Scent Question

[tmoney]

Grew up hunting and the bass bug has got me. Been fishing a few years now and I cant tell how big of a deal scent is. Scent is huge in deer hunting, but those burgers have good noses. As I stroll thru the isle of bass pro I see plenty of scent spray but I have to wonder If it really works? I've tried soft plastics with and without and haven't seen a huge difference. Does time of year matter or the type of plastics?

[motoman]

Personally, I use megastrike, or that bioedge stuff. The bioedge is stinkier and smells like the garbage fish eat; so I like it better. And it comes in a jumbo sized Chapstick kinda tube; so it's very convenient.

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I have No scientific data to support if it works; but I prefer using it than not. I believe it does work though.:-) Anything that might help the fish hold on a split second longer is needed for my slow reflexes.

[Jason Essary]

Exactly, dont know if it gives you more bites, but do believe that it makes them hold it for a second or two longer.

[sholder02]

Do you have any problems with the sticks melting on the hot summer days?

[motoman]

I know thè mega strike gets soft, so I would guess the sticks would too?, so I always just leave all of them in the cooler. It's built in right under my feet; so it's nice and close.

[Guest]

Ive always used Yum F2 in the shad and crawfish flavors.

Shad for swimbaits, smoke tubes, smoke grubs, and flukes.

Crawfish for worms, tubes and jigs.

I keep 2 tupperware tubs and lids in the boat, one for each flavor.

I just plop the bait down in that little tub and spray away.

It keeps that stuff off the boat and most importantly the carpet.

I like Bang equally as well,

also have the bioedge stix but dont like the way that its textured like wax.

It really seems to help when dragging baits behind the boat.

Flatheads love

[Stoneroller]

scientific data says that fish attractants work, not only on soft plastics but on hard baits too. don't be afraid to put it on a crankbait or the blades of a spinnerbait. This is why I like the stick style scents, although your lures will start to stick together in the tackle boxes.

InFisherman recently had an article on this and pointed out that lure companies don't spend hundreds of thousands of dollars a year researching things like attractants if they didn't work. They also pointed out that you aren't shark fishing with chum, so 'working' is relative to the situation. Sometimes fish will hit anything that moves or looks edible, other times they are picky and can be picky as to scent.

InFisherman noted that DEET is the #1 fish repellant. get even a fraction on your lure and it's effectively useless for at least 1 hr. Active ingredients in sunscreen were also tops of the fish repellants. so put that stuff on well before you get to the ramp/launch/etc. and wash your hands for at least 60 seconds, with soap and warm water after applying that bug spray or sunscreen.

They also stated that oil and gasoline appeared to have no effect on a fishes' willingness to hit or hold onto a lure.

[dtrs5kprs]

Exactly, dont know if it gives you more bites, but do believe that it makes them hold it for a second or two longer.

Well said. There are times on the brown fish, especially in the fall on the deep FB jigs, when scent ups your chances to get a hook in one. It sure does not hurt any time of year.

Good old garlic for me. Saw it this spring scrubbing a grub. Chompers 5" S&P single tail flat outfished same size and color of GYCB. Zoom single tails that had been garlic pre-soaked also outfished GYCB.

[Quillback]

Only thing I don't like about garlic scents is that it makes ME hungry.

[riverfish]

my uncle swears by bang garlic he says it work i myself never use any scent a good friend of mine uses the smelly jelly on his jigs no matter what time of year he says they eat it better and hold onto it longer one thing i can tell you " IF YOU USE SUNBLOCK" use the spray on kind and DO NOT rub it in or bring some soap and water with you in the boat i myself have witnesed this first hand they say alot of sunblock has shark repellant in it and it will repel a bass or any other type of fish. one time i was fishing with my dad and he put the sunblock on and rubbed it in without washing his hands i outfished him ten to one litterally i tried to tell him but the old man didn't listen we fished for two day i probably caught twenty keeps in the two days he only cught 3 fish total between the two. this year he bought the aerosol spray stuff and never touched it with his hands and we both fished equally well for those two days. so my opinion is that in some areas SCENT DOES MATTER