The Scent of Your Bait

Bob La Londe wrote:
Well, I am not convinced that it makes any difference in how many hits
you
get. I am pretty convinced it makes huge differences in how long a fish
holds a bait.


It always amazes me when people have fish drop plastic worms and/or
jigs. I don't use any flavors or scents, and routinely let a fish swim
with my lure before setting. In fact, years ago, Charlie Brewer taught
me to lead a fish out of cover by just slowly reeling before setting the
hook, and he didn't use any chemical enhancements, either. IMHO, it
fixes a problem that doesn't exist to the extent that most anglers seem
to think it does.

Yup.... done it myself a time or three, fishing a small worm on light
line... usually a Charlie Brewer's Slider rig, tossed back into buckbrush or
around laydowns. When the fish takes the lure, trying to horse it in is
futile. You might as well toss a handful of slider jigs and worms in the
general direction of the tangle and go on to the ramp... you aren't getting
any of them back anyway.

But if you just gently guide the fish with your rod tip with enough pressure
to coax it rather than pull it, sometimes it will follow the line right on
out into open water.

Last time I tried that was eleven or twelve years ago on Sardis Reservoir in
Mississippi. Dad and I were fishing in one jon boat, Bubba and his daddy in
another. I was catching bass on Rat'l'traps around Engineer's Point, a rocky
point jutting out into the lake just above the levee, near the ramp. Every
now and then I'd pick up an ultralight rig and toss a slider jig and worm
into bushes along the flooded shoreline. A six pounder picked up the worm,
and I knew there was no way I'd force it out of cover. After a quick
hook-set, I slacked off and just let the fish relax. I kept the boat well
away from the brush, and eventually the big girl stopped hunkering down and
swam right out. I led it right up to the side of the boat, where I had my
hand in the water waiting for a chance to lip her. Until I tightened my
grip, I don't think the bass even realized it was hooked. Probably just
curious and taking the path of least resistance.
--
Joe Haubenreich
Secret Weapon Lures
Web: secretweaponlures.com
---------------------------------------
Better designs... better lures.... better results
---------------------------------------~ 0")))


"RichZ" wrote in message
...
Bob La Londe wrote:
Well, I am not convinced that it makes any difference in how many hits
you
get. I am pretty convinced it makes huge differences in how long a fish
holds a bait.


It always amazes me when people have fish drop plastic worms and/or
jigs. I don't use any flavors or scents, and routinely let a fish swim
with my lure before setting. In fact, years ago, Charlie Brewer taught
me to lead a fish out of cover by just slowly reeling before setting the
hook, and he didn't use any chemical enhancements, either. IMHO, it
fixes a problem that doesn't exist to the extent that most anglers seem
to think it does.

"RichZ" wrote in message
...
Bob La Londe wrote:
Well, I am not convinced that it makes any difference in how many hits
you
get. I am pretty convinced it makes huge differences in how long a fish
holds a bait.


It always amazes me when people have fish drop plastic worms and/or jigs.
I don't use any flavors or scents, and routinely let a fish swim with my
lure before setting. In fact, years ago, Charlie Brewer taught me to lead
a fish out of cover by just slowly reeling before setting the hook, and he
didn't use any chemical enhancements, either. IMHO, it fixes a problem
that doesn't exist to the extent that most anglers seem to think it does.

Oh, I agree that often fish will swim off with any bait. I've had fish pick
up and swim away with almost every type of drop bait. I am talking about
circumstances though where they were specifically picking it up and spitting
it out in a single breath. In one case two anglers fishing the same spots.
One with attractant and one without.


--
Bob La Londe
http://www.YumaBassMan.com