What do you think about scent and bass?

AJLures · March 09, 2011, 06:55:01 PM

How much do you think scent affects bass fishing? I have done some research on scent and want to know what people think. How does scent effect the reaction bite vs. hunger bite? It seems like some people disregard scent and some people won't fish without a scent attractant on their lure. I know that most salmon and steelheaders are scent-crazy, while surf fisherman don't really talk much about it. What's your opinion? What do you use? What are you careful not to touch before or during fishing?

John

Kal-Kevin · March 09, 2011, 07:16:55 PM

I do not know if it a thing people do because they have to or just to make themselves feel better while fishing. I use mega-strike on all plastics no matter if it is already scented or not. When I use it I feel the bass hold on to the lure longer,so I have a better chance to bring in more fish.
so on the reaction bite vs. hunger bite part, I do not think scent has much to do with reaction bite since they are hitting it do to it being there in front of them. Now on the hunger part I think if the fish picks it up and it taste good to them they will chew on it longer. So the scent will make it a better bait for inactive fish.

Dan1962 · March 09, 2011, 07:51:00 PM

Never tried them myself for Bass fishing But I have seen lots of People fishing for Catfish spray WD-40 all over there bait don't know what catfish like in that WD-40 But it does work

bassindude · March 09, 2011, 08:37:10 PM

I dont believe that scent will help bass find your lure to any appreciable degree, unless it id very nearby to begin with and the water is stained. I do believe that scent will cause a bass to bite once he has found the lure and is in the decision mode. I do believe that scent will cause a bass to hold on a little longer, and i believe it will help mask any bad scent on the lure. Jim

Band1t · March 09, 2011, 09:45:05 PM

i use the SK Coffee spray mainly to mask my scent....if it helps with bites....who knows??

hiagression · March 09, 2011, 10:20:36 PM

I also use scent but more to cover my scent on the lure.

cd1 · March 09, 2011, 10:32:58 PM

Ive read a lot on this recently. The main points i picked up are that smell isnt a very important sense for bass...sight and hearing are far more relevant...BUT a scent may help finicky bass hang on to a lure longer after they take it.

That being said...ive never used it...i have a bottle in my boat and ill probably use it tomorrow.

bigjim5589 · March 09, 2011, 11:56:57 PM

Other than scents that were put into plastics from the makers, I've never used them. I read somewhere that research has shown that bass do not smell some types of scents, because they're not water soluble. In other words, they have to be able to dissolve in the water before a bass can smell it. I don't know how true this is. The main reason I've never tried any of them is the same reason I seldom fish with bait any more, I just don't want to deal with the mess.

I agree with what has already been said, that bass don't use the sense of smell as much as they do sight & sound, but perhaps may hold on to a lure longer if it tastes good to them. The only problem is, which of the scents actually do taste good to a bass. I can't answer that, so for now I'm going to keep away from them. At this point, I also don't really have any confidence that any particular brand would be a benefit to me. I've caught plenty of bass over many years without adding scents to my lures, so don't see any reason to start now.

I have however put different scents, like crayfish or garlic, mixed with worm oil into my plastics baits to keep them from drying out, instead of just using plain worm oil. I don't know if it makes any difference to the bass or not, it hasn't seemed to hurt, so I'll keep doing it.

I also feel that there are some scents that I don't want on my hands or touching my lures, like sun screen, motor oil, or gasoline, that may deter bass & other species from wanting to take the lures. I don't know if bass can smell these things are not either, but I'm not taking any chances with them ruining a days fishing!

FATFLATTIE · March 10, 2011, 12:30:21 AM

I believe that it will help on slow moving baits when the bite is tough. It's already been said, but I think it might help convince them to bite when it's right in front of them and I really think it will help them hold on to the lure longer.

My scent of preference is the coffee scent from SK. Mainly b/c I like the way it smells

I think it helps so it boosts my confidence which is half the battle!

bassincali · March 10, 2011, 12:56:51 AM

i use scent made from the oil plastic manufactures use for plastics the stuff i have makes old worms that have been in plastic trays and have dryed out all new again. never used scented anything on any lure thats not plastic. the fish seem to hold on to my worms and such better. i use it on jig trailers also makes a big differnce when jiging.i like to watch my line vs feeling a bite wind allowing. i spilled a bunch in my tackle box a long time ago and it mixed with some night crawlers while i was trout fishing and i caught every planted trout in the area. so i took some recently while i was stripper fishing and put it on anchovies and caught a ton of fish the bite was slow before i did it and there where 15 people fishing the same spot i out fished them 10 to 1 dont. catfish will not touch it. one more thing i noticed is when fishing plastics for bass the bluegill swarm my bait.

nuke · March 10, 2011, 07:02:47 AM

All of the reasons stated above but I usually start the day off without it. If things are slow or I suspect my scent has contaminated the bait, then I'll start using it. It'll be like that throughout the fishing day.

jimfc3 · March 10, 2011, 08:15:26 AM

Quote from: Kal-Kevin on March 09, 2011, 07:16:55 PM
I do not know if it a thing people do because they have to or just to make themselves feel better while fishing. I use mega-strike on all plastics no matter if it is already scented or not. When I use it I feel the bass hold on to the lure longer,so I have a better chance to bring in more fish.
so on the reaction bite vs. hunger bite part, I do not think scent has much to do with reaction bite since they are hitting it do to it being there in front of them. Now on the hunger part I think if the fish picks it up and it taste good to them they will chew on it longer. So the scent will make it a better bait for inactive fish.

+1000% I also have this little thing I do before each trip out. As I'm idling away from the dock I put some Mega-Strike on my hands and rub them together to mask my smell..Does it work? I don't really know but I'm gunna keep doing it..

Mike Cork · March 10, 2011, 08:40:34 AM

I have completely given up on scents for the purpose of catching a fishes attention or for holding on longer. I firmly believe in my experience in the current waters I'm fishing it doesn't matter. As mentioned if it doesn't mix with the water anyway there is no way a bass can smell it to use to make a decision.

I do use smelly jelly because it is the slipperiest stuff I have found. I use it when punching baits threw heavy vegetation, it helps tremendously.

NOW in caps.... with that said my biggest fish come punching vegetation? Is it because of the scent? I doubt it, I believe that's just where they live around here.

If putting a scent on your bait helps your confidence then run with it, that's whats important. Either way I don't think it makes a difference so run with what makes you believe that next cast is the one.

LAFisherman · March 10, 2011, 08:59:25 AM

Quote from: Dan1962 on March 09, 2011, 07:51:00 PM
Never tried them myself for Bass fishing But I have seen lots of People fishing for Catfish spray WD-40 all over there bait don't know what catfish like in that WD-40 But it does work

Fish oil is a large part of WD-40, I have a college professor that uses it religiously on his soft plastics for bass.

inNOTof · March 10, 2011, 09:10:24 AM

I use it more for confidence. Secondly, I use it to mask the turkey "samich" smell that has transferred from my fingers to my lure.

Im under the belief that the scent companies have done research and conclude that it makes a difference. I can with almost 100% certainty say it doesn't hurt.

I use Jacks Juice in Garlic, sometimes Crawfish.

I would like to poll the Pro's and see how many of them actually take the time and use scent?

Bountiful Waters · March 10, 2011, 09:11:11 AM

I urge those of you who want to get more info on this very question, read a book titled "Knowing Bass".

inNOTof · March 10, 2011, 09:21:01 AM

BW, could you summarize whats in the book and what you found out on this topic?

I read when I want to fall asleep!

tks...

Bountiful Waters · March 10, 2011, 10:05:23 AM

I hate to quote, because I do not have the book laying in front of me. One thing that stood out to me about all others was the retention time on many of the different scents. If I told you the scent that had almost double the retention time, I doubt you would believe me. It is night crawler. Also, a crawfish with absolutely NO appendages was more readily taken by bass than one with pincers. Makes you think about all these craw imitating plastics, etc..

The book is very in-depth and I believe it was written by a researcher on the Berkley staff. Please read the book, as it is worth the money and time.

cd1 · March 10, 2011, 10:42:38 AM

Quote from: jimfc3 on March 10, 2011, 08:15:26 AM
+1000% I also have this little thing I do before each trip out. As I'm idling away from the dock I put some Mega-Strike on my hands and rub them together to mask my smell..Does it work? I don't really know but I'm gunna keep doing it..

Dude...how does the chewing tobacco taste after you grab it with those mega-strike fingers?

khargis · March 10, 2011, 11:29:46 AM

I've never gotten into using scents. My brother-in-law swears by them. He squirts his lures every 5 or 6 casts. When we fish together, I generally catch as many as he does, so I don't hold a lot of value in them. I believe bass eat from sight, not smell (I'm not a scientist, just my beliefs). I don't think they follow a lure because they smell it. They may hold it a little longer because of the scent. With that being said, I agree with the others who say they use it to mask their own scent. Human scent may have a negative reaction to fish. Just like hunting. Animals can smell human scents, but do they know it's human or just an odd / different smell that they turn their nose to? Just mt 2 cents worth...

ʇuǝɹq™ · March 10, 2011, 11:58:24 AM

Quote from: cd1 on March 10, 2011, 10:42:38 AM
Dude...how does the chewing tobacco taste after you grab it with those mega-strike fingers?

Hahaha, this is exactly what I was going to ask.

finesse13 · March 10, 2011, 02:54:55 PM

It seems to me that lures with scents on them help the fish hold on to it just a little longer then lures without scent. In a industry where that split second of them holding it or spitting it out before you know he/she is there is a big difference. I seem to catch more fish on my swim baits when I use some kind of gel like Pro Cure or Smelly Jelly. I never put anything on my reaction baits,as most of the strikes on a reaction bait you can truly feel the bite. I have way to many plastics according to my wife,and some of them have been sitting in a bag a lot longer then others so I sprinkle either garlic salt in the bag or coffee grinds, I figure any little edge I can gain I'm gonna take it.

ronalddipietro · March 10, 2011, 03:58:16 PM

never have seen the difference to be weighted in favor of the scent...I know in the past years I have caught tons of fish..with out a scent or flavor added to the plastics..I do use a garlic dye..in chartreuse and pink...IMO..Mostly catching fishermen...I say if you feel good doing it...?Do it!

finesse13 · March 10, 2011, 04:28:15 PM

I agree,I don't think they help the fish locate the bait,I just feel like if it makes it taste better to them they will hold it a little longer before spitting it out. Same goes for me,if I put a piece of steak in my mouth with no flavor I'm not gonna eat to much of it,now cook that same steak with some seasonings and what ever you like and I'll tear it up.

OutdoorFrontiers · March 10, 2011, 05:52:17 PM

Back when I was guiding, I had a client that firmly believed that foreign scents would turn bass off. I made a bet with him that I could catch as many fish with a soft plastic dipped in my gas tank as he could with his soft plastic slathered with BANG (his preferred scent).

I won....

I believe that add-on scents are confidence boosters, nothing more, nothing less. BUT, with that being said, I'm not going to discount the importance of confidence. So I say, if you think you can catch more fish with an additional scent, then you probably can. And if you think they don't work, you're probably right....

Steve