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Have you ever had a nice bass charge your lure only to turn away at the last minute? Perhaps you had one interested enough to follow but would not strike. Why does this happen? Maybe the bass saw you; maybe the bass saw the boat. It could be that you just plain stink. Not due to lack of personal hygiene, but that you are leaving some sort of a negative smell track on your offering. We all know that live bait emits an odor that fish find to their liking, but did you ever stop to think what kind of odor you may be emitting from your “scentless” lure?
The purpose of this article is to make you aware of what scents are good, bad or indifferent. Obviously, we’ll want to obtain the good ones and eliminate the bad or indifferent ones. Lets look at what research has already done for us.
| Negative |
Neutral |
Positive |
| L-serine (human skin oil) |
Alcoholic Beverages |
Fish Oil |
| Nicotine |
Human Urine |
Fish Guts |
| Petroleum Products (gas, oil, WD-40) |
Soda Pop |
Fish Slime |
| Sunblock |
Chlorinated Water |
Natural Bait |
| Insect Repellent |
Treated Septic Water |
Milk |
| Plasticizers Used in Soft Plastics Manufacture |
Biodegradable Soap |
Human Saliva |
*Information obtained from The Scientific Angler, Paul C. Johnson, 1984, Charles Scribner & Sons, New York
Just look at the negative column! Are we setting ourselves up or what? The majority of us are introducing negative scents to our fishing whether we know it or not. Now that we know what we’re doing wrong, lets look at some ways to tilt the odds back in our favor.
Gas up your boat and vehicle the night before instead of on your way to the lake. Don’t decide to perform reel maintenance on the lake. Put on sunblock in the morning (at home) before you start burning. When you reapply on the lake wash your hands off with fish attractant such as baitmait, real craw or whatever brand you like.
Mix fish attractant with all of your soft plastics. Store all your soft plastics separate from other lures, believe it or not they will absorb the odor.
When applying insect repellent, be certain to wash hands with fish attractant when done. Use care not to get repellent on line, rod, reel or lure. If you can, avoid using it altogether.
Remember that not only is monofilament damaged by petroleum products, it absorbs their odors when stored in close proximity.
Remove about 50% of the brine in your pork baits and substitute with fish attractant.
Spray your reel’s spool (while full) with fish attractant. This will permeate your line and create a positive scent track.
Yes, all this may sound extreme, but I consider it attention to detail. Often it’s the little things that make big differences. If you haven’t already read Paul Johnson’s The Scientific Angler, I recommend you do. It will certainly give you greater insight to the bass’s world and the acuity of their senses. Fishing is Life.
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