Bass Fishing Tip of the Week 08/29/09: Fishing Scents to Increase Your Strikes

Today’s high tech bass fishermen have many tools to choose from to have a successful fishing trip and fishing scents is among one of the most important ones. There are many types available on the market such as Berkley’s Gulp and Yum scents to name a few. So what is the value of using scents during a bass fishing trip? The bottom line answer is that they work.

OK, you are not convinced so let me try to explain why they are effective.

1-      Fishing scents camouflage the human scent as well as whatever we touch that morning before the fishing trip such as gas, oil and soap. Bass use their sense of smell as well as their sense of sight in search of prey.

2-      Fishing scents are often made with organic by products to stimulate bass to feed. Many of them smell like fish/crayfish.

3-      Scents also provide lubrication to plastic worms/craws which can help tremendously when flippin, pitching or casting weeds. The lubricity helps the plastic bait to slide through the weeds much easier.

4-      Bass will hang onto the lure longer as the scent often appeals to their sense of taste and you’ll have more time to apply a good hook set.

Scents are most effective on soft plastic baits as they seem to stay on the bait longer. Apply the scent as directed either by spraying, dipping or squeezing out a gel and completely cover the bait. Reapply the scent every 20 or 30 pitches/casts.

Try not to get too much on your boat carpet as some of the scents act as solvents and can cause you carpet to become unglued. Spray over the side of the boat rather than in the boat.

So before your next fishing trip go to your favorite tackle store and pick up a bottle of fish scent. You may be surprised on the increased number of strikes and keeper fish you put in the boat.  Until next time, tight lines and do more catching with less fishing.

The Largemouth Herald