Bass Attractants??

[MNBass16]

I was wondering if its worth spending money on bass attractants such as megastrike or others. Before I buy some I thought it would be good to hear what you think about these products.

[Grey Wolf]

WELCOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Many people use attractants . I tried them one year and never noticed any differance. JMO

[WTRDOG]

Use SMELLY JELLY......Fish love it.

[bigbill]

I started off testing scents to see if they really work.  I have had people ask me if lures really work as i pull in a 3lb bass even before i could answer them.  Then when i recasted out I gave the lure a shot of Baitmate bass scent.  Then the same guy asked me if using scents work?  Again before i could answer him i reeled in another 3lb bass.  He finally said i guess all this stuff works and asked for a shot of scent on his lure.

I fish the same place for hours and in the evenings I wait till they turn on as it gets towards darkness.  I have thrown lures with scent for hours at this one spot.  I would average 5 to 6 good sized bass an outing.  Remember i'm fishing from shore.  The numbers got higher closer to 9 or 10 fish a night.  Then the numbers started falling off for some reason.  I figured it was the people who were taking the fish home to eat so the numbers fell off very quickly.  I did notice if i use scents most people around me caught fish too.  So i slacked off on the amout of scent i used too.

I tested Baitmate bass with great results and YUM crawfish and YUM shad with success too.  I was using baitmate crawfish scent but i don't see it anymore.  I did pick up some riverside crawfish scent and it works good too.  I purchased a lot of different brands of scent to try but i'm still using what i started off with in the beginning because it works.

I'm convinced that scents do work.

I got my son some shrimp scent to use saltwater on the diamond jigs for blues on the party boat.  The mate on the boat asked what he was doing with the spray.  My son was catching the most fish.

[ohiobassmaster93]

i use them just to mask the human scent

[Cigarlover 1]

In my opinion and limited experience, yes they absolutely make a difference. As long as you pick the right one. I use J.J.'s Magic and love it. Here's a link with some discussion on J.J.'s

One thing I love about JJ's is that it actually penetrates the plastic and will stay on a lot longer than other scents that just coat the plastic.

http://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_forums/YaBB.pl?num=1181962952/0

[fishinfiend]

   I am hooked on scent. While I believe that I would get bites from the same fish without scent, I feel that the scent encourages the bass to hold the worm and "chew" on it a lil' bit longer. That extra time increases the number of fish I catch. Also, I think that if fish do not see or feel the movement of your worm, they may smell the scent and track down your worm.   I like B.A.N.G combo  and the garlic scents.

[DrumintheSuds]

Fish react to and attack a lure if and only if you are able to fool them. If they attack a worm and sense it isn't real they will spit it out before you even know what happened.

Scents like Garlic and salt impregnated worms make a difference in the fish refusing to let go of the bait and that can make a huge difference in a hookset.

If the fish are attacking and in a feeding mood I don't think scent makes that much of a difference but when they are finicky I think it makes a world of difference.

A veteran angler that has felt the taps and pressure bites a million times can get by without using scent because he "knows" the fish is there. For most a scent or salt impregnated bait might give you a longer window to feel and get a hookset.

I always keep my hands washed with soap that has no fragrance added and I like garlic on my worms. CB's hawg sauce (gel) is my choice of scent.

[Bassin_Fin@tic]

Carolina lunker sauce and megastrike are my favorites.

I too believe that the scent can make a difference at times on the hookset.

Also when the bite is tough and you have to saturate the same area over and over and fish very slowly to get a bite I think it helps.After so many casts to an area the scent will eventually permeate the area and stay there.

I'm a big believer in using them at night also.

Fast moving lures, action type baits,spinners,cranks and such IMO it doesnt make a s--t of difference.If the fish is gonna strike its gonna strike.It will never smell the bait or even taste it because its getting some major dental work already.

[roadwarrior]

J.J. Magic and MegaStrike are both BassResource.com sponsors.

http://www.jjsmagic.com/

http://www.megastrike.com/

Try them both!

BTW, Welcome aboard!

8-)

[Joel W]

This is my 3rd year using Megastrike, and most of the time scent just doesn't seem to matter in attracting fish. What is seems to be most suited for is keeping the Bass from spitting the soft plastic lure out. It's also a great lubricant for soft plastics so they slide through the weeds with less resistance.

Not sure one way or the other if human scent helps or hinders. I've read numerous posts of people using WD-40 and the Bass just "killed em".  

[.ghoti.]

Scents do make a difference, most of the time. Whatever scent you use will mask any odors or tastes you may have left on the bait from handling. And, it will give you a bit more time to detect the hit and set the hook.

What they are not is attractants. Your bait is the attractant. That business about leaving a scent trail in the water that the bass will follow to your bait is a load of high grade fertilizer.

My vote now goes to Megastrike. I've used them all, at one time or another, and several work just fine. Megastrike is the most user friendly. Read that as, the least messy.

Power Bait liquid has been in my bag for years, but it is a bit messy. What I use now are Berkley Power Nibbles. These are made for panfish, but are excellent for any bass bait that has a cavity, like tubes. Insert a couple of Nibbles before you put the hook through, and you good to go for as long as the tube lasts. More time fishing, less time applying scent, equals more fish.

Cheers,

GK

[bassmaster911]

If you use a scent use something with nightwraler scent. I read in a book that was all abut scents that nightcralwer is the best garlic and salt scored the lowest despite their pobularity. I bout Powerbait Gulp Night crawler but havent used it yet

[Big-O]

Megastrike is hard to beat. Don't know if there is anything better and I have tried a few of them over the last 40 yrs. For those who don't think that scent makes a difference, tell them to put a little bug repellent on their bait and see how many fish they boat. NONE! But of course bass can't smell oil based scents, according to one of the popular scent based bait companies lingo. Yeah Right. In fact tell a non believer to spit a little Copenhagen on his favorite soft plastic worm and rub it in, then see how many fish he catches. NONE, until he washes it off with a hundred casts or so. All experienced jig and slow plastic users know for a fact that scent makes a difference, both good and bad.

[low_pro]

Cheap alternative:

Start with a base of Cod Liver Oil. Add salt. Then add you're favorite scent. Sometimes I use Garlic Powder and sometimes I use Coffee! You can also add anise...

Let your soft plastics soak in this. Also, you can mix with vasoline so it will stick to jigs and other hard baits...

You can get 16oz of Cod Liver Oil for like $6... the best part is the ability to experiment with different scents... word of advice... don't try this before a dinner party or when you are expecting company...

[Catt]

I use attractants for two purposes

First as a lubricant; I fish in grass a lot and the attractant helps my plastic baits slide through the grass easier.

Second is to mast any odor my plastic may have pick up.

I use Fish Formula II or Baitmate (clear) with a ½ oz of pure anise oil added.

[madbass]

Smelly jelly liquid has seemed to work well for me.

[roadwarrior]

Welcome aboard!

8-)

[Big-O]

Mineral oil from grocery store mixed with you favorite scent is another way of  making your own.