I have a question for the Prostaff Team about fishing scents.

I have heard so many contradictory comments about them.

Everything from “Wouldn’t fish without it.” to “Don’t waste your money on that stuff, they don’t make a difference.”

Me personally, I always use a little Smelly Jelly salt craw (the orange one with the little sissy sparkles in it) on the tail of my worms and other plastic lures.... even on the tails of the big swimbaits.

It sure seems to me that I’ve been getting bit better and more often since I’ve been using it.

I’m in the "wouldn’t fish without it" camp.

What is the opinion of the Prostaffers.....

Do scents work for you guys?

Which scents do you think are the most effective?

Or do you think they are useless and we should stop wasting our money on such silly superstitions since bass can’t smell anything anyway?

Thanks for your advice in advance........... geobass

Personally I don’t put anything on the baits that I use. But then again I use the Berkley Power worms and Gulp, so it’s made with it.

I would have to say if you have confidence in it, use it! IF you don’t then don’t!

You are right you hear it both ways. It works for some and others could care less.

I would not fish with out it myself. I do have other baits that are not made with sent in them and I use them just as they are. They still catch some fish. Confidence, Confidence, if it's not broke dont fix it.

Geobass, I am a firm believer in fish scents, I have used Fish Formula Scents ever since they came out years ago. Any slow moving bait gets saturated with the stuff. I use either crawfish, worm or Shad 99% of the time. I also have been using the B&D Custom White Lightning quite a bit lately. It's got a good scent and as with all scents I'm convinced the fish hold the bait longer. I would say that scents can't hurt any bait. So why not use them.
I also use the Berkley scented baits Conley mentioned and they have built-in flavor that lasts a long time. I have an Uncle that won't go fishing without sweet anise. Add me to the list of "won't go without it". Johnnie

Geobass,
I'm glad I re-read your post on fish scents-you say bass can't smell anyway!! WRONG!!! Those two little holes in the front of their face is their nose and they can definately smell. Blind bass can live a long time by smelling and feeling vibrations. All fish have a sense of smell and all fish use that to some extent. Good post, Johnnie

Johnnie is correct about the bass being able to factor out scents. In fact, a friend of mine will wash his lure, especially a spinnerbait, if a northern pike is caught. He says the northern places a scent, which will repel bass.
I've also used the soap if I have gasoline on my hands, or other negative odors.
Another idea is to wash the lure in Odor Away, then place the attractant. The soap will let off bubbles, which will be a double attraction (noise and visual), and allow the regular attractant to work to its full abilities, without having to cover up negative ordors.
As for attractants, I've had great success with Kodiak Paste, and lately the new Gulp Alive spray, and bait, which comes soaked in the Gulp liquid. It stinks but works.

Best of fishing,

You're right Dan, I forgot about the soap bubbles. That GULP is gooood stuff. Stinky or not. Johnnie

I have used Smelly Jelly and Krazy Paste, and on occasion.... even a shot of WD-40 into a tube bait has immediately improved my catch rate.
Usually, i don't use scents but when it gets tough out there I'll use what it takes to put the fish in the boat.

I like Lunker Sauce for my jigs and tubes, the crayfish gives off a strong oder; shad for cranks. Carl

I have used smelly Jelly and Lunker sauce. If the bite is tough, then the scent comes out. 9/10 times it improves the bite.

With the Alive from Berkley, are you useing the baits that come pre-soaked or the Alive spray on your own plastics?

Capt'n

Here is more info on taste and smell:
Chemoreception is very well developed in bass and other fish, which rely upon this to detect their prey. Largemouth bass have two nostrils on each side of their head, and there is no connection between the nostrils and the throat. "The olfactory rosette is the organ that detects the chemicals. The size of the rosette is proportional to the bass's ability to smell. Bass also have the ability to taste. They have taste buds on their lips, tongue, and all over their mouths. This is why when fishing for bass with artificial lures, you normally only have about a second to set the hook before they spit out the lure. Scented lures like Berkley Power Worms, make it so bass hold on longer because of their taste and scent.

TASTE & SMELL.....
A bass has taste buds outside it’s mouth as well as inside of it. Now just think a minute! that means that a bass can taste an object before it even gets in it’s mouth. The taste and smell of a bass are once again synonymous with each other and that a bass smells and tastes at the same time. Now, how acute is a bass’s sense of taste and or smell?
A few years back a study was conducted of the taste and smell of a bass in a tank of 100 gallons of water. In this study the bass was found to be able to taste (or smell) 1-200th of a drop of a substance in the 100 gallon water tank (what an amazing sense of taste and smell.) Well, what does this have to do with bass? If you want to be a successful angler it means a great deal. Now let’s put this in anglers terms okay? If a bass can scent a bait that is not a pleasing or acceptable taste or smell, if it does put it in it’s mouth it will spit it right back out within 1 to 3 seconds (not much time to set a hook right?) but, if the bass accepts the taste or smell and puts it in it’s mouth it can hold it up to as long as 30 seconds before spitting it out (much more time to set the hook!)
To sum up the taste and smell segment, here are a few hints to help you understand why you may be getting those quick hits and not catching any fish:
1. Always wash your hands before you go fishing.....
2. Fill up your boat with gas and oil the night before you go fishing.....
3. Use natural forage formulas or a formula that has been tested and proven to work.....
4. Try to use a odor free soap or a scent neutralizer.....
Just these steps can make a world of difference when it comes to catching more bass.
Understanding a bass is just as important to a angler as having his or her fishing rod in their hand. So many anglers seem to have a rough time not knowing how to fish under different conditions, how to use baits properly, what to buy and what not to buy, how to locate bass, what type of equipment is really necessary, and on and on! It is worth an education in bass angling, especially if one wants to become more successful at it.

For more info go to:
reference information

Then get more technical:
The bass’ preyfish are composed of amino acids, the building blocks of all protein and flesh. Each preyfish contains differing proportions of amino acids. The injury of a preyfish and release of amino acids into the water elicits a searching behavior from the bass. This is one reason why scent products with amino acids are attractive to bass.

Tests by bass researcher Dr. Loren Hill show that bass can detect a preyfish odor source at a distance of 25 feet. Only the bass’ sense of hearing is capable of greater range under normal water clarity conditions. Dr. Hill also points out that the bass exhibit a snakelike swimming action when honing in on an odor source.

A bass has a pair of nostrils, or nares, on each side of its head between the eyes and upper lip. Each nostril has two openings separated by a bridge of skin. Water does circulate continuously through these short passages where microscopic, hair like cilia detect odors. The water passes through the nostrils without entering the throat.

As a bass swims about, water movement is enhanced and the nostrils are constantly in use. A membrane tissue, called the olfactory epithelium, consists of complex folds that line the nostrils. This membrane greatly increases the total surface area and the bass’ receptive scenting powers.

Within the epithelium odor molecules activate millions of olfactory receptor nerve cells, these send a message to the olfactory centers of the bass’ brain where the odor is interpreted.

As a bass ages and grows larger, the number of olfactory folds increases. It has been found that young 4 to 6 inch largemouth bass have 5 or 6 folds. A 12 inch bass may have 10 folds while one 20 inches in length may have as many as 20 folds. It has also been found that the diameter of the olfactory organ itself grows with age. Most scientists conclude that older bass have a better developed sense of smell.

In concluding this article anglers must realize that to catch bass you must appeal to their senses. Their primary sense is sight however, if they can’t rely on their sight we must be prepared to appeal to their other senses. The successful angler will use scents to his advantage to appeal to their sense of smell as well as to cover up human odor. One tactic one can use with the scent is to mask your human odor is to apply scent to your fingers and rub it directly to the first 4 or 5 feet of your fishing line. This is especially effective when flipping or pitching.
More info at: Article by Leo Watson