The more a bait looks, tastes and smells natural, the greater the catch rate. I am sure you have seen a fish follow a lure and then turn away just when you thought he was going to blast it. More times than not, the fish smelled or tasted something unusual. Many lures have an unnatural synthetic scent. They taste and smell like plastic, not a natural forage. Adding an attractant may result in a fish being more enticed to strike and hold it in its mouth longer, allowing for more time to set the hook.
Many fishermen overlook the importance of taste and smell. The scientific evidence today strongly suggests that fish attractants can have a positive impact on your catch rate. If you use it properly, fish attractants can entice an encourage fish behavior in many species of game fish.
I’ll be the first to tell you, they are not a magic potion or a cure-all. They cannot compensate for improper lure selection, presentations or produce fish where there are none. But attractants can and will increase your chances of success.
The smell and taste nerves go to different parts of the brain, which means that smell is more long-range or distant sense, while taste is a contact sense. Example: A fish may be drawn from several yards away by a particular smell of a food item, however, it doesn’t taste it until it’s in his mouth and by then, it’s normally too late.
In closing, let me say once more that there’s proven evidence to show that the sense of smell is incredibly involved in a fish’s life and this is why you’ll improve your catches by adding a fish attractant to your lure, especially when fish are inactive.
What are your thoughts on scents and the use of attractants while bass fishing?
