Scents?

[Bone_Collector]

Well after reading the springer thread and putting in my  I thought I would start another thread on scents and see what people thought about how they work! I personally dont add a lot of scents when I am fishing but I do see a lot of people who do use them. So what are your guys opinions on using scents and how they work?
I am not looking for your secret scents just your opinions on them!

B_C

[HUNTINCOUPLE]

First used scents when a kid on the trout lakes. It has progressed to lots of trial and error. Now i only use or carry a couple scents as i narrowed down my best ones for the the different species.

[Button Nubbs]

Don't use them much. Only sometimes if I'm boondoggin, and in my egg cures. Other than that not very often. Presentation presentation presentation. If they're curious they only have one way to check it out.

[Dhoey07]

If i use any it's either Mike's shrimp scent or WD-40 on my bucktail jigs for steelhead on the clearwater

[Fish4Fun]

More to the question than just "What Scent To Use". You have to look at the fish and how you are fishing. For Salmon in Salt Water it is sight, sound and smell. With that much water you have to think all 3 of these. for scent, I use either Smelly Jelly Herring or Salmon Mix.
Sturgeon fishing ?  All about scent, here is where the pure spices come into play. Pure Garlic Juice and Anise Extract are the hands down go to scent.

Like it or not, mammals, humans included, are stuck with a scent that gives off a chemical that contains the amino acid L-Serine, of which fish find very offensive.   Some fisherman unfortunately have more L-Serine in their system than others, this is most likely the problem with your fishing buddy who is in the dry spell all of his life.   Also this is why some people just can not seem to catch fish as they give off more L-Serine than others do. Scents can do a great job covering this up.

[Bone_Collector]

Here is another question than what are the bases of the scents water or oil? And are you using them as an attractant or a cover to keep the human scent from being dispersed into the water?

B_C

[Fish4Fun]

Depends, when I am using pure scent it is in the liquid form.  Such as Garlic juice or Anise, not reduced at all straight out of the bottle. For salmon scent it is based on Vaseline, since that is a neutral scent it can be melted down, the scent of choice added and then let it solidify.

For salmon in salt water it is used at both a cover scent and as an attractant. We try and stay with scents that are the same as foods for the area.

I have seen days Sturgeon fishing where we have sat side by side with other boats and out fished them 10 to 1 by using scents. As soon as the other boat switched to our scent they started a feeding frenzy too.

[Bone_Collector]

What happens to oil based scents once they leave your lure? Do they disperse into the water column or do they float?

B_C

[WSU]

The use of scents is important.  It is more important for salmon that steelhead, but there are times when it makes a lot of difference.  Those that say they don't need scent are either not fishing at times when it matters or catching far less fish than they could be.

Kings are especially big scent junkies.  Sugars, salts, sulfites, nitrates, oils, etc. can all be very important.  Lately I have been fishing eggs a lot for kings.  I have the most luck on eggs that contain quite a lot of chemicals in the cure.  I also have a lot of luck using scents.  I will carry anise, garlic, sardine, shrimp, WD40 and others, and use the scents randomly and in various combinations while fishing a hole.  It does produce extra fish.  Some produce better than others, but they all have their moments.

[jeepster]

the best "scent" is a fresh plug cut herring, or a herring strip/teaser

ive tried using most of the various oil-based scents, and i havent had any luck.

the oil gets on the flash, and if you are using uv spoons or anything uv, the oil gets all over it and they dont preform as well, and if you dont clean the living poo out of your gear once its done, then it has gunk caked on it, and will not preform at all next time you use them. once that smell is on your gear, you can never get the funk off of it unless you run your gear through the dishwasher or something

id say its all a gimick
 
btw im talking about trolling the salt for summer salmon and blackmouth

i think that the flash and or glow of a spoon/plug, paired with the right color and depth is waaay more important than the way it smells.... oh wait... thats called presentation!

[Button Nubbs]

If you aint fishing right but your using scent you still aint gonna catch fish.
If your fishing right without scent your still gonna catch fish.

[6x6in6]

If you aint fishing right but your using scent you still aint gonna catch fish.
If your fishing right without scent your still gonna catch fish.

 

[boneaddict]

WD-40 is the only scent I have ever used

[h20hunter]

A very reputable fisherman that had logged 1000's of hours fishing, smoking, and drinking told me this about the wd-40:

Put it on every time. Why? Cause it sticks to your smelly oil and this disapates when it his the water. That leaves your lure virtually scent free.

[WSU]

If you aint fishing right but your using scent you still aint gonna catch fish.
If your fishing right without scent your still gonna catch fish.

Correct.  But, in some situations, if you are fishing right and not using scent you are going to catch a small fraction of the fish you could be.

[Fish4Fun]

Attention to details will actually put more fish in the boat on a consistent basis. Presentation is the #1 key, for salt water salmon, Sound, Sight and Smell pretty much in that order is the driving factor to putting fish in the boat. There are many things to keep in mind, speed of the boat, depth, colors (any color as long as it is green) direction when a fish is hooked, making turns did the outside or inside rod get a take down. You cannot just plop the gear down and take off trolling, you have to be thinking all the time and be watching for the little signs that most guys will miss.

River fishing is presentation, and fish where the fish are. Not all water is holding water, and can be a waste of time fishing in the wrong spots.

[STIKNSTRINGBOW]

Caught fish with, caught fish without...
IMO, if the bait is sitting still, you use scent to get attention, if using lures and other moving baits, scent is secondary to depth, color, and speed (presentation)
But if it works, dont mess with it, if it aint working, you are doing something wrong...
keep trying until you figure out what works..

[Tealer]

A very reputable fisherman that had logged 1000's of hours fishing, smoking, and drinking told me this about the wd-40:

Put it on every time. Why? Cause it sticks to your smelly oil and this disapates when it his the water. That leaves your lure virtually scent free.

WD-40 is made with fish oil.

[Fish4Fun]

That is an old wise tail about the fish oil and WD40.
WD-40 does not contain fish oil, contrary to a popular myth, nor does it contain silicone, kerosene, water, wax, graphite, chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs).

[Bone_Collector]

Well here is my perspective on using scents. Water based scents leave a better scent trail in the water giving the fish some thing to follow back to your bait or lure. Water based scents do wash off of your baits faster and so they need to be re-applied often to make them more effective.

Oil based scents will stay on your bait or lure for a longer period of time but because of the properties of oil they float once they leave your bait or lure. Now because they float they will not create a scent trail down in the part of the water column where your bait or lure is traveling.

Just some food for thought when trying to create a scent trail for the fish to follow back to your bait.

B_C

[TommyH]

Ya sure! scents dont work!!! dont use any meanwhile i will be using scents and will be "that gye" that keeps on catching fish!!!   


Not only does scents help to cover up our human scents it is a attractant as well.

[Bone_Collector]

I never said don't use scents just gave some food for thought from my experiences out on the water. All I was commenting on was the scent trail left in the water with oil vs water based scents. But I don't spend that much time out on the river chasing fish. 

B_C

[TommyH]

Bone collector that wasnot aimed at you it was just throwin it out there!  I didnt really think about the oil based scents and floating. The oil based scent may float when it comes off your lure/jig/whatever but I think of all the scents i have it stays on the longest. 

[Bone_Collector]

Tommyh there is no question that oil based scents stay on the lure longer and when a fish bites on to that lure or bait they do get a burst of some thing different and that may cause them to hold on to the lure or bait longer, as well as the oil based scent do bond with the human scents on the baits and lures to help them contain them!

B_C

[TommyH]

Tommyh there is no question that oil based scents stay on the lure longer and when a fish bites on to that lure or bait they do get a burst of some thing different and that may cause them to hold on to the lure or bait longer, as well as the oil based scent do bond with the human scents on the baits and lures to help them contain them!

B_C

Good info! Thanks i will remember that one. I dont use gloves but have said for awhile that i was going to start using them. any little bit of help to get more fish on the line is great! weather it be scents or gloves to hide my scent. I think i am going to have to go fishing now!!!

[PNWsportsman]

So do you like the liquid scents better or the paste type of scents like the smelly jelly with the screw on cap.
I think scents help.  Certainly presentation is the key but scents can help make the difference between a two and a four fish day.

[steelhead13]

Bloody Tuna and Garlic all the way! 

[PolarBear]

I mix my own and usually have better than average luck.  (just jixed myself)  I tryto use stuff that is in the fish's natural diet but garlic and anise can help as well.  I mixed up some stuff for buoy 10 last year and we got some really violent take downs when others we not getting bit at all. 

[TheHunt]

If you put a wad of eggs on for your bait.  Say a golf ball sized wad of eggs. Do you add any scent to your eggs.

[Button Nubbs]

not on but maybe in

[Bone_Collector]

If I use an oil based scent I like to use a paste style so I can put it on the hook. I don't like to put any on the lure that I am using because I don't like to mess up the flash that the lure throws off. For example if I am wobbler fishing down in Long View for fall Chinook I will put some smelly jelly on the hooks and WD on the wobbler.

When using eggs I like to mix in some scent when I am curing the bait up because the eggs will absorb a water base liquid scent the best and than re-disperse it back into the water while they milk out. The eggs will also absorb oil based scents.

B_C

[steelhead13]

I never put anything on my eggs besides the cure that i make.

[TheHunt]

I figured I would add sulfites too the eggs about 2 hours before fish them.

[TommyH]

For the most part i just cure my eggs and use them as they are, but a plug/lure/jig i will try to give some scent to. smelly jelly is great for staying on your choosen bait. Garlic can be great at times, i think its best used when fish are active/biting, it can start a feeding frenzy.

[Bone_Collector]

Hunt its actually better to add the sulfides to your eggs while curing them that way they absorb them and than when the eggs milk out in the water the sulfides are disturbed into the water continuously as apposed to be washed on when you first put the eggs into the water. But if you dont have any eggs that have been cured with a chemical type cure than it is better to add some than not have any at all.

B_C

[WSU]

I like to add chemicals and scents during the curing process.  However, I also frequently apply scents to each individual bait during fishing.  This allows me to freshen up my baits with more scent, and to try different combos. 

Hunt - If you are new at curing eggs for salmon, I would start with a proven chemical cure such as pro-cure, pro-glow, fire cure, etc.  That should get you to a good mix of sulfites, salt, and sugar. 

To experiment with scents, simply cure as directed on the bottle.  Once the eggs juice out, add scent into the juice and mix the entire contents (eggs, juice, and scent) well.  The eggs will reabsorb the juice and the scent along with it.  I certainly have not dialed in the magical cures, but trying different combos and scents has definitely put a lot more fish in the boat.