Your thoughts on scent

[Nixstyx]

So, I've been thinking about scent a lot lately and how it relates to fishing. I, as I'm sure you have too, have read tons of articles and posts about the relative importance of a bass's sense of "smell". Some say it is the single most important factor in catching more fish, while others say it hardly deseves consideration.

Personally, I think it is critically important. As someone who does a lot of salmon and trout fishing I have seen "scented" baits far outfish unscented ones for years while trolling. I can only assume scent would have a big impact on bass fishing, especially since bass often get a long, close look at slower moving baits. In fact I think scent is a big enough factor that I'm often obsessive about it. Not in just adding spray-on stinky commercial scents, but in eliminating undesirable scents. I saw a small article in a magazine a few months ago showing that bass consistently avoided baits with traces of DEET bug spray. I've read other columns that suggest just eating breakfast can dirty your hands enough to turn off a bite.

So my question for you guys is, how seriously do you take scent? What legnths do you go to to either eliminate or cover-up human scent? What works? What doesn't? Do you even bother? Does anyone make their own stinky attractant? Finally I'd love to hear from someone who has an understanding of fish biology and knows how bass detect and interpret scent, and can articulately explain the scientific side of things for me. Forgive me if this has been discussed before.

[Siebert Outdoors]

For me it really depends on the bait and the fish.  A reaction bait I never use scent.

For a feeding bait I will use scent/scent impregnated  lure if the fish are not aggressive. 

[BrianinMD]

I personally don't put a lot of concern with scents, the only time I use it is if the bite is light and I think I am missing fish because they are dropping the bait. A little scent seems to help the fish hold the bait a little longer.

Only other time I use it is if I am fishing weeds/slop, the scent (Megastrike) helps the bait slide thru it better.

[Blue Streak]

This sure has been discussed before and your are going to get a ton of differing opinions. I don't think bass use their sense of smell as some fish do to find prey, and I don't believe there are a whole lot of repugnant odors to a bass and therefore it is not necessary to cover up odors. I do believe it has everything to do about taste. If a bait taste good a bass it will hold it longer. I do use scented baits such as Power Baits and sometimes I will use a scent product. I think it is just one of those deals that if you have confidence in it you will use it. And now I am sure someone who understands it all better than I do will give you a more detailed explanation

[Nixstyx]

Maybe I'm just a little bit crazy then. Haha. Just to give you an idea of my scent obsession, I'll tell you some of the things I do:

I wash my hands with scent eliminating soap whenever possible. After I wash I look like a surgeon who just scrubbed-in and doesn't want to touch anything.

I avoid bug spray, sunscreen, and anything else that smells. If I use these things I put them on before I go and then wash my hands.

I try to avoid eating while fishing (usually I forget to eat because I'm focused on fishing).

I dunk or spray every lure in some sort of stinky attractant, occasionally before every cast.

It's not uncommon to see me sniff my bait. (Laugh if you must)

I've been known to don rubber gloves (only occasionally when trolling for lake trout or salmon)

I wet my line with an attractant, instead of saliva, before I cinch my knot

I firmly "believe" in Gulp, but own no fewer than 6 varieties of spray-on scents

That said, I've been considering taking my obsession to a new level. Yeah, I'm probably crazy. As a whitetail deer hunter, I've been thinking about taking some of the tactics I use in the woods to the water. Even I would admit gearing up in a carbon ScentLok suit is a bit much, and I'm not going to walk around on the boat with synthetic urine on my boots. But, how about keeping fishing clothes in a ziplock bag with spruce boughs, or using cover scent? Would that stuff work under water? OK, I guess I am crazy.

[Blue Streak]

I am very careful about insect repellent and sun screen and that is about all. Some say you don't need to be. Salmon and trout may be fish that are a lot more sensitive to smell than bass.

[Pez]

Scent/Attractant=confident factor

I dont really take to much concern, when it comes to scents/attractants. I dont believe that scents attract or get more strikes. Rather has the fish hold onto the bait just a little longer, for you to get that good hookset. Or stuff like Bobby's megastrike, helps the bait slide through cover/vegetation easier.

I just ordered some stuff from tackleware house with the 15% off memorial sale, and I purchased a tube of megastrike attractant 

[WRB]

You can read articles by the experts at Berkley Fishing, their products are research based.

The one thing I have learned over the years is; "don't mix scents", use one brand.

WRB

[NateFollmer]

About the only thing I do for scent:

I will take a strip of paper towel and cover it in scent and lay it in my tackle box/compartments and change it every 6 months or so (depends on the conditions). It gives all my baits the scent smell without wasting the product.

Does it help at all? Don't know It isn't hurting though...

[Nitrofreak]

There was a thread on this some time back and I had used fresh shrimp to soak my lures in over nite and had some great success the next day.

I have not been back to test that theory as of yet but I do know that I can use jj's magic and it does work!!

And how I know that is because I can throw 2 identical soft bait's one with jj's one without and get results with the treated plastics in the same place with the same technique.

So yes I am a believer but I stand firmly on the fact that it is the talent of the angler that catch fish the attractant is used to help get their attention and at least get the fish to pick up the bait after that it's all up to you.

[Nixstyx]

There was a thread on this some time back and I had used fresh shrimp to soak my lures in over nite and had some great success the next day.

Now that's the kind of semi-wacky idea I had hoped to hear. Maybe I'll try that, haha.

I'm happy to hear I'm not the only person who has thought about this.

[cart7t]

So, I've been thinking about scent a lot lately and how it relates to fishing. I, as I'm sure you have too, have read tons of articles and posts about the relative importance of a bass's sense of "smell". Some say it is the single most important factor in catching more fish, while others say it hardly deseves consideration.

Who are these some?

Smell is way down on the list of factors that bass rely on to find prey.  Catfish otoh. 

[senko_77]

Maybe I'm just a little bit crazy then. Haha. Just to give you an idea of my scent obsession, I'll tell you some of the things I do:

I wash my hands with scent eliminating soap whenever possible. After I wash I look like a surgeon who just scrubbed-in and doesn't want to touch anything.

I avoid bug spray, sunscreen, and anything else that smells. If I use these things I put them on before I go and then wash my hands.

I try to avoid eating while fishing (usually I forget to eat because I'm focused on fishing).

I dunk or spray every lure in some sort of stinky attractant, occasionally before every cast.

It's not uncommon to see me sniff my bait. (Laugh if you must)

I've been known to don rubber gloves (only occasionally when trolling for lake trout or salmon)

I wet my line with an attractant, instead of saliva, before I cinch my knot

I firmly "believe" in Gulp, but own no fewer than 6 varieties of spray-on scents

That said, I've been considering taking my obsession to a new level. Yeah, I'm probably crazy. As a whitetail deer hunter, I've been thinking about taking some of the tactics I use in the woods to the water. Even I would admit gearing up in a carbon ScentLok suit is a bit much, and I'm not going to walk around on the boat with synthetic urine on my boots. But, how about keeping fishing clothes in a ziplock bag with spruce boughs, or using cover scent? Would that stuff work under water? OK, I guess I am crazy.

Dude, I'm lovin it! Glad to see I'm not the only crazy when when it comes to fishing.

I'm a huge believer in scent. 2 in particular. Megastrike and JJ's Magic. On tournament day, I'm extremely careful about what I touch and always apply my sunscreen at the hotel room then wash my hands then wash them again in lake water.

I get real into bass' senses when I'm fishing. A perfect example was yesterday when I was fishing with the girl I'm dating. We were walking around her neighborhood pond and she was basically stomping around so I gave her a piggyback ride to each spot because I really think fish can "feel" loud footsteps.  I also tip toe around on the boat during the tournament.  I'm real cautious about dropping things and I clip my tag ends with my pliers an inch from the carpet incase I drop it, so it makes minimal noise.  It takes me like 10 seconds to put my trolling motor in the water.  I ease that thing down so it barely makes a ripple. 

Am I crazy? You better your @ss I am, but I catch more fish because of it.

Thanks for the post man

[bear7625]

When trolling for salmon on the great lakes, we experimented by putting scent on half the baits we used. The sented baits caught more fish. You be the judge.

[Nixstyx]

Glad to see all the feedback, and the things you guys do to maximize your chances. Can't hurt, right?

I too have tried the scented vs unscented baits while trolling for cold water species and have seen the same surprising results. I find it a little more difficult to test this on bass because it would be very difficult to keep all other variables the same cast after cast.

And Senko_77, I agree when it comes to sound too. I cringe when I see someone fishing with a radio on in their boat. And when I'm shore fishing I look more like I'm hunting: step lightly. Stop. Look around. Another quiet step. Stop. Pretend to be looking for somthing on the ground to ease concerns of suspicious nearby swimmers. Creep forward. Fire a quick cast at a passing bass, and then curse my mistake aim.

[grimlin]

Knowing Bass: The Scientific Approach to Catching More Fish ~ Keith A. Jones (Author)

That book has made me look a little differently at how important scent really is.

Being said,I use it to cover up any odor and it more of a confidence booster.

[Taylor Fishin 4 life]

Yea scents work, Always a good idea to put scent on your hands before riggging your bait

Vibrations are I think are more of a imortance though  I think

[b.Lee]

So how do you guys deal with deet on your hands, wouldn't washing your hands in the lake just defeat the purpose?

[evrgladesbasser]

For me it really depends on the bait and the fish. A reaction bait I never use scent.

For a feeding bait I will use scent/scent impregnated lure if the fish are not aggressive.

X2

I agree and use the same method when it comes to scents. It's always better to have sense though.

[bigbill]

When i first got addicted to bass fishing i wanted to learn and try everything related to bass fishing. I wanted to have an edge and test every lure and every scent to see if they really do work. I even test rods and reels but thats another story. I do wassh my hands with big orange before going fishing too.

I purchased a few name brands of scent to test out first. I got the baitmate bass scent to test first. I would coat my topwater lure and make my very first cast a long one. Remember i'm fishing from shore and staying at the same spot for hours just waiting for the bite to turn on in the evenings. At this time i was fishing in the evenings only. Every night around dusk the bass do turn on. Now i figure my first long cast will spread the attractant thats in the scent and also cover my human scent too. So my scent is covered and the bass should be looking for a meal. My average nightly catch was 4 to 6 bass ranging from 2lbs to 4lbs+. Now i looked like a pro everynight at the same spot with a lot of people around me also fishing.

One guy walked up to me and said do those lures work? Before i could answer him i landed a 3lber and he replied i guess those lures do work. Then he seen me scent my lure and he asked if the scents really work? And again before i could answer him i landed another 2 1/2lber and he replied to me i guess that scents work too. He started throwing his topwater popper with no results. I caught 5 good sized bass that night. I had people watching me every night and the next day they would show up with new lures, scents, new rods/reels and even new tackleboxes. I felt i was a field salesman for fishing equipment. As time went on i seen people who didn't use scents catch fish too. I figured they were catching fish on my scent in the water. At one time i would give the water a shot of scent too infront of me were the channel was too. I had to cut back on my use of scents because everyone was catching bass with me. The place was so crowded at night i moved to fishing in the early mornings. Mainly because i couldn't break past the 5lb bass(average). I seem to be hung up with the bass not getting any bigger no matter what i tried.

Ok when the season opens up i fish every morning at around 3:30am till the sun comes up. Its very quiet with no one else there yet. I have the run of the place and i'm in my hot spot plus i'm in my zone with only fishing on my mind. This is my first year of fishing in the mornings. Right after the spawn i nailed a 10lber two feet from shore in two feet of water in the shallows using a Rebel BIG Claw crawfish crankbait with baitmate bass scent. Again i make a long cast with my topwater bait first so the water is scented.

Ok one more test about using scents. I have a carolina rig with a 1/8 oz brass weight, plus a brass bead for noise and a 3' leader with a senko worm hooked in the center of the body. I will cast it out with no scent on the first cast. Now i get a hit was it falls but i miss the fish. I try a second cast with no scent and nothing happens. My third cast i hooked it with a shot of scent of course the baitmate bass scent comes thru again. Sometimes i keep my line snug as it falls or i twitch it as it falls.

I like having the advantage by using a rattle, matching the right color and size plus using scent too. The fish are there when we do it right.

1. Baitmate bass scents work great.

2. YUM shad, YUM crawfish work great too.

3. Riverside Craw another good one

4. Baitmate or YUM Garlic is awesome for a change up scent

This is about were i'm at testing scents mainly because if what i'm using is working why go any farther??

Do scents work?

I sent my sons off deep sea fishing for blue fish with a shrimp scent and diamond jigs. The firstmate seen my son scent the jig and my son caught a blue fish right away. The firstmate questioned my son and said do they work? Well of course when he started catching fish on the jig the answer was there already.

My sons went trout fishing and i got the baitmate for trout scent. My sons were the only ones in that spot surrounded by others who caught fish. This is a lake were its stocked with trout and everyone is elbow to elbow trout fishing.

Now do scents work? I think they give us an edge. But chosing the right sized lure and color matching what the bass are feeding on matters too.

We also fish a local river thats hot with bass too. We use the smaller rebel crawfish lure matching the crawfish casings that are on the shoreline. Were using the green with the black back with a shot of crawfish scent. Were casting into the pools and behind rocks mainly. In the shallow pools my son comes up with a 3lb bass.

I'm a believer that scents work. I'm testing the cheaper scents like baitmate and yum too. I'm no pro nor will i ever be but i'm sure scents are working for me. BigBill

Its not luck in fishing its skill!!!!!!

To keep the bugs away eat garlic, lots of garlic!!!!!!!!!

[stealthcaster]

I'm not going to act like I know a whole lot about scent, because I don't. I will leave you with these facts though.

1. I often catch flounder in the surf with berkley gulp! grubs without any action whatsoever. They just bite it when it's sitting on the bottom. And if any of you have ever fished for flounder, you'd know they usually won't just eat anything.

2. In my experience, largemouth bass absolutely can't stand a wacky-rigged berkley gulp! 5" sinking minnow. It seems to work just as good as a senko in most places, and senkos seem to have a much better overall action and sink speed.

[Nixstyx]

So how do you guys deal with deet on your hands, wouldn't washing your hands in the lake just defeat the purpose?

If I use it, I put it on at home, and then wash my hands with scent eliminating soap. I've also completly stopped using DEET-based repelant. Not only can fish smell that stuff a mile away, it degrades plastics and nylons. That means every time you thumb the spool you are degrading your mono line and lowering its breaking stregnth. I've seen it melt plastic or rubber reel handles, or even melt a hole right through a tackle box or bag if it spills. Nasty stuff, but it certainly does keep the bugs away. Most of the time though, I just deal with it and feed the suckers. Haven't contracted West Nile or Triple E yet...

Almost forgot to mention the other repellant I use: Repel Permanone. The active ingredient is called permethrin. It's actually a semi-long term treatment for clothes. You don't spray it on your skin, you spray the clothes you will be fishing with, and then let them dry. The treatment lasts a couple months and even through a few washes. It really works too!

[Enviro]

There is a very logical reason for bass being triggered to bite by the scent of garlic. Garlic/Onion is a common scent in most terrestrial environments. Allium is the onion genus with 860 known species making it one of the largest plant generas in the world. The plants produe chemical compounds known as cysteine sulfoxide, this is where the onion and garlic scent come from. Allium species are only found in the temperate regions of the northern hemisphere. Now here is what I am getting at. The cysteine sulfoxides found in the the bulbous region of the plants attract very large numbers of worms. I do not understand why this is yet, but i have observed it numerous times. The bulb, being underground, releases the chemical scent into the soil which is picked up by the worms. When the worms get washed in the lake the garlic/onion scent is picked up by the bass. Bass have adapted to respond to these scents especially after a heavy rain when worms are washed in the lake. The naturally garlic scented worm is more common to bass and other fish species than we may think. At Bald Eagle State Park in PA the other day I proved my theory with a big batch of wild garlic growing on the lakeside. Remember that this is just my theory and if anyone wants to further test it for me I would love feedback. I really hope I do not see my work published in the next Field and Stream magazine. Remember that this only holds for temperate regions in the Norther Hemisphere and a few selected places in the South America.

[Mr.Sheephead]

I just fish and soon enough after a few fish my hands stink enough that it wont leave my scent on the bait but just a fishy scent all that adding scent on a lure is for that extra edge one may be looking for. I took a bottle of crayfish scent from bio-edge and boy does it smell but its only like a 1oz bottle so i just took a container of vaseline and put it in boiling water until it liquefied pour about half the bottle of bio-edge in stir let it cool and let it become a paste like form again and there you go! I just turned a $10 bottle of 1oz bio-edge into a paste that last longer and stays on the lure better than just trying to pour the scent on the bait.

[shimmy]

Me and Senko_77 usually don't see eye to eye on this site but i must say, i handle scents very carefully like he does. When trout fishing, this can make a world of a difference. I always put scent on my line and anything else that could deter the smell. I think the very nature of being meticulous while you are fishing increases your chances of catching bigger bass. Sound is even more of a deterrent in my opinion for bass and it's this OCD approach in my mind that saves face with bigger fish.

Lets be honest, regardless of how much of an advantage it may give, it can't possibly make the fishing worse.