What do you think about scent and bass?

jocko · March 11, 2011, 12:42:36 PM

In the winter when the bait is sitting for long pauses - I like smelly jelly on plastics (jig trailer /tubes). I have noticed a difference.

When the water is warmer and the fish more active - I feel it's a waste.

I do not feel scent attracts. I do think they will hang on alittle longer.

I am more of a believer in Salt impreginated plastics. I must have salt in my plastics - I think it makes a big difference.

bigjim5589 · March 11, 2011, 01:19:34 PM

Jocko, great point! Besides affecting the sink rate, I also feel that salt is an attractant. Salts will dissolve in water & I would bet that bass can smell it & taste it!

I've heard that Yamamoto baits have different kinds of salt blended into their plastic which makes them more effective & changes the sink rates compared to a single type of salt. They certainly work well, you can't argue with success!

jocko · March 11, 2011, 01:47:56 PM

I feel a bass can pick up on the salt in the plastic as they come up to investigate and it helps to sell it. I also think it sells it as real when it's in their mouth.

Maybe both scent and salt is a confidence thing. But you always fish better when you are confident.

OutdoorFrontiers · March 11, 2011, 05:51:36 PM

Quote from: jocko on March 11, 2011, 01:47:56 PM
Maybe both scent and salt is a confidence thing. But you always fish better when you are confident.

Amen to that!

Steve

bassbmx · March 11, 2011, 07:09:22 PM

Here's my opinion. Salt is bad because almost all soft plastics are filled with it and I think bass start to associate it with being caught. I think other scents that imitate bait help make fish hold on to the bait for a good hookset. I also think the more pressured a fishery is, the more important scent is. When going for a reaction bite I think scent does not matter much.

fisherdad · March 11, 2011, 10:49:12 PM

Quote from: OutdoorFrontiers on 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....

Found my new scent to use! hahahaha

catt · March 12, 2011, 05:11:10 AM

Straight from their web site!

WD-40® Myths, Legends & Fun Facts
Myth: WD-40 contains fish oil.
Fact: Consumers have told us over the years that they have caught some of the biggest fish ever after protecting their fish hooks and lures with WD-40. We believe this legend came from folks assuming that the product must contain fish oil since it appears to attract fish. Sorry Charlie®, it just ain't so.

Knowing Bass: The Scientific Approach to Catching More Fish by Keith A. Jones
Fact: Observational bias; an observational bias occurs when researchers only look where they think they will find positive results, or where it is easy to record observations.

-Shawn- · March 12, 2011, 07:12:22 AM

Quote from: catt on March 12, 2011, 05:11:10 AM
Straight from their web site!

WD-40® Myths, Legends & Fun Facts
Myth: WD-40 contains fish oil.
Fact: Consumers have told us over the years that they have caught some of the biggest fish ever after protecting their fish hooks and lures with WD-40. We believe this legend came from folks assuming that the product must contain fish oil since it appears to attract fish. Sorry Charlie®, it just ain't so.

Knowing Bass: The Scientific Approach to Catching More Fish by Keith A. Jones
Fact: Observational bias; an observational bias occurs when researchers only look where they think they will find positive results, or where it is easy to record observations.

Great Post Catt!

Hawgwild · March 18, 2011, 07:48:03 AM

Might be just a confidence thing but I just believe the fish hold on to the bait a little longer when I use an attractant....I'm not the fastest on hooksets so need all the help I can get....

I do smoke so that is another reason I use the scents..

One of the main plastics I use are Lake Fork brand baits and they are heavily scented with garlic, so I keep a can of Bang garlic in the boat and use it frequently.......and for some reason I always want a pizza after a day on the lake...

I'll also second what Bountiful Waters mentions about craws and pinchers...Don't think it was the same book or might have been on a video but said the same about using craws with big pinchers...seen the smaller fish just don't want to hassle with them...The LF craws I use have small pinchers...

3deez · March 19, 2011, 08:28:07 AM

I always use scent on my soft plastics. usually bang or yum. as others have said, it's to mask my scent more than attracting the fish.

hunter34 · March 26, 2013, 11:43:27 AM

hunter34 here, I dont use fish attractants what I do is when I launch my boat Ireach down a grab ahand full of what ever the bottom of the lake has and '' wash " my hand with
it because I do believe bass are turned off by human scent by doing that my hands smell
like the lake

HunterFB · March 28, 2013, 07:47:28 AM

Quote from: hunter34 on March 26, 2013, 11:43:27 AM
hunter34 here, I dont use fish attractants what I do is when I launch my boat Ireach down a grab ahand full of what ever the bottom of the lake has and '' wash " my hand with
it because I do believe bass are turned off by human scent by doing that my hands smell
like the lake

I agree it is more about hiding human scent. I do, however use scent for 2 purposes. Masking and tempting a fish. I would rather have it than not, and have become acustomed to using it on all my baits. Maybe it is mental for me, but I still go with a dab on there enough to leave a final temptation for a wary fish. Hey, I like the smell of a steak before I eat it, so why wouldn't a bass like the smell of crawfish on a jig?