fish attracting scents do you use them

[skinny]

years ago 15=20 I was fishing with a buddy in long point in his small boat when a small rain started . We slipped into a small cut in the bull rushes and were fishing for pan fish. he pulled out this bottle about shape and size of a mickey. He said watch this and he put 2 drops in the water and the fish were going nuts after it. it smelt like black liquorish (anise) it was amazing I have never forgot that because of the effect. I curently do not use any but I'm thinking of trying some.

what do you use or have tried what works

 

[Gunner_1]

ww.canadian-sportfishing.com/AskItaloSearch.aspx?cateid=All
any fishing questions ask the pros i have been using this
for a while. not saying nobody knows what they are talking
about but Italo will tell you every thing you need to know

 

[whitetailhunter]

I'm sure you will get lots of differing opinions on this subject @skinny.

Some swear by using scents, others think it's all hokie but here's my experience. I've tried many different scents over the years and for the life of me I was unable to determine whether they actually worked or not. They may work better on pan fish but the predator fish I pursue such as walleye, salmon, trout, musky etc. for the most part hit a bait using line of sight. In my opinion they don't come and sniff out the bait first, at least not on a regular basis. Scent may help some when fish are finicky, I really can't say, but I no longer use them and haven't suffered from decreased success rates that I know of.

I think the In-Fisherman knows a thing or two to give advice on it.
http://www.in-fisherman.com/2014/01/15/scent-for-fishing-scent-update/

 

[big dawg06]

I was never big on scents and tried many not really seeing a big change in results from not using them, until last year and I started using a scent dispenser and put a lot more fish in the boat. Think it leaves a scent trail in the water and calls the fish in. Now I mostly troll but I really think these things work. Bergs Tackle makes them and I run Pawtkeez scents

 

[Bucketsoff]

I use some pretty funky scented plastics from Japan. Impregnated so it sticks around. Slow moving presentation so it can be that extra 1% to get the finicky bite and hold on longer. If it smells awful I believe it works. On Moving hard baits? I think it's a waste of money. It just doesn't stay on, and I don't buy the scent trail argument or the excitement effect. Confidence is a big thing though, and if you believe it works, it probably does.

 

[snapper]

Years ago when I wasn't as grey as now I used anise oil in sponge for rainbow, stream fishing and landed more than my share. I have found that scents work good on almost all fish and use them with confidence. Try them !

 

[Fish Farmer]

Was fishing Perch in Pefferlaw on Simcoe and my buddy was using plastics and sprayed WD40 on his bait, worked great. When his bite slowed, he gave it another shot. I myself am a great believer on Chompers Baits, they are impregnated with garlic scent. I use 4" Pumpkin drop shot worm drifting for Walleye northern lakes, they work when you're getting bit off by pan fish using a real worm trying to get down to the Walleye.
I don't think you'll ever beat live bait.

 

[ch312]

IMO, having clean hands when handling baits is far more beneficial than using scents. Offensive odors such as gas, cigarette smoke, hand soap, orange peel juice, etc really seem to reduce the number of hits from what I have seen on my boat.

 

[Duck Soup]

I've used scents with some success over the years. Most of the scented baits work some of the time as do most of the popular sprays. I agree with whitetailhunter in that the greatest impact seems to be on perch and other pan fish. I've seen days where spraying a live minnow with commercial scent made a huge difference. As Fish Farmer mentioned WD 40 and Garlic spray sometimes make a difference that can be measured. The problem with scents is that, like choosing the most appropriate lure, you have no way of knowing which scent will give you an advantage on any given day. The only thing I know for sure is that live bait is "usually" more effective than any scent but even there I cannot say "always".

 

[Bucketsoff]

I don't really like the idea of spraying something with a chemical solvent/lubricant like WD40 and then dipping it in our waters. Just me though. As for things like gas and oil being a fish repellant, you should read the book Knowing Bass and the part where they dip plastic baits in motor oil and watch the fish eat it time and time again. Oil is not water soluble, and therefore cannot release a scent into the water. That is why water based scents are best but wash off quickly and oil based scents are a waste of money.

 

[hunter]

i have been using ansie for 30 years and i have been very sucessful however there are certain fish it won't work on i will let u figure it our

 

[ch312]

I don't really like the idea of spraying something with a chemical solvent/lubricant like WD40 and then dipping it in our waters. Just me though. As for things like gas and oil being a fish repellant, you should read the book Knowing Bass and the part where they dip plastic baits in motor oil and watch the fish eat it time and time again. Oil is not water soluble, and therefore cannot release a scent into the water. That is why water based scents are best but wash off quickly and oil based scents are a waste of money.

I have really noticed a significant decrease in hookups while trolling for trout, salmon, walleye, and pike when I have the smell of gas on my hands. While looking on Google for an online copy of the book you mentioned it appears that a large majority of professional fishermen, bloggers, and people on fishing forums agree that gas and gas/oil mixes (2 stroke) should be avoided.

Bass are just big sunfish, they'll hit anything

 

[big dawg06]

have fished tournaments on lake Ontario where guys in the pro division were latex gloves when handling lures, and talked to another team that puts herring oil on there hands before each morning. Seems a bit much to me still needs to be fun

 

[Bucketsoff]

My hardcore routine involves making sure I wear gloves when applying repellant and sunblock, and washing my hands well with a stinky scent like Powerbait just to mask any smells. Nothing goes on the baits most days. I do agree that avoiding most foreign substances is a good idea, I wouldn't go out of my way to touch oil, gas, grease, or other substances before I fish, that's for sure.

 

[ch312]

My hardcore routine involves making sure I wear gloves when applying repellant and sunblock, and washing my hands well with a stinky scent like Powerbait just to mask any smells. Nothing goes on the baits most days. I do agree that avoiding most foreign substances is a good idea, I wouldn't go out of my way to touch oil, gas, grease, or other substances before I fish, that's for sure.

What kind of gloves do you wear?

The reason I ask is I use latex gloves while field dressing animals to avoid the mess and getting cold hands, but have one heck of a time getting them on if my hands are even slightly damp. I like the idea of wearing gloves on the boat too.

 

[Bucketsoff]

just latex when applying before I hit the water.

 

[SRT8]

I use bioedge I think it`s called looks like a glue stick and says its made out of real crayfish on opener last year I was out fishing my buddies 3-1 for the first hour then I let them use some and it was nut double,triple headers one after another I won`t use anything els now I used to use the Yum spray in crayfish also it worked well but was messy the bioedge is really easy to use one little wipe lasts dozens of casts I cannot wait to gey out next weekend for pike now that I have a new tow rig