If you don't think scent makes a difference to fish....

I saw a program several years ago where 2 fishing guides were arguing about scents and if they really made a difference. I have never used them myself but after seeing that program I am convinced that fish do smell stuff and not just catfish.

The one guy to prove his point took a piece of cloth and cut a small square out of it and dipped the square in some fish attractant. He then proceeded to fish with nothing but that piece of cloth on his line and low and behold he actually caught some fish with it.

The other guys response to that was that fish would hit anything if you wait long enough. So he takes a regular quarter and some JB weld and he welded the quarter to the shaft of a long hook. The hook sort of looked like a regular white perch/shiner hook. One of the gold ones that are about an inch long or so.

Anyway he fished with that quarter and he caught 2 small bass, a catfish, and a white perch.
So his conclusion was that fish will hit anything, be it a piece of scented cloth or a shiny quarter. He still maintained that the attractant didn't make a difference.

However when they used a piece of cloth without attractant they didn't catch a single fish so the first guy argued in return that the attractant did indeed work.

Fact is this: A bass (and many other species of fish) can smell approximately 1/200th of a drop of a substance in 100 gallons of water. Thats insane!!! They can smell your aftershave, soap you used in the shower that day, cologne, sunscreen, even the laundry detergent smell that is on your clothes(yes that gets on your hands).

If you put gas in your boat or your truck on the way to the fishing hole then you got contamination on your hands from the pump and that transfers to your bait/plastic jigs etc. Remember the fish can smell 1/200th so thats a spec so small you can't even see it with your eyes.

If nothing else the scent you put on your jigs at least covers up your human smells that rub off from your hands when you tie your lure or jig to the line.

So I say scent on!!

Now go out there and catch something :)

Fish scent makes sense to me.

Agree that they can smell........
Very good report

Now we also know that humans emit a smell that repels fish. So is the fish attrancant actualy drawing the fish or is it covering up the human scent?:confused:

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by MuskyGary

Now we also know that humans emit a smell that repels fish. So is the fish attrancant actualy drawing the fish or is it covering up the human scent?:confused:

---

Read a magazine article about new baits comeing out awhile back. One of the Pros (can't recall his name) was talking about the first scented worms for bass were grape scented. He said he believed the scent did more good covering the human scent than it did attracting fish. I agree, Why would a bass be attracted to grapes??

I KNOW the fish in my tropical tank can smell the smallest piece of food as soon as it hits the water. Funny to watch them come tearing out of piece of driftwood the second it hits the water.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by MuskyGary

Now we also know that humans emit a smell that repels fish. So is the fish attrancant actualy drawing the fish or is it covering up the human scent?:confused:

---

Does it really matter :confused: :p .... and it can, & probably does, do both ;)

It's kinda like putting a minnow on a jig .... is the fish: attracted by the jig & sight/smell of the minnow - attracted by the minnow, alone, and the jig is inconsequential - does the minnow's scent cover up the human smell on the jig - is it just the sight/sound of the minnow that's attracting the fish's attention .... or, in other words, is it one / some / or all of the above :confused:
We may never "really" know ... and it could be any one, or combination of factors, that work at that particular time, or even on that particular fish. Best we can do, is to try and keep our "offerings" as natural and appealing as possible ... and hope the fish are hungry or curious enough to accept them as "real", and attempt to consume them ;)

... cp :cool:

Everytime I swim in the ocean all I can think of is that a shark can smell a drop of blood over a mile away. LOL, I check my whole body for any open scratches, cuts etc before I swim. Those bull sharks don't play around!!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Buckeyemusky

Read a magazine article about new baits comeing out awhile back. One of the Pros (can't recall his name) was talking about the first scented worms for bass were grape scented. He said he believed the scent did more good covering the human scent than it did attracting fish. I agree, Why would a bass be attracted to grapes??

I KNOW the fish in my tropical tank can smell the smallest piece of food as soon as it hits the water. Funny to watch them come tearing out of piece of driftwood the second it hits the water.

---

I think aquarium fish are "conditioned" to food being introduced .... I doubt they can smell anything "as soon as it hits the water". They're more likely "hearing" (feeling the vibrations) the food hit the surface, or "seeing" the disturbance of the surface water tension (when the food lands on the water).

The first "scented" worms, that this Pro was referring to, were the Jelly Worms ... introduced by Tom Mann, back in 1967. The purple colored "Grape" Jelly Worm, was the first "plastic" worm I ever used, for Bass fishing. "Grape" flavoring may not have been an attractant, but it certainly wasn't a repellant :p ... as evidenced by the fact that it's still a popular worm, even today, and has accounted for untold numbers of fish caught ... worldwide. Along with anise & garlic, two other "unnatural" flavors, the "fruit flavors" of Jelly Worms are probably not "attractants" to fish ... but, do provide a "scent trail" or "taste" that fish do not find repellant. Whether or not they cover up/mask human, tobacco, sunscreen, or petroleum based (oil/gas) scents ... is debatable. But, at the very least, they don't add to the problem ... and may, in fact, be just enough (of an acceptable factor) to cause a fish to hold onto the bait for a sufficient period of time to allow us to detect the strike & react.

We're not talking about a critter that can reason out what "taste" they're experiencing. They don't know garlic from applebutter :D .... they're predators that rely on instinct. It (our bait) appears to be alive & edible ... even if it's not ... and their feeding/survival instincts tell them to eat it, or at least 'taste test' it, or even to attack it out of anger or territorial protection ... if they're not repelled by it, or it's "smell". Crappie & Bass are sight feeders, primarily ... with smell as a backup factor. Scents, in that regard, can be an attractant or masking agent (against repellant odors) ... and in either case, should be considered a positive factor.

... cp :cool:

I always wonderd if certain people emmitt scents and odors that prevent them from catching fish.

Perhaps some people have a different chemistry and scent that is undetectable to humans, but fish can scence it.

Maybe that is why certain tournament fisherman can win more tournaments consistantly than other tournament fisherman.

What do you think?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Kentucky Lake

I always wonderd if certain people emmitt scents and odors that prevent them from catching fish.
Perhaps some people have a different chemistry and scent that is undetectable to humans, but fish can scence it.
Maybe that is why certain tournament fisherman can win more tournaments consistantly than other tournament fisherman.
What do you think?

---

I do believe that's quite possible ... to very probable.

Take for instance, people that can wear faux jewelry ... vs ... people that put on faux jewelry & turns it black (or has it corrode on them). Different skin pH !!

There are many factors to consider, and this could certainly be one of them. In any event .... using a scent on your bait, or a bait with scent already in it, can't hurt ... especially if it's already proven to work. ;)

... cp :cool:

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by crappiepappy

I do believe that's quite possible ... to very probable.

Take for instance, people that can wear faux jewelry ... vs ... people that put on faux jewelry & turns it black (or has it corrode on them). Different skin pH !!

There are many factors to consider, and this could certainly be one of them. In any event .... using a scent on your bait, or a bait with scent already in it, can't hurt ... especially if it's already proven to work. ;)

... cp :cool:

---

Yes, I agree

I would be very curious to see what Kevin Van Dams skin ph is LOL;)

I tired this idea and it works. If one person in your party is catching fish and you are not, have that person tie on your next bait. That just might be the difference. Sometimes I catch fish left and right and my wife cannot buy a bite. I tie her lures on and presto she catches fish. Other days it works just the opposite.

Whether you want to call stuff a Fish Attractant or a Human Scent Masker, it gets the job done and the livewell full. Isnt that the end result we are looking for anyway?

I've seen it make a different quite a few times with sunscreen. Not so much using a scent but not putting the foreign scent (sunscreen) on your bait. Fresh and saltwater.

There is lots of times that my dad will outcatch me on certain fish. Doesn't seem to matter on cats or when casting for bass. But useing live bait for crappie, saugeye, bluegill and bass he usually beats me. I smoke and he doesn't. I believe that the smoke smell on my hands gets on the baits.

The jury may never return with a definitive answer on the merits of scent but consider the results I have collected over a number of years.

In my boat house on Lake D'Arbonne, there are generally schools of fish actively feeding. These schools of crappie, bar fish, cat fish, bass, and an occasional goo respond immediately to objects dropped into the water.

Over the last few years I have dropped all types of artificial bait (niblets, nibbles, powerbait, etc...), impregnated with every conceivable scent, into the water and watched them come to investigate. I have NEVER seen a fish swallow one! On RARE occasions I have seen one swim up to one, flare his gills, suck it in, and immediately spit it out.

On the other hand, I have dropped mamy minnows, both dead and alive, and watched the fish literally fight to see who inhales them first!

Well, the reason I don't like to use crappie nibbles is because the bluegill will not leave you alone! I do like using nibbles when the strikes are slow, it helps. I find that I like using them better in January through March. Spawning crappie could care less about them. When the crappie bite is slow, fish slow w/ a crappie nibble. Don't get caught up in the colors either (it doesn't matter). They all smell the same! Get a jar and try it, or not!

All very interesting.

I use nibbles by injecting them up the tube with the bait pump I got from someone on this site. (great product BTW). My point is, I use it because "I feel like" when they DO hit, and they are doing that summer time "mouthing it" bite they give you where you almost have to FEED it to them, they will hold it in their mouth a bit longer before deciding it aint real.

I could be wrong, but if nothing else, it boosts my confidence which is about 90% of this anyway. :)

Yesterday the crappie were "mouthing" me to death! I wished I would have had some crappie nibbles to atleast try! I'm all about confidence boosters!!! Whatever works!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Steve

Yesterday the crappie were "mouthing" me to death! I wished I would have had some crappie nibbles to atleast try! I'm all about confidence boosters!!! Whatever works!

---

I hear ya Steve! I dont really understand what the difference is (hunger? competition? aggression? temperature?) in the arm wrenching BANG you get in the spawn that any novice can detect, and the way they bite the rest of the summer. It's weird. They "peck" almost like a bream at first, and if you set it stout, forget it! I fish with a real sensitive Sam Heaton 9ft rod and what I have found is that if he aint "there" on that first peck, I just start to slowly lift my tip to the sky. If the tip starts to double over, he's there and I snap it quick. I'm tellin ya, even if you're a pro, you miss as many as you catch! If you are not familiar with crappie, it makes for a LONG day of missing most of what you entice to hit. Nibblers seem to help that ratio.

Funny suckers.

Kman and Steve I bet if you dropped down in bait size and line size you will up your catch rate. Those tap-taps will turn turn into slams. I will even go down to 2 lb with a 1/32 or 1/64 jig and tail. Normally I fish just 4#.

As for the smell I'm of the school that it's just something to catch fisherman, woman. Many times I've had gas and oil on my hands from filling the tank before hitting the lake. Doesn't stop me from catching fish. The same with cigarette smoke. BUT if the scent stuff gives you confidence than go ahead and use it. Confidence is the game. The more you have the better off you will be.

I have the confindence to catch fish everytime I go with the use of gimmicks.. It might not be a hundred fish but I'm confident that I can bring home enough for dinner everytime I go out. But of course I've put in my time. Usually around 150-200 days a year for the last 25 years or so. Thank goodness I have a very understanding wife.

Catching enough for dinner isn;'t that hard to do, and I am confident that I can do that. I have full confidence in my fishing ability. Trying to control things that I can't control is just another attempt to put a few more in the livewell, or make a really bad trip into that dinner.

it's no different in scent control with deer. Some people live it and breath it. Others dont believe in it at all. It doesn't make the guy that bathes in scent free soap before each hunt LESS CONFIDENT in his ability. It is using every advantage he can.

In this case (crappie nibbles), I am the guy that "believes in scent control". I too have an understanding wife and I fish a lot too. In MY experience, they seem to work.

I will however, try your suggestion of smaller line and jigs. Thanks!:)

Not putting you down for using scents Kman. Sorry if I presented it the wrong way.

I don't believe in scents for deer either:D:D. I smoke, drink coffee, and pass gas :o:o on stand and get a deer every year.

The reason I said drop down in line size is that I notice that many of the posters from the south use much heavier line than people up north do. Why I don't know. I've read post where people were using size 1,2, and 4 size hooks. Up north here a size 6 is the largest you would want to use, many use 8's or 10's. We have the same type of conditions that the southern lakes have just that the water is much clearer. Many times those 14-15-16 inchers have the smaller bait down in the gullet with smaller baits. I think that they are trying to take the bait (pecking) and with such bigger bait they are feeling the resistance and shying away from the bait.

If you go down to the 1/32 or 1/64th size jig bend the hook down where it meets the head of the jig just about a 10 or 15 degree bend. DON'T use any extra weight. This will give you a better bite on the hook. When fishing right over the side into structure I drop the jig down just above the cover with in a 1/2 foot and let the jig hang. I than quiver the bait (shake the pole like it's cold outside and you are shivering). This will impart the right action to the bait like it's holding just above the brush pile or on the edge of weeds. The slightest movement of the line and I jerk. Make sure you take a good supple of jigs and tails because with such lite line you will lose some jigs. Back when I use to fish crappie tourneys I would go through close to a 500-600 jigs a year. No time to try and get them off the brush just break it and tie on a new one.

I've seen videos of fish on camera through the ice. The fish would come up to the bait and inhale the bait (the peck) and blow it out without the spring bobber signaling the hit. The guys dropped down to a smaller size and hooked almost ever fish that bit they're bait. We had conmditions one year back in the 70's where the large slabs were right under the ice about 3 feet down. They would hang just out of site of the bait. We would hover over the hole (watching the bait) and as soon as it disappeared we would set the hook. Even with the line lying over your finger you couldn't feel the bite.

Good stuff.

I use 8lb test. Our waters here are nowhere close to the clarity of the water in some of the northern waters. Here if you can see down 2ft, (and most times you can't) it's clear!

I tite line just like you explained but use a 1/16 jig head. I have a mold that will pour 1/32 oz heads too. I'll give it a try. Only reason I dont use them now is it takes so long to fall. I realize in shallow water spawning conditions thats a GOOD thing. But once we get to catching them in 11ft to 20ft of water, thats a pain. But missin em is a pain too!

Thanks.

...and we'll just have to agree to disagree on the scent thing, ESPECIALY ON THE DEER!!!!!!!!!!!!!:D lol!

I regulary fish in the 15-26 foot range hardly ever fish the spawn. In winter it's down to 35 feet. I use a white coffe cup tied to a rope and drop it over the side to check clarity and most times once the weather patterns in the spring settle down you can see down about 6-8 feet. Even during the spring time I target the deeper, fish this way they are not bothered with the passing weather fronts, the patterns hardly ever change. I usually quit fishing for them (crappie) before the spawn and move on to walleyes. Our walleye season starts just when the crappie start to spawn. I let the weekend warriors catch the shoreline fish. With lite line the jigs will fall about a foot a second on 4# and faster with the 2#. With 2 # test a 10-12 inch fish will feel like a monster and the larger ones you have to finise them in. I regular use a small Shimano 1000 with a lite 5 foot pole.

I live in Pennsylvania and a deer doesn't get a chance to use it's nose during the rifle season up here, unless you hunt during archery season. From the first day until the last day, 2 weeks later, they are really moving. They are like a cat in a room full of rocking chairs, no where to settle down and be safe.