5/16/2008

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.