Fish attractant, scent cover up, or snake oil

[Bankbeater]

I've used it in the past, but not anymore.  I never noticed a difference in the bite, or how long the bass holds on to the bait.

[roadwarrior]

16 hours ago, ajschn06 said:

(I’m not gonna start throwing drop shots or Senkos or anything like that)..

Yep, you start throwing that junk and the fish will wear you out before you

are ready to go home.

 

[ajschn06]

11 minutes ago, roadwarrior said:

Yep, you start throwing that junk and the fish will wear you out before you

are ready to go home.

 

 

Boooooooring..... I fish the baits I enjoy fishing- those aren’t it.  To each their own, you can keep posting your Senko article and I’ll keep avoiding them....

 

 

[roadwarrior]

7 minutes ago, ajschn06 said:

Boooooooring..... I fish the baits I enjoy fishing- those aren’t it.  To each their own, you can keep posting your Senko article and I’ll keep avoiding them....

I like the Fat Ika, too.

 

•  

[ajschn06]

7 minutes ago, roadwarrior said:

I like the Fat Ika, too.

 

•  

Not sure how you fish that, but if it’s similar to a senko or drop shot I’m out.  Ever use it as a jig trailer? 

[roadwarrior]

8 minutes ago, ajschn06 said:

Ever use it as a jig trailer? 

No.

The magic is in the action fished weightless.

[ajschn06]

24 minutes ago, roadwarrior said:

No.

The magic is in the action fished weightless.

Curious... when you’re fishing that or a weightless senko, how long does a typical retrieve take when it doesn’t get bit?  On an average day, how many casts are you going between fish?

[roadwarrior]

I would estimate 3-5 minutes. Shorter time when targeting specific cover like a tree,

brush pile, stump or rock. Longer if fishing down a bank or ridge. I'm surprised guys

fish anything but a Senko or Fat Ika around docks.

 

Back on topic...

I have been using MegaStrike on ALL soft plastic for more than twenty years. I think

it helps keep the fish on the bite. In my "fish mind" a Twinkie lathered up with the goo

just sounds delicious!

[Cgolf]

1 hour ago, roadwarrior said:

I would estimate 3-5 minutes. Shorter time when targeting specific cover like a tree,

brush pile, stump or rock. Longer if fishing down a bank or ridge. I'm surprised guys

fish anything but a Senko or Fat Ika around docks.

 

Back on topic...

I have been using MegaStrike on ALL soft plastic for more than twenty years. I think

it helps keep the fish on the bite. In my "fish mind" a Twinkie lathered up with the goo

just sounds delicious!

 

Do you do this most days or only when the bite is tough? If the fish are chasing or actively hitting a heavier drop bait, seems like a lot of time is wasted. I have finesse presentations, but the waters I fish and cover/structure I target, without dropping an actual anchor, no shallow water anchors for me, I would be blown off the spot before the bait could properly be retrieved. That would explain why I don't catch them on senkos.

 

As for scents I believe in gel scents, apparently the second time I disagree with the Berkley guy, because they flat out work. I use Liquid Mayhem now, atlas mikes before, and they really make a difference during a tough bite. You can see that they do slowly come off based on how the water looks when you pull them out, it just comes off slower than say a spray like bang. I have had people in the boat that caught zip while I was catching them with scent, and once I got them to add scent to the bait they were throwing they started catching them too. 

[roadwarrior]

Soft plastic fished weightless require certain conditions. Sometimes (often) "moving lures"

are a better choice, especially right now!  These baits require relatively shallow water, <12".

They don't work well in current, either.

[The Bassman]

6 hours ago, Team9nine said:

Snake oil... ?

When I saw this topic I knew I would find you in the que with this opinion. If one would search your Latest Catch Pics history it would certainly validate your take on this every time it's brought up.

[Herbert Lorenzo]

It's probably best and cheaper to wash your hands well before touching bait . No scent is going to remove the smell of things like gasoline , oil , and other contaminants. If you eat sardines while fishing , you might want to dip the bait in that oil the sardines are in though .

[Biglittle8]

On 3/20/2021 at 9:56 PM, WRB said:

According to Dr Keith Jones Berkely’s leading fish expert scents some help bass hold onto soft plastics longer and has several studies to prove it.

However....Jones says bass can’t detect odors in gels.

Masking human odors, like gasoline and oil can hurt.

Gel type attractants can stick some jig skirt material together.

I have been using scents forever, starting with pure 100% anise oil and fresh garlic added to pork rind jars and plastic worms with good success. Dr Jones claims both are marginal at best as bass attractant scents.

What is important I believe it helps bass to hold the lure in it’s mouth a little longer then without the scent.

Tom

 

 

This☝️... I just started to use Edge Hot Sauce this winter which is intended to simulate the slimecoat all fish have. If it makes em hold it longer, that helps! I even put some on my hardbaits. I also use JJ's on trailers and worms because it's easy to use. Does it work? I like to think so.

[Team9nine]

15 hours ago, The Bassman said:

When I saw this topic I knew I would find you in the que with this opinion. If one would search your Latest Catch Pics history it would certainly validate your take on this every time it's brought up.

 

If it gives you confidence, then use it....but I’ve never felt like I needed to resort to it just to catch a fish. To me, it’s more a hassle than an aid ?

[mheichelbech]

On 3/21/2021 at 12:02 AM, FishTank said:

I like Bang, Megastrike and Smelly Jelly.   Do they help? I like to think so but I don't use them all the time.  They seem to help more when the bite is slow.  Maybe (and I mean maybe),  it makes the bites harder and easier to detect during those tough days. 

I really miss the smelly jelly worms.  They were the best 4 inch work I’ve ever fished.  Not sure what happened with them but they aren’t available anymore that I can find.

 

II also like Bang, easy to hit your bait with it hanging over the boat.  I like it mostly as it slicks up the bait and helps it slide over and around cover better...especially jigs and plastics.