scents for fishing

[wallhanger77]

 was wondering if anybody used scents when ice fishing.I have been reading a lot on this wonderful website since we havent been able to get on the ice and just want to know who uses scents and maybe what kind.   I have read that people use anise oil and melt vasaline together and put on there lines and lures to mask the human scent   my dad says that fish dont know what a human smells like so why use scents anyway.  Just wondering what all you other fisherman think

[Preacher_man]

 Do scents work for fishing? You betcha!! I've been using scents for years! Especially thru the ice! I believe what it does is keep the fish around. Try it you might be surprised how well it works! 

[wallhanger77]

i have used they spray scents from stores but wondered if anybody tried using any that they made

[BIGCREW]

I havent had a chance to try it out yet but I melted down some vasaline and added some anise oil to it,I also have some fish oil pills that Im going to try,I cut one open the other day just to see what it smelled like and it definatly stinks like fish and the smell didnt come off my hands to easy either so Im thinking that the fish oil pills may work fairly well time will tell,you see posts where guys use wd 40,the old wd 40 had fish oil in it and thats what made it work,I dont think the new stuff has fish oil in it so I wouldnt even consider using it,I think the pills are better at least its only fish oil and not a bunch of other chemicals

[junebug]

I've been trying some different scents and I haven't noticed any real difference.  The major prey detectors for a fish are it's eyes, and the second being it's sensory reception in it's lateral line.  I think fish commit to striking based on those cues.  I believe that scents contribute very little to the fishes feeding response. For example, when a trout is eating mayflies from the surface of a stream they do so based on the recognition of the size, shape, and color of the mayfly, not it's scent. There may be some value in the fish "holding on" to the bait a tad longer, but I'm not sure there is any real evidence of that. However, in the case of catfish, bullheads, and the like, they are more inclined to use scent as a means of finding food.  For those type species there may well be an argument for the use of fish scents as they are scavengers, by in large, and the prey the seek is generally immobile.

[jimmyv]

i have tried adding some " flash "or a type of visual attractant works when nothing else does. Many times a fish will just sit and stare at the bait, but change color or presentation and a strike will likely happen. Ive even tied on ( believe it or not) an inch or so piece of metallic tinsel just behind the jig head with much success.

[junebug]

Hey Jimmy,

Have you ever used small rubber bands tied to the line ahead of the jig?  A friend of mine swears by it.  Just find those thin multi-colored rubberbands, and tie a few on your leader.  They move very easily in the water column, and provide an extra attraction.

[wallhanger77]

do you cut the rubber bands in half or leave them in a circle to tie them on     just wondering

[junebug]

I think he cuts them.  He also uses strips of balloons, which would seem to me to move easier than the rubber bands.

[jimmyv]

Junebug , i never tried it, but i have a bunch of rubber skirts from spinner baits in various colors. I may have to peel a few bands off and give it a try ! Last year the tinsel trick worked great at the state park.

[junebug]

Always do well at Lackawanna State Park, lots of action. 

[graveydavey]

I use alot of different berkley baits for jigging that are scented and they work very well.

[wallhanger77]

do they have any movement to them   i have tried the berkley gulp wax worms and just sat there all day and nothing would bite i tried jigging them and dead sticking with them but nothing i used different colors and still nothing when i use real waxies i catch fish so do they have to have some kind of movement for them to attract the fish or do you think its the smell that brings them in

[graveydavey]

I use them on jigging spoons or jig heads so I'm giving them motion. I have caught quite afew trout on the trout worms with them motionless.

[wallhanger77]

i might have to get some of them and try them out    where do you live gravydavy

[graveydavey]

Ambridge,Pa. just north of Pittsburgh, on the Ohio river

[deadcold]

My wife says that anybody that walks on water to fish has no sense

[junebug]

You're wife is right.

[Van_Cleaver]

I've been using Berkley crappie/ panfish scent for years. Even when fishing plastic it sometimes makes a difference. I'm also convinced it helps at night

[Fat Boy]

There are times when you don't need it, but when they get picky, scent helps.  Berkley Gulp is a great product for that reason.  I use the Gulp Alive lures and also dip my other plastics in it.  Smelly Jelly, Fish Formula and Bang have worked for me in the past as well. 

Also, during open water fishing, I also use garlic scented worm dye often on my soft plastics, and I think that it helps in addition to the added coloration attraction.

Tipping your lures with waxworms and maggots sweetens the bite...why?  Scent.  How many schools of maggots do you see swimming around under water?  It's not really a natural hatch.  But, they smell good and taste good (I wouldn't know, but the fish seem to think so).

How about negative scents?  Can they hurt your fishing?  Yes.  I have a friend that smokes like a fiend, and after watching me and my buds tear up the fish through the ice with him using the same jigs right next to us, we suggested he use scent to cover up his negative ones...a little bit of fish formula and he was on the bite right away.  It made a huge difference.  It may not have been cigarette smell, because he also had been working on his vehicle the night before, so it could have been something like that...but regardless, we think that's what it was.

Anyway, that's my humble opinion, take it or leave it.  I carry it with me and use it when the bite slows...seems to help.

At the very least, it could help your confidence...

[Fat Boy]

You guys inspired me to blog about this topic.  Hope you like the blog post:

Use Common Scents When Ice Fishing

[wallhanger77]

wow i never inspired anybody before i am kinda blushing.... not really but thats a very usefull blog and nice shout out to your brother sorry to see that it sucks when anybody loses a loved one

[Fat Boy]

Thanks for your kind words Wallhanger 

[junebug]

It definately is worthy of closer examination.  Despite my earlier post, I am not adverse to scent, just not sure of the advantage.  As most fisherman I have an open mind, and am willing to try just about anything to stack the deck in my favor.  Hell, my fishing Buddies and I have even tried sinking glo-sticks on weighted lines for a season. I am interested in what you come up with Fat Boy.

Tightlines.....

[Fat Boy]

It definately is worthy of closer examination.  Despite my earlier post, I am not adverse to scent, just not sure of the advantage.  As most fisherman I have an open mind, and am willing to try just about anything to stack the deck in my favor.  Hell, my fishing Buddies and I have even tried sinking glo-sticks on weighted lines for a season. I am interested in what you come up with Fat Boy.

Tightlines.....

Yeah, it's all about confidence really.  When I'm out fishing, I don't think about doing scientific comparisons, using controls, etc.  I just want to catch fish.  And, I'll try anything if I think that it will result in more bites.  The more that I try it, and if I get bites, I put two and two together and assume (unscientifically) that it works...so I keep doing it.  My thought is that it works for me, so I pass that on.  Worst case scenario, if it doesn't really work as claimed, you're out a couple bucks for the investment, and it didn't hurt.  I have yet to hear anyone claim that using these scent products scare fish away.

I can tell you that I had one fishing trip where I watched big bluegills on my Aqua-vu snub one soft plastic after another (even using applied scent), snub jig and waxworm or maggot combos, but then inhale a piece of Gulp Alive nightcrawler as if it was the real thing.  Why?  I don't know.  But I was catching fish, so life was good    But maybe if I went back the next day, the reverse could happen...

All I can do is pass along my observations and experience, maybe tie in some logical reasoning or explanations.  But, I'm not a scientist, just an ice fisherman like everyone else here.

If others have a different way of doing things, and it works for them, and it might work for me, then I'll give it a try.  That's what is great about Iceshanty, that we can learn from each other and exchange ideas and opinions.  Who knows?  Maybe I've been wasting money on scented products that I could put towards purchasing a new auger 

[JMZ]

Can anyone suggest scents for certain fish. I used garlic smelly jelly for catfish and it worked. I bought some and used it on a swimming rap with some artificial gulp baits. So far no bites. I would like find out what scent works for trout and walleye,

[captain54]

I've used Berkley crappie/Panfish,I don't know if it really matters. I do know that when using plastic,that used tails seems to get more fish. Every time I replaced a tail,I rub it on the side of one on my keepers and put some fish scent on my tail,seems to work.

[Basspunker182]

Garlic smelly jelly is the most used scent in my arsenal. Ill bring it from the boat to the ice and dip my jigs in it. Very effective stuff, cant deny the results Ive had throughout the years of me using it VS my buddy who didnt.

[EssoxHunter]

Ide like to add to how fish smell/taste, specifically trout...when taking flies on the surface sight and motion are key. When trout are not sure of a food source below the surface film, the use an area behind the pectoral fin, wich is for tasting and smelling. When you feel the change in yer line, that's not a strike, it's the trout inspecting the potential food source. So, even though Ive used scents, I've not noticed an advantage with toothy fish, scent is a big attractor where trout are concerned though.

[jitterbug]

was wondering if anybody used scents when ice fishing.I have been reading a lot on this wonderful website since we havent been able to get on the ice and just want to know who uses scents and maybe what kind.   I have read that people use anise oil and melt vasaline together and put on there lines and lures to mask the human scent   my dad says that fish dont know what a human smells like so why use scents anyway.  Just wondering what all you other fisherman think

If the fish are aggressive I don't think scent matters one way or the other.  I do believe when the fish are in a negative mood and dead sticking your offering it does make a difference. If you're using sonar and you see a lot of lookers and very few takers then I think scent could make a difference by putting a couple more fish on the ice. Using a camera under these conditions is what makes me believe this. I have watched panfish approach my offering very slowly and actually touch my jig with their lips without opening their mouth and immediately swim away. That tells me they tasted something they didn't like. Using scent still doesn't get them all to bite but it does get more To bite.  I think your dad right they don't know what human smells like. But I think if they smell gas or oil or human scent on your offering they know it doesn't smell like anything they eat regularly. IMO.