I’ve been a dedicated bass fisherman since I was 12 years old. Throughout my life I’ve experimented with thousands of different lures, colors and presentations. However, I haven’t experimented with scents until the last several years. For the longest time I didn’t think scent made a difference, however recent experiences has made me a hardcore believer. This feature highlights exactly why you should use scented lures when bass fishing.
BED FISHING WITH SCENTED LURES
I have experimented with scents for the last year or so, however my first eye opening experience happened this spring. I have been well aware of the power of Berkley maxscent and other popular scented lures when targeting smallmouth, however I hadn’t used scents with largemouth until fairly recently. This spring I was targeting bass on bed on one of my local bodies of water. I had caught numerous fish that day, however there were multiple large females that I just couldn’t get to bite. There was one in particular that I guessed to be around 5 pounds that would nose down on my bait but never commit.
I cycled through numerous different soft plastics, glide baits and jerkbaits trying to get this fish to react. I had fished for this bass for nearly an hour and was about to give, then I remembered about my bag of scents I had buried at the bottom of my tackle compartment. I dug through all my tackle and pulled out a bottle of Bait Fuel and began to lather my soft plastic stick bait with scent. I flipped my Yamamoto Senko 2 or 3 feet past the bed, and then slowly hoped it until it reached the sweet spot. The fish nosed down on my bait like every other cast, however this time she immediately inhaled the bait. This fish ended up weighing 5.08 pounds, and the only reason I believe she bit is because of the added scent.
LEDGE FISHING WITH SCENTED LURES
After my experience bed fishing I was a true believer in scented fishing lures. I later bought numerous different scents to experiment with, and I quickly found another scenario where scent plays a major role. With the major advancements in electronics that have occurred over the last several years, offshore fishing has experienced a real uptick in fishing pressure. This is especially true when targeting offshore schools of bass. Early in the summer these bass are often willing to eat, however as more and more anglers target these fish they quickly become lethargic.
This has been a real issue for me over the last several summers. In May and July the offshore bite is typically insane, however I often struggle later in the summer. This isn’t because I’m unable to find them, I just can’t make them bite. This summer I’ve experimented with a wealth of different baits and scents, and I have noticed a real increase in my success. Just this last weekend I made a trip to Lake Guntersville with my good friend Carson Maddux, and we had another eye opening experience.
We fished two full days on Lake Guntersville, and we located several areas that had a large population of fish. On day one we found one specific spot that was holding around 30 to 40 bass. We fished this spot using a variety of baits including a jig, Texas rig and a Carolina rig. While we caught a good number of fish, they were all between 2 and 3 pounds. We initially thought this location only had small males, however we came back the next day with scented lures and had a much different experience.
We went to the same group of fish as yesterday, however this time I used a Carolina rig lathered in scent. Carson was using a traditional jig with no added scent. I ended up catching numerous fish weighing over 5 pounds, however Carson only caught two or three bass all weighing around three pounds. We are both casting at the same fish, with the only difference being the added scent. This really proved the power of scented lures, especially in areas that receive lots of fishing pressure.
INCREASED FISHING PRESSURE
The sport of bass fishing is rapidly growing, while this is great for the fishing industry this means more and more fisherman taking advantage of all the different lakes and rivers this country has to offer. This added fishing pressure has quickly educated bass making them much harder to catch. The majority of fisherman throw the same basic lures every time they hit the water. This has caused bass to become conditioned to these traditional baits.
While I still throw a wealth of traditional lures, adding scent is a great way to coax fish into biting. I add scent to almost all of my soft plastic lures, however I have yet to experiment with hard baits. While I haven’t tried it yet, this is something I really want to play with after seeing the success rate it has with soft plastic lures. Not only does scent help with coaxing pressured bass into biting, but it also helps increase the drawing power of your bait.
DRAWING POWER
Drawing power is another powerful tool that can help you catch more fish. Drawing power is the ability to call fish in from a distance and get them to commit to your bait. While water clarity plays a big role in your ability to call fish in, scent is another less talked about method for drawing fish to your bait. This is especially true in low visibility conditions or current. Depending on the potency of your scent, bass can smell these lures from increased distances. This is a great way to call fish in during low visibility conditions.
Current is another scenario where scent can play a major role. This scent will leave a trail down current from its location, greatly increasing the distance fish are willing to travel to eat your bait. In order to get a solid scent trail, you need something with a lot of potency. I typically use scented baits such as Gulp or Berkley Maxscent in these conditions as they produce a very strong scent. This is super effective in river systems such as the St. Lawrence River or other areas with constant water flow.
No matter what body of water you’re on, scent is a sure fire way to generate a few extra bites. With increased fishing pressure and fish getting smarter, adding scent to your lures is a great way to stay ahead of the curve. Although I wasn’t a believer at first, I can now confidently say that scent makes a major different in both the numbers and quality of fish you catch. If you’re struggling to get bit this summer, I highly recommend adding scent to your favorite baits, you won’t be disappointed.
