106]

Hey all, recently while fishing around my local lakes the question dawned on me. 

 

"Would I be catching more bass if I bought attractants?"

 

I've seen it all and you guys probably have to. Bass attractants are the next big thing because it gives your lures a more natural taste and scent. But what I'm confused about is it really worth the money just to have a higher chance for a bass to keep a lure in it's mouth a bit longer. What do you guys think about bass attractants? Something to invest or stay away from? 

[flyfisher]

they aren't that expensive and they last a while so sure, why not.  I use mega strike myself and while I can't say if it makes a difference, I always use it so I don't have to wonder.

[TriStateBassin106]

2 minutes ago, flyfisher said:

they aren't that expensive and they last a while so sure, why not.  I use mega strike myself and while I can't say if it makes a difference, I always use it so I don't have to wonder.

What does it do exactly? Make the bass more likely to strike because it smells like a natural prey baitfish or craw?

[Derek1]

I e used it a few times and caught fish. I e forgot it the rest of the time and caught fish. It certainly can’t hurt. 

[NorthernBasser]

16 minutes ago, pondhopperNJ said:

What does it do exactly? Make the bass more likely to strike because it smells like a natural prey baitfish or craw?

No one really knows. But I think it masks human scent and the plastic scent many plastics come with. So when the fish gets the bait in it's mouth, it may be more likely to hold on to it, allowing you a second more to set the hook.

[TheRodFather]

I have used Smelly Jelly in crawfish, and baitfish scent when fishing for smallmouths, and I found that it makes noticeable a difference in catch rates.

 

For Largemouths, I have tried JJs magic, megastrike, and I forget what the other one I have is, it is the same as JJs, (chartreuse dye and garlic).  I can't say for sure if it makes a difference yet.

 

 

 

[whitwolf]

I use,both Megastrike and JJ'S Magic. They mask human scent and I'm quite confident the fish hold on to the bait longer. It means more hook-ups. 

 

So there's no confusion. I use both but for different applications. The Megastrike for grass and the JJ'S for wood, rocks, open water, etc....

 

I have never used then together. I'm curious to know if anyone else had used them together.

[NorthernBasser]

On 7/13/2019 at 7:16 PM, TheRodFather said:

I have used Smelly Jelly in crawfish, and baitfish scent when fishing for smallmouths, and I found that it makes noticeable a difference in catch rates.

 

For Largemouths, I have tried JJs magic, megastrike, and I forget what the other one I have is, it is the same as JJs, (chartreuse dye and garlic).  I can't say for sure if it makes a difference yet.

 

 

Speaking of JJ's, don't forget to wear a HAZMAT suit while using it. 

 

Also, do not try dipping Z-Man ElaZtech in it. I found out the hard way today. I dipped the tail of a Razor Shad in it, only to see the JJ's eat away at the tail, causing the tail to fall off into the jar. 

[BigAngus752]

I've tried a few different types and I was religiously using Megastrike with indefinite results.  This year I tried MaxScent baits from Berkley.  This is as close to a "gamechanger" as I have found.  I recently fished the same spot with two different wacky-rig set-ups.  Both rods had 6lb mono on them.  Same VMC weedless Neko hooks.  I put a Berkley MaxScent General on one hook with an o-ring and an identical color Senko on the other with an o-ring.  I fished the same spot.  I caught three bass on the General and lost a fourth at the boat.  I had a single bite on the Senko and couldn't get the fish hooked.  Scientific?  No, but I felt all spring and early summer like the MaxScent was making a difference and this only reinforced it.  Am I giving up all my other plastics?  Not yet.  Am I going to burn through more bags of MaxScent because I am now highly confident in them?  Absolutely.  

[TheRodFather]

Funny story, I was messing around with the bottle off JJs that I bought years ago, dropped it in the kitchen and stained the heck out of the grout on the floor.  Wife was less than pleased.

 

It will eat all plastics if you leave them in there long enough, or reapply.  It's gnarly stuff.

[WRB]

Bass may not be "attracted" to scents but they can be turned off by negative odors.

Berkely did a lot of research developing Power Bait changing the concept of basing fishing scents. Using soft plastics scent can make the difference by giving you more time to detect strikes. 

Don't look at scent as an investment it's more of a insurance policy.

Tom

[jr231]

It's not the "next big thing" either.. it's been around for a long time my friend. 

 

 

[whitwolf]

15 minutes ago, TheRodFather said:

 

 

It will eat all plastics if you leave them in there long enough, or reapply.  It's gnarly stuff.

This has not been my experience at all, at least with the plastics I fish. (Zoom and R.I.) I take an eye dropper and put a small amount into the bag (clear) and not one time has it been a problem.

[Scott F]

I spilled a bottle of scent in my boat years ago. The smell should go away any day now......

[J.Vincent]

I can recall a tournament I fished on Lake Erie in 2001 or 2002. Prior to the tournament I bought a can of Bang Baitfish/Crawfish attractant and every 8 to 10 drifts I was saturating the tube with the Bang Aerosol spray. The boater was also drifting the same tube in 20 foot of water but with no attractant. By the time I had a 5 bass limit he had only caught 1. The boater was surprised and so was I because he was a more experienced angler than me and this was his GPS coordinate. When I caught my 5th I told him what I was doing different and he tried it and immediately began catching Smallmouth Bass. We both ended up cashing a check, and I’m almost positive it was because of a $7 dollar can of Bang Aerosol Attractant. Also Bang aerosol scents create an oil slick which trails behind the plastic and helps draw the fish towards the plastic. This can be advantageous in cases where the bite is not very good or the bass need extra motivation !

[TheRodFather]

14 minutes ago, whitwolf said:

This has not been my experience at all, at least with the plastics I fish. (Zoom and R.I.) I take an eye dropper and put a small amount into the bag (clear) and not one time has it been a problem.

I remember dipping a berkley 10 powerbait worm and I forget if I was talking to someone or what, but by the time I pulled it out the tail was hanging on by a thread.

 

I guess I should not have said "all" plastics, my bad.

[TriStateBassin106]

21 minutes ago, Yeajray231 said:

It's not the "next big thing" either.. it's been around for a long time my friend. 

 

 

Tell that to the Internet fishermen like the googans and others who keep hyping up scent brands. 

13 minutes ago, J.Vincent said:

I can recall a tournament I fished on Lake Erie in 2001 or 2002. Prior to the tournament I bought a can of Bang Baitfish/Crawfish attractant and every 8 to 10 drifts I was saturating the tube with the Bang Aerosol spray. The boater was also drifting the same tube in 20 foot of water but with no attractant. By the time I had a 5 bass limit he had only caught 1. The boater was surprised and so was I because he was a more experienced angler than me and this was his GPS coordinate. When I caught my 5th I told him what I was doing different and he tried it and immediately began catching Smallmouth Bass. We both ended up cashing a check, and I’m almost positive it was because of a $7 dollar can of Bang Aerosol Attractant. Also Bang aerosol scents create an oil slick which trails behind the plastic and helps draw the fish towards the plastic. This can be advantageous in cases where the bite is not very good or the bass need extra motivation !

Does this scent destroy soft plastics like others? Might be something to invest in maybe?? 

[WRB]

Soft plastics that have scent added like Power Bait or Chompers adding additional scent of a different type can be a negative reacting to the plastisol. Adding scent to a bag of soft plastics is OK if you plan to use all if them during the outing. Leaving soft plastic soak in scent can be a crap shoot, it may or may not adversely affect the soft plastic.

Way back in the late 60's I started to experiment adding scents like 100% anise oil mixed with glycerine for plastic worms and it worked good. I also added 100% anise oil and fresh ground garlic to my pork rind trailers and still use that scent to this day, it works.

Tom

[J.Vincent]

12 minutes ago, pondhopperNJ said:

Does this scent destroy soft plastics like others? Might be something to invest in maybe?? 

Yes it may cause some deterioration in some plastics , but from my experience with Yum, Zoom, Poor Boy and Gander Mountain or BPS plastics....it doesn’t unless it’s kept on over a very long course of time, the Bass usually destroy the plastic sooner than the spray. I also only apply attractant to the lure tied on the line, I never add it into the actual bag unless it’s just anise oil. 

[A-Jay]

I use Megastrike ~ on everything.

A-Jay

 

[jr231]

@pondhopperNJi may be in the minority but I have no idea who the "googans" are. I'm just letting you know, adding scent is not the new thing.. it has been around for a long time. My late grandfather would use attractant on his lures and swore by the stuff and had used it for a long time. Since before I was born. I'm 26. 

 

I think you got the answers you were looking for... 

 

Personally I have some... And never use it.. I have some markers that supposedly have scent on them and I'll use those on flukes to draw stripes on the fluorescent colors.  I do that for me tho I don't think the fish care the slightest. 

 

Good luck. 

 

 

[richard203]

im planning to try mega strike since a lot of people have good result. do any1 know if it get washed away after a few cast?

[whitwolf]

11 minutes ago, richard203 said:

im planning to try mega strike since a lot of people have good result. do any1 know if it get washed away after a few cast?

I think not. Maybe @Bobby Uhrig will share his expertise!

[TriStateBassin106]

9 minutes ago, whitwolf said:

I think not. Maybe @Bobby Uhrig will share his expertise!

How well does mega strike work on Dingers? Since YUM already scents them.

[ChrisD46]

To neutralize the plastisol smell in soft plastics - I give the bag a quick spray of BANG garlic scent and then distribute the scent with the bag closed . It's also a confidence thing for me as I believe bass respond favorably to garlic scent on soft plastics (at least bass in southern waters) .