Fishing Articles
The Secret of “Pure” Scent
Once you know what it is fish will be battling each
other to get at the hook!
Timothy Kusherets
 This
is a special “White King”. It was caught right at dusk using
the same corkie and yarn you see in the crook of its mouth. It was pure
fish scent that got the attention of it with the waning light of day.
Did you ever have a great morning of hooking fish after fish only to
have them stop biting in the afternoon? Did you ever have a situation
where everyone was getting fish but you? Was there ever a situation
where the fishing was hot and then another angler came along to fish
right next to you only to have fish suddenly go off the bite? These
things happen all the time and seem to be the whims of nature, but they’re
not. If you know what to do you can control these situations…to
a degree. The reason fish are put off the bite in all these situations
has to do with the Secret of Pure Scent. Combing scents confuses fish,
agitates them, and some are just plain abhorrent to them chasing them
out of the hold or simply put them off the bite. To figure what the
pure scent is there are some things that first have to be done to ensure
that fish stay on the bite for the duration of the day: prepare leaders
away from wafting odors, separate all fishing scents from each other,
and never get down current or wind from other anglers introducing abhorrent
odors. These steps combined reveal the secret of pure scent. Once you
know what it is fish will be battling each other to get at the hook.
I’ve said it countless times and will say it just as many more
“the act of fishing is the last step in a series of steps that
determines how a day on the water will go”. If you want to get
fish on the hook all the time you have to think about it long before
hitting the water and in most cases it comes down to preparing leaders
and what’s put on them.
Leaders should be made at home in front of the television watching your
favorite show. It should be done away from wafting odors that can attach
to the line. Make leaders after the dishes have been done so that the
wonderful smells of dinner don’t settle on the leader, which will
surely put fish off. Smokers should wash their hands and not smoke for
the duration making leaders since those wafting odors can put fish off
as well. After all the leaders have been made pack them in a plastic
bag and store them in the vest or tackle box. This ensures that fish
will focus on the fishing scent applied to the hook, corkie, bait, and
yarn. When they can do that they will often bite within seconds of the
offering hitting the water. It sounds silly, and maybe a little offensive,
but this advice is meant with the best intentions. Fish are put off
from mixing odors together, and when several of these scents are put
together they become abhorrent to fish. It’s that simple. Fishing
scents too must be addressed to ensure that the secret works.
Fishing scents that work for one species of fish will ordinarily not
work for another. Salmon will bite into hooks meant for them while trout
and bass will avoid it. There are the anomalous fish that bite into
them, but for the most part it’s fairly consistent and worthy
of credence. Keep each fish scent separate from each other. At home
take the containers of scent and lightly wash the outside of them with
lukewarm water to rid any scents that might be stuck to it. Separate
them and store them before the fishing trip. There are little baggies
perfect for ensuring that these fish scents continue to stay separate
even while out on the water. It’s a good idea to take along a
small towel and wipe your hands “only” when changing to
another scent. Single odors ensure that holding fish will focus on the
olfactory trail meant for their noses. When that scents stops working
change it to another, because, more often than not, fish will respond
to new scents immediately and anglers who have taken the proper precautions
should be ready to get hookups fast.
The last thing to focus on is after hitting the water. It’s fair
to say that other anglers will fish right along with you especially
when the bite is on, that’s out of our control. Smoking anglers
who fish above you in wind or water current can put fish off the bite
in an instant. Think about those times when the fishing was good for
you, someone asks if they can fish next to you and then suddenly the
bite goes off and stays off. It is the new “wafting” scent
that has put them off and so long as the new smell remains there will
be no more bites. When this happens, and it will, move above where the
new fishermen is located. Getting “above” them can mean
getting above them for wind or current. It all depends on the location
you’re fishing and the direction of wind. This can all be done
without offending the fisherman who prefers to smoke. It’s true
that smoking fishermen can hook into fish, but the do so far less than
those who don’t. Again, this is not meant to be an offensive observation,
this is constructive advice meant to get fish on the hook for anyone
angler willing to take it. I personally know many smoking anglers who
prefer to smoke before or after the day is done, so there are some measures
of happy compromise without treading on the rights of anyone. Now, having
beaten that dead horse, there is one more thing that fishermen can do
to ensure biting fish and that has to do with eating.
 This
steelhead was caught holding amongst hundreds of salmon. I used a specific
and “pure” scent that got the attention of it.
There have been many times that I’ve seen fishermen get fish hand-over-fist
from the crack of dawn till noon where the bite suddenly and permanently
went off the bite. After taking a fishing buddy of mine to the water I
had the good fortune to see this happen to him and asked some questions
about it.
“Steve, why do you want to call it a day?”
“Oh, it’s no big deal, it’s just that fish don’t
bite in the afternoon. I don’t like fishing when the fish don’t
bite”
“You are one of the best anglers I’ve ever
seen, why do you think fish don’t bite in the afternoon?”
“They never do. It doesn’t matter what time of the morning
I hit the water the fishing is always good and then right about noon they
stop biting. It all works out. I get a good morning of fishing, lunch,
and an nice drive home just in time to watch a game.”
“Yeah,
but if the fish continued to bite would you leave? I mean, if fish continued
to bite right up till dusk would you continue fishing?”
It was a silly question and he was all over it. So, I took out some “handy-wipes”
and had him wash his hands and everything else he had touched after “eating”
his lunch. To do it correctly it took him about twenty minutes. I wanted
to make sure that this little experiment went good for him so I tied on
one of my leaders so he wouldn’t have to touch it, which would then
mix our body odors together as well, further confusing fish. Steve had
another fish on the hook within two minutes of hitting the water! He couldn’t
believe it. He had often wondered why I never packed a lunch and on that
day told him that I always ate before and after fishing but never during
it. Prevention of mixing scents is that simple.
Pure scents will out perform many other angling techniques regardless
of the time of year. Take the time to make the necessary precautions to
ensure consistently biting fish.
Make sure to prepare all leaders away from any scents and odors that could
accidentally “waft” onto them as they’re made: cooking,
oils, smoke, and animal dander are just some odors that could easily put
fish off the bite, and with care, are easily avoided. Don’t forget
to separate all “fishing scents” intended for the water. Mixing
scents designed for various species of fish can put all fish off the bite
in an instant. When fishing, if there are other fishermen above current,
or you’re downwind of abhorrent odors, take the time to move out
of the way to keep finicky fish biting. Solving the riddle of pure scent
is easy but must be monitored to ensure that what you want the fish to
smell is on the line you intend it to bite. Taking these steps is as important
as any other designed to ensure a productive day on the water. I use this
credo to keep me on the ball and it has helped many other anglers: “The
actual act of fishing is the last step in a series of events that takes
place before every single fishing trip”. Remember this saying and
you will out-fish everyone on the water because you’ll take measures
to ensure it, and applying the secrets of “pure scent” fishing
technique will make it happen.
 Store
all gear away so that no odors touch it before the trip and you’ll
be hooking into fish faster than ever. The baggie and piping insulation
can all be purchased at local grocery and hardware stores; make sure,
when using them, to minimize abhorrent scent exposure or risk putting
fish off the bite even before making that first cast of the day.
© Timothy Kusherets, 2008/09 |
