Scents

[ronaultmtd]

I have recently been experimenting with scents- especially on my plastics- Smelly Jelly shad was my choice yesterday fishing on the Mattawoman- they swear by them on the Pacific Northwest salmon fishing-

Everything eats shad- same with bunker-

On a buzz bait, I doubt if they have a chance to smell it- strictly a sight bait that pisses them off- I didn't get a single hit on buzz baits yesterday- all frogs and crank baits- but I dipped all my cranks in smelly jelly- and bass were eating those square lip Rapala crank baits-

What is your take on scents?

[ictalurus]

I think scents definitely help get reluctant fish to bite and adds an extra second or two before they figure out it isn't food. I've tried Smelly Jelly on crankbaits without much luck, at least during the winter, but it definitely worked well on plastics and jigging blades while perch fishing. I'll have to give it a shot on crankbaits during the summer.

[tufnik]

I'm not convinced yet. I tend to think it's marketing.......to make money.

[ronaultmtd]

Not with salmon fishing- Tuf- seen it first hand- smear some Bloody Tuna or Anchovy on the back of the blade of a big in line spinner and pow- they hookup- same bait without scent does not get hit-

[J.A. Veil]

I have had very good success with FishBites bloodworm flavor for bottom fishing after June 15. Fishbites work by dissolving slowly. As the water temp warms, they dissolve more rapidly. Prior to early June, the water is cool enough so that the scent does not release very much. I have fished them side-by-side with real bloodworms at Memorial Day. The real worms are deadly, but the FishBites don't get touched. Yet just two weeks later, they work equally well. I think a small chunk of real bloodworm washes out its scent in a few minutes whereas the FishBites will keep releasing scent as long as any of the paste remains on the mesh backing.

I also have done well with Gulp baits. I don't know how much Gulp relies on releasing scent into the water column. Certainly it does have a more palatable taste than plain soft plastic once the fish has it in its mouth.

[Capt C-Hawk]

Tried some smelly jelly crawfish scent on crappie jigs under a small float, couldn't keep the catfish away.

[Redfish12]

I use spike it and I think it makes a difference. Definitely increases the amount of catfish I catch in the Potomac too.

[Redfish12]

I use spike it and I think it makes a difference. Definitely increases the amount of catfish I catch in the Potomac too.

[Reelaxin10]

When you're using the scents how often do you put it on your baits? Ex. Every 10-20 casts? I have some Yum shad scent in the spray bottle but have yet to try it out.

[ronaultmtd]

with the thick gels, like smelly jelly, I smear it on the back of the blade of spinners and dip the plastic bodies in it- no set number of casts- smelly jelly is pretty long lasting stuff- don't get it on your clothes!

[Reelaxin10]

Sounds good, I'll have to give mine a try and let you know how it works!

[surfdog]

ive used pro cure and im not convinced yet, they do mke a cold water fishbites bw they are in a red pack and have no mesh i use them to back up a natural bw on the same hook but ive had big stripers hit a real bw alone after its been soaking for an hour and pretty well wased out.

[DOGFISH]

I have used ProCure Mehaden and Inshore Saltwater with considerable success. I have some ProCure Crab and Shrimp scent but not used yet.

[jsnyd86]

I have a pocket full of scents in my pfd. Smelly Jelly Shad, BioEdge nightcrawler stick and BioEdge crawfish potion. I use them to mainly mask things like sunscreen and skoal. Things that fish don't tend to like much. I try not to touch my baits at all, but once and I while I can't do anything about it. I make sure my hands are cleaned off and then add some scent to whatever new bait I tie on.

I recently did some fishing in western new york and the smelly jelly proved itself to me on a crankbait. Still haven't put bio edge through the paces but it's pheromone based so I trust it.