Smells Like Spring

Smells Like Spring - Scented Plastic Baits

By Keith Eshbaugh

I first started experimenting with scents and scented baits quite a few years ago and, I must say, when fish are in a negative mood, there's nothing better than a little stink on your lure to entice the fish! Stink baits started with catfish, since cats are really good at finding smelly items to eat. Lure makers have since come up with new and better methods to catch fish without making your tackle box stink.
I've seen guys spraying lures with WD 40, fish oil and many other concoctions that have worked. I've even put shad in with my soft plastics to make them smell like shad, but after it spilled in the boat, I quit doing that!
Bass baits were hot a few years back using different salts and garlic scent, all of which caught fish, but more manufacturers are turning to man-made scents in producing better fish catchers.
I watched Mike Iocanelli use a drop shot rig in the Allegheny River in Pittsburgh with a Gulp minnow and catch one fish after another. One trick he used was to look at all the baits, pick the straightest ones, and hook them lightly through the nose to get maximum action.
Yum, Zoom, Lindy, Outkast, Kalin and more are all making soft plastics that are salted, scented, and/or biodegradable. One manufacturer might make the right shaped bait, but in the wrong color, so you'll have to shop around to find the combination that's right for you. You'll see quite a few other manufacturers quickly jumping on the scent bandwagon to keep up with the craze.
Food source lures are now making plastics that they claim are made of 100% fish food and are totally biodegradable. I haven't personally used this, but have spoken with guys who like them.
One of the first manufacturers of scented baits is Berkley. They make scented baits for trout, walleye, bass, panfish, saltwater fish and more. They don't smell appealing to humans, but fish absolutely love them. The great thing about the scented plastics is that after you're done using it, just take it off the hook and place it back in the pack to use again, unless the fish have torn it to pieces.a
When we're walleye fishing in weedy areas with night crawler harnesses and the perch and bluegills are taking our crawlers, we switch to a Berkley powerworm and, no matter how many panfish try to eat it, they can't get it off the hook.
The latest craze is Gulp, which isn't a plastic but a water-based polymer, is biodegradable and will dry out if left on the hook. I used the Gulp maggots last year for panfish using a bobber, mini foo jig and one Gulp maggot! Wow, the crappies and gills absolutely tore it up! This is the most fantastic bait you could ever use with kids. They like to play with the bait, fish can't get it off the hook, and the kids will have a blast.
The top-selling dough bait for trout is Berkley Powerbait. You go to any trout stream or lake in the area and you'll see guys using this scented dough which floats and trout go nuts over it! Kind of reminds me of play dough for fish. I've seen guys buying fluorescent Power Worms and cutting them into bite-sized pieces for trout fishing.
Next time you're in the fishing department of your favorite sporting goods store, look at all the scented soft plastics and try a few. You'll be pleasantly surprised at what you'll catch.