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The addition of attractants
to your tackle box can increase your catch ratio and bring about bigger and
better bass. There are many different kinds of fish attractants on the
market with store shelves overflowing with aerosols, jellies and dipping
oils.
Many anglers believe that the use of attractants is to attract fish to their
lures. Although bass can sense (smell) 1/200th of a drop of a substance in
100 gallons of water, it’s not so much the smell that attracts the bass; the
most useful property of scents is the ability to mask negative smells and
tastes. Even if you think your hands are clean, L-Serine, a tasteless,
odorless chemical found in the skin oils of humans will always be present
with baits you come in contact with. Other negative smells and tastes are
sun lotions, cigarettes, insect sprays and gasoline.
Motion, shape, noise and water displacement are the primary stimuli that
cause fish to strike. A fish senses and is attracted to your lure long
before it smells or tastes it. Once they are close enough and commit to
striking, taste and smell certainly have an important impact on the final
decision. If the bait feels unnatural, or has a negative taste or odor, your
chances of setting the hook is very low.
Applying fish scent to a lure will eliminate undesirable tastes and smells,
enticing a fish to hold on longer, allowing more time to set the hook.
Tips on using attractants:
Instead of spraying or dipping your lure, put a little on your hands and rub
in as you would lotion.
(It’ll wash off) As you handle the lure the taste and smell will transfer to
the bait.
When using plastic baits, spray or pour a little into the bag. The
attractant will “soak” into the bait and won’t wash off easily.
Keep a bar of Ivory soap in your tackle box and wash your hands occasionally
and apply more scent on your hands again. This minimizes the chances of
other odors transferring to the bait. |
