Scent - Yes Or No???? 2024
Sam reply :
Yesterday I was bored so I watched Uncle Homer Circle and Glenn Lau's videos, Bigmouth and Bigmouth Forever.
Outstanding productions and what was said back in the 60's and 70's is still true today.
What blew my mind was the footage of the bass hitting the lures and spitting them out with the fisherman not even feeling the hit. Uncle Homer had no idea he had been bit as he felt nothing. And Uncle Homer was one of the best bass fisherman in the world at the time.
So what does this show us? The need for an attractant on your hard baits (crankbaits and spoons for starters) and not just your plastics.
MegaStrike is a paste and I put it on my crankbaits when I am in a tournament. I may start to use it when fun fishing, too.
After watching Bigmouth Forever, plus the old Hook and Look series, you can understand the importance of adding scent to have the bass retain the bait in their mouths for just a few seconds so you can feel the hit.
Jus thought I would share this with you. I am not connected to MegaStrike in any way. The only reason I mention it is that MegaStrike is a paste and if it works or not, it is a confidence builder.
rockchalk06 reply :
Agreed. I can't say that it makes me get more strikes, but I can say that it makes the bass hold onto the bait a few seconds longer. When jig fishing that is the difference between a fish and not a fish. I've done tests with and without and can prove to myself it works. Plus it will cover your human scent too.
Topwaterspook reply :
This is my first year using Megastrike. I agree. It seems to help me. At the very worst, it doesn't hurt anything.
Catt reply :
I agree with the use of scent but what stood out even more in my mind was the need for a quick hook set at the slightest hint of a strike.
I don't wait on anything 
roadwarrior reply :
MegaStrike is a proven winner.
Todd2 reply :
I use it, if only so they'll hold it a sec or two longer. I have never really noticed a big increase in bites however.
ww2farmer reply :
Beats me if it helps, but it doesn't hurt either, megastrike goes on everything I have that's not already scented. Like Yamamoto, Zoom, or Havoc baits. Scented stuff like the SK plastics with the coffee scent, power bait, gulp, or netbait don't get any "extra" scent.
A-Jay reply :
I am also a believer in the utilization of Scent on just about every bait, hard and soft.
I lather up the vast majority of my presentations.
Pro-Cure Super Gel is my choice.
Comes is many "flavors", however the Trophy Bass is the only one I've gotten to.
Works so well, I stopped there.
A-Jay
Felix77 reply :
I say it can't hurt. IMO It seems more effective in colder waters. This was my 1st year using JJ's and Megastrike and early in the year (Early Spring) I could see a clear difference between my bites in colder waters when using scent. As it became warmer it seemed to make little difference. I have 2 more tournaments up north and both products are going with me.
Let's hope they make the difference 
aceman387 reply :
I have an old friend who likes to put his soft plastics in a zip lock bag with bacon the night before we go fishing. He seems to think it helps his catch rate.I am not so sure it does.I have noticed that I get hungry quicker when I go fishing with him...lol.
Master Bait'r reply :
On 9/17/2013 at 10:06 PM, aceman387 said:I have an old friend who likes to put his soft plastics in a zip lock bag with bacon the night before we go fishing. He seems to think it helps his catch rate.I am not so sure it does.I have noticed that I get hungry quicker when I go fishing with him...lol.
Man, he must REALLY want to catch fish! Nobody wastes bacon in my house, that's for sure!!! 
Felix77 reply :
On 9/17/2013 at 10:06 PM, aceman387 said:I have an old friend who likes to put his soft plastics in a zip lock bag with bacon the night before we go fishing. He seems to think it helps his catch rate.I am not so sure it does.I have noticed that I get hungry quicker when I go fishing with him...lol.
On 9/17/2013 at 10:27 PM, Master Bait said:Man, he must REALLY want to catch fish! Nobody wastes bacon in my house, that's for sure!!!
I was thinking the exact same thing ... LMAO. Now that I found Bacon Jerkey I am in heaven. The next time I buy some I need to throw some lures in it. I can eat and catch fish at the same time. NICE! 
Bobby Uhrig reply :
I have told people for almost 20 years -If you see what I see underwater you will never fish the same way again. I have watched fish expel baits faster than you could ever set a hook. I filmed bass assassins and slugos years ago and the bass would inhale a bait and expel it in-between jerks. Absolutely amazing . SERIOUSLY when you put the Megastrike in it-they would grab it and swim away with the baits. The first thing they do is go to deeper water. they are careful not to let another predator take their catch away. That was their sanctuary. When they inhale the baits that's when you just feel your line get tight or your line moving to one side. I was down at the FLW championship showing the same technique- Its a no brainer you need a bait to have flavor . When we bent the hooks on crank baits and Pop R's we applied megastrike to them -the bass would hit them over and over -if they didn't have mega on it they would hit it once and rarely come back again. It didn't register to their gustation and olfactory senses that it was food.The product costs 1/2 of a penny per application -The cheapest for of insurance and confidence you can buy.
tomustang reply :
On 9/18/2013 at 1:40 AM, Bobby Uhrig said:When we bent the hooks on crank baits and Pop R's we applied megastrike to them -the bass would hit them over and over
I'll have to lube up some jerkbaits for the finicky smallies
mod479 reply :
On 9/18/2013 at 2:12 AM, tomustang said:I'll have to lube up some jerkbaits for the finicky smallies
I used megastrike on my hard jerks all this year. I mixed up the craw and original scent by not labeling the tubes, so for all I know, I was using craw scent on a baitfish imitation. Still caught tons of bass, sometimes they would come back and hit the bait again and again til a treble stuck. Scent makes sense.
Jay Ell Gee reply :
Yes.
I picked up a tube of megastrike original when I ordered some shaky heads from my Bobby last fall. I started using it and noticed far more fish would run with the lure after striking.
My personal best bass (avatar pic) hit a wacky senko on the fall. I was using a St. Croix Legend Xtreme 6'10 M/XF with 20 lb PowerPro... no doubt that it is a sensitive setup. I STILL never felt the hit and saw zero line tick. My line started moving and I set the other way. I am convinced that megastrike is the reason I caught my PB. It also made a big difference for me in winter. It definitely helped me pick up more bass on jigs and shaky heads throughout the winter.
While I have you in this thread Mr. Bobby, have you noticed any issue with the Megastrike as it softens throughout the day on the boat and firming up when stored inside? This obviously happens every time I fish, but it has never seemed to be an issue.
I megastrike scent any soft plastic that is unscented and even some hard baits. 11 months in and I still have over half a tube.
bigbill reply :
Using megastrike did nothing for me. I been using the original baitmate bass scent, baitmate craw scent, baitmate worm/crawler, baitmate garlic scent, baitmate live scent, yum shad, yum craw, riverside craw scent. I use the bm original bass scent first. If it's slow I switch to the
bm garlic and I've seen the action pick right up.
I also throw my senkos with no scent unless my weedless barb comes up open after a strike and a miss. One shot of scent is a hookup on the next cast.
I made a mini carpenters tool box to carry my scents.
roadwarrior reply :
Hmm...
Don't go fishing without it...I use the goo 100% of the time.
Caylub reply :
The only scent I've ever bought was spike it garlic scent in an aerosol can. Sunday was the first time I used it. It has been in.my tackle bag for months. I couldn't buy a bite so I put some on the tail of a grape ribbon tail worm. First cast boom fish on. The next few casts nothing. Gave it another spray, next cast fish on. Before Sunday I was neither here nor there on scent. Now I'm a believer. Where do you buy MS? Online?
Jay Ell Gee reply :
On 9/18/2013 at 8:55 AM, Caylub said:The only scent I've ever bought was spike it garlic scent in an aerosol can. Sunday was the first time I used it. It has been in.my tackle bag for months. I couldn't buy a bite so I put some on the tail of a grape ribbon tail worm. First cast boom fish on. The next few casts nothing. Gave it another spray, next cast fish on. Before Sunday I was neither here nor there on scent. Now I'm a believer. Where do you buy MS? Online?
It should be available on Tackle Warehouse. While you are ordering it, I would recommend you order some E2 shaky head jigs. You'll never use another shaky head again!
Bankbeater reply :
I don't use scent on a regular basis, but I have noticed after I apply sunblock I tend to get more bites. Not sure if its just me, or if the sunblock is covering my scent on the baits.
hookset on 3 reply :
Sam's right on about how fast bass expel a lure. When I was young, thirty some years ago, I had a crystal clear pond that became like my testing site for every type of lure.
Hiding behind bushes, you could flick a lure into the water and watch the reaction of bass to your presentation. Those fish could suck in a lure and expel it before you knew it.
That's when I learned the value of scenting ALL lures.
I will just add this- If Mike Long and the deceased Bill Murphy, two of the greatest trophy bass hunters ever, use scent on ALL lures, that's proof enough for me. Bill Murphy most times rubbed scent on his worms before each cast!
roadwarrior reply :
On 9/18/2013 at 8:55 AM, Caylub said:Where do you buy MS?
http://www.megastrike.com/
rockchalk06 reply :
On 9/18/2013 at 1:01 PM, Jay Ell Gee said:It should be available on Tackle Warehouse. While you are ordering it, I would recommend you order some E2 shaky head jigs. You'll never use another shaky head again!
Agreed. I feel stupid for not trying them out sooner.
A-Jay reply :
On 9/18/2013 at 8:58 PM, hookset on 3 said:Sam's right on about how fast bass expel a lure. When I was young, thirty some years ago, I had a crystal clear pond that became like my testing site for every type of lure.
Hiding behind bushes, you could flick a lure into the water and watch the reaction of bass to your presentation. Those fish could suck in a lure and expel it before you knew it.
That's when I learned the value of scenting ALL lures.
I will just add this- If Mike Long and the deceased Bill Murphy, two of the greatest trophy bass hunters ever, use scent on ALL lures, that's proof enough for me. Bill Murphy most times rubbed scent on his worms before each cast!
Yup - but each and every one of his "Cast" lasted 20 over minutes !
A-Jay
Nice_Bass reply :
I only use powerbait for the most part- no need to buy extra scents.
As far as human scent goes I am not sure I buy into that at all that it needs masking but would love to see if anyone has a study on it.
My reasoning, bass don't know what a human smells or taste like, nor a mouse, or bird, or anything else they may opportunistically eat. We have oils and whatnot on our hands that may taste great for all I know- shrink us down to their size and we are dinner with no second thoughts.
Now if you have gas or whatever else on your hands...well that could be different.
Moving baits, I have not seen a difference, seeing how quickly a bass can spit however makes me curious.
AK-Jax86 reply :
I've never used scents on any of my lures and I do pretty well. I mean I don't see using it as being a negative I may try it out. I'm a top water fishermen though so I am not sure how well it would work on my frogs.
kingkong85 reply :
I've been fishing all my life but started bass fishing about 5-6 years ago. I heard about scent for the 1st time a few months ago. I didn't believe it and didn't think to do research on it. Now that I stumbled upon this thread and reading all these great opinions I want to try it.
What scent should I get?
Jay Ell Gee reply :
On 9/18/2013 at 11:28 PM, kingkong85 said:I've been fishing all my life but started bass fishing about 5-6 years ago. I heard about scent for the 1st time a few months ago. I didn't believe it and didn't think to do research on it. Now that I stumbled upon this thread and reading all these great opinions I want to try it.
What scent should I get?
Megastrike Original.
Jay Ell Gee reply :
On 9/18/2013 at 10:53 PM, DEEPdish Panda said:I've never used scents on any of my lures and I do pretty well. I mean I don't see using it as being a negative I may try it out. I'm a top water fishermen though so I am not sure how well it would work on my frogs.
It works very well. I have definitely noticed an increase in hookups. I honestly believe that they hold onto the frogs better, especially when using toad style lures.
bigbill reply :
I been talking about using scents for eons ever since this site first opened. But I'm just a shore fisherman what do I know....just kidding but something's we just have to learn on our own. With some fishermen it's an ego thing. I run into these thick heads all the time.
I was catching 2 1/2 to 3lb bass constantly one night at my favorite hot spot. There were crowds of fisherman all over the place But no one really knows how to bass fish. I was throwing a bomber crank with baitmate bass scent on it. A local barber who was fishing walks up to me and asks do those lures work? Before I could answer him I landed a bass. Without me saying a word he says I guess that answers that. Then he asks me if that scent really works? Again before I could answer him I landed another bass the same size. Again he says that answers that. Then I hear hey buddy give me a shot of that scent on my spinner bait will ya?
The first baitmate bottles would squirt a long stream of scent. Fishing off a low bridge before the evening hit I would squirt scent in the channel one good shot. The water current was going away from me so I'm attracting every bass from down stream. Trust me it worked. Plus on my very first cast I would sent out a spook soaked with scent. Then it's come to pa pa after that. I caught bass in numbers "but" I couldn't break the PB of 6lbs. I was fishing from 5pm till 9pm till darkness. When I switched to fishing in the darkness 4:00am till first light this is when the bass got bigger. I'm thinking the crowds in the evenings all casting up to 1oz sinkers God only knows why we're driving the bigger smarter fish away. After it quieted down the bigger shy gals would move into the shallows to feed till first light. This tells me that scents can be used as a long distance attractant in a "current" situation too. I have heard of some guys with boats dropping a scent bottle hanging on a rope with small holes in it to attract bass. But in fishing from shore in the same spot everyday eventing the water with one shot of scent does work is you have the current in front or under you. But like I said before once I attracted the bass everyone caught bass if they tossed the right lure.
Now the guys who witnessed me catching bass one night would show up the very next night with new lures, new rods/reels and new tackle boxes too, plus a bottle of scent. They would catch bass like I did. It's funny how I influenced fishing tackle sales in my area. I was a field salesman for fishing equipment. I was a mentor to some of these people who wanted to catch fish too and that's awesome because I'd like to see everyone catch fish too. I happy to see them catch fish because I was just like them before I learned how to catch bass.
I do stop fishing to help out kids to teach them how to catch fish too. I think we need to invest our time for the younger boys and girls because there the future fishermen.It's like buying stock in America. Where all different but when we talk fishing were really the same people think about it. Fishing helps us bond together and interreact with each other. It gets us talking to each other on common ground.
Take a kid fishing and mentor a kid today they do need our help.
God bless, bigbill
Btw, Using scents from shore location does matter. You need to know where the points, dropoffs, flats and deep holes are so you know how to fish it. Using a portable hummingbird fish finder the one we cast out can tell us this. Now on your first cast soak up a spook and cast it as far as you can cast to get the scent out there. Then put very little scent on each lure after that. Now if your not getting any action with your lure change colors, change lures till the action starts. The bass will tell you when your on the correct pattern. To me the colors of our lures matter as much as using scents.
AK-Jax86 reply :
On 9/18/2013 at 11:38 PM, Jay Ell Gee said:It works very well. I have definitely noticed an increase in hookups. I honestly believe that they hold onto the frogs better, especially when using toad style lures.
What type of scent do you use on your frogs? I will check them out and the toad style is all I use. If it makes them hold onto it longer is exactly what I need I miss a good amount of hook sets
Southernjig reply :
Hard to beat jj magic!
bigbill reply :
I purchased my frog scent from bogbait they offer frogs too in real life sizes.
Baitmate did offer a worm/crawler scent but I don't see it anymore.
If your misses uses that chopped garlic that comes in a jar don't throw that garlic juice away when the chopped garlic is gone. It's free scent use it or send it to me....
Jay Ell Gee reply :
I personally use MegaStrike because it can be applied to the lure as a paste and will stay on for a decent amount of time. I used to use Ribbits but I have switched completely to the 42 Tackle Co. "42 Toad." By far the best hookup on any frog that I have ever used.On 9/19/2013 at 12:11 AM, DEEPdish Panda said:What type of scent do you use on your frogs? I will check them out and the toad style is all I use. If it makes them hold onto it longer is exactly what I need I miss a good amount of hook sets
Don't get me wrong, topwater toad style lures have their days where you just can't seem to hook up to save your life. All depends on how the fish want it that day. However, a good pause before the hookset is crucial. I believe that the scent helps these fish hold onto the frog during that stall.
bigbill reply :
Using scents on my second cast with senko type worms does give me a longer time to set the hook. I usually let the senko do its thing first with no scent just the salt if it has it. But it's on my Carolina rig with the ticker. Using scents, with a rattle/ticker the only thing left is the lure action, our presentation and lure color.
Hyrule Bass reply :
ive never used scents, but am not against those that do.
but there is one thing i see that i think is kind of ironic. it goes back to the artificial vs live bait debate. many say live bait is easier and they feel more gratified by catching fish on artificials. well, im sure many of those that say that use scents as well, and my question is for that crowd mainly. but wouldnt using a scent that makes your artificials taste like live bait also cancel out the thought of "feeling more accomplished" when you catch a fish?
Jay Ell Gee reply :
Not for me, no.
I am probably in with the crowd that doesn't get to fish as often as I would like. When I do get to fish, I make sure to use the tools at my disposal to increase my chances of catching fish while I am out there. Its just another tool in the toolbox.
I could purposely fish unproductive water all day and scent would never make a difference. However, I choose to use my time wisely and fish productive water. The same concept follows with scent. If I think it will help me boat a few more fish effectively, I'll gladly try it. I don't see it as a game changer, but the concept behind it is sound.
I will admit that there were days that I have had to use live bait for saltwater fishing, but am happy to say that I have always bass fished with artificials.
In regards to it seeming more like bait... I have never encountered a type of live bait that smelled of garlic or coffee.
kingkong85 reply :
Thanks for the response jay.
For those that have use scent. Does it matter what brand? This morning I stopped by a local fishing shop and they carry 5 or more brands. Find it odd that they didn't have megastrike.
SudburyBasser reply :
I rarely use scents and I can't say that when I do that I've noticed any particular difference. Frankly without a sound scientific test I'm not convinced either way that scents do or do not land more fish.
I do know that during a tournament this past weekend that the guy I was fishing with -- the boater -- was using scents and I out fished him. Is that proof? No, but an observation.
bigbill reply :
I did purchase all the brands of scents I could find. I started using the baitmate brand and found out that scents do work. The yum, riverside, BANG, snake oil, all worked for me. The megastrike down didnt but maybe it was old?
But I get up, get dressed the exact same way, put my shoes on the same way, wash my hands with big orange then go fishing. I do not get gas I don't want oil on my hands.
hookset on 3 reply :
On 9/19/2013 at 3:28 AM, SudburyBasser said:I rarely use scents and I can't say that when I do that I've noticed any particular difference. Frankly without a sound scientific test I'm not convinced either way that scents do or do not land more fish.
I do know that during a tournament this past weekend that the guy I was fishing with -- the boater -- was using scents and I out fished him. Is that proof? No, but an observation.
Here is a test about scents.
http://bassbuzz.outdoorsfanmedia.com/features_article.asp?id=1
powerduster reply :
Nah I'm fine. I do well enough without it. The thing is, I carry a small bag with me stuffed with lures, bug spray, scale, etc. and rather not deal with more stuff.
SudburyBasser reply :
On 9/19/2013 at 8:56 AM, hookset on 3 said:Here is a test about scents.
http://bassbuzz.outdoorsfanmedia.com/features_article.asp?id=1
I'm afraid a press release by Berkley about the efficacy of Power Bait doesn't really qualify as a rigorous scientific study.
richienyc reply :
Here is a very credible study about scents, several biologists are cited in this article.
http://aaronlesieur.com/bass-fishing-articles/do-bass-really-smell/
Catt reply :
On 9/20/2013 at 8:58 AM, richienyc said:Here is a very credible study about scents, several biologists are cited in this article.
http://aaronlesieur.com/bass-fishing-articles/do-bass-really-smell/
Sorry flunked peer review
SudburyBasser reply :
On 9/20/2013 at 8:58 AM, richienyc said:Here is a very credible study about scents, several biologists are cited in this article.
http://aaronlesieur.com/bass-fishing-articles/do-bass-really-smell/
I remember that article and I'm afraid it doesn't meet the standard of a double-blind study with carefully controlled variables. In fact, its not a study or even a meta-analysis of other studies.
I know I sound argumentative on this and I apologize if I'm coming across that way but I was trained in experimentation and data analysis so I'm a little picky on the matter.
bigbill reply :
I'm going to be honest here. I started out using live bait for bass fishing at the cost of $50+ a week. I started purchasing lures a few at a time. Once I figured out how to use lures I fished with both live bait and lures at the sametime. It was live bait vs lures soon after. Then the lures started catching more fish using scents. I only use lures now. I was maxed out using scents but seeing how many bass it will attract I use less scent now. Using scents doesn't mean you will catch fish. We still have the lure and color selection plus matching the presentation to the situation as to what mood the fish are in. There are a lot of variables to contend with. If fishing was easy it wouldn't be called fishing. Bill
Catt reply :
One must keep in mind scents do not ATTRACT fish...one can not simply spray a scent on the water and have bass appear.
Scents will not override negative clues given of by lures or the anglers presents.
das028 reply :
I've never used megastrike, but I do keep a small bottle of berkley power scent.
gallowaypt reply :
I've used spike it garlic chartreuse with good results. However, I just ordered my first tube of megastrike, so hopefully I become a believer.
Team9nine reply :
QuoteScent - Yes Or No????
Well, since we're still discussing this... 'No'
-T9
Bobby Uhrig reply :
I will beg to differ-I have an ingredient in MegaStrike that is a fish feeding stimulant. When tested in tanks bass swim in an erratic manner with sharp turns. Also the bass are looking up and down which the fisheries biologist concluded that these are feeding mode characteristics. Being that this ingredient is water soluble and disperses quite quickly it encouraging/stimulates feeding. What it is actually doing is chumming the area. When I hear anglers being skeptical of weather "fish Attractants " work or not-there is no doubt in my mind or the biologists. There are other variables that hinder this positive reaction amongst fisherman. My expert opinion is that the anglers work the baits to fast and move location of the baits even faster. Of coarse the fish have to be there as well. Thats why rapid dispersion "attractants are necessary but also need a carrier for the attractant to bond or not exhaust itself to rapidly -thus leaving no "attractant" on the baits themselves.There has to be a happy median. Good dispersion rate and longevity. I try to have both.
I am very reluctant to give my sources and data for fear of theft of information. Its why I never patented "MegaStrike" Its called a "Trade Secret" Same reason Coke is not patented. For those who have seen my demonstrations at ICAST and other shows around the country-I leave you with no doubt of its effectiveness.
aquaholic reply :
On 9/20/2013 at 11:58 PM, Bobby Uhrig said:I will beg to differ-I have an ingredient in MegaStrike that is a fish feeding stimulant. When tested in tanks bass swim in an erratic manner with sharp turns. Also the bass are looking up and down which the fisheries biologist concluded that these are feeding mode characteristics. Being that this ingredient is water soluble and disperses quite quickly it encouraging/stimulates feeding. What it is actually doing is chumming the area. When I hear anglers being skeptical of weather "fish Attractants " work or not-there is no doubt in my mind or the biologists. There are other variables that hinder this positive reaction amongst fisherman. My expert opinion is that the anglers work the baits to fast and move location of the baits even faster. Of coarse the fish have to be there as well. Thats why rapid dispersion "attractants are necessary but also need a carrier for the attractant to bond or not exhaust itself to rapidly -thus leaving no "attractant" on the baits themselves.There has to be a happy median. Good dispersion rate and longevity. I try to have both.
I am very reluctant to give my sources and data for fear of theft of information. Its why I never patented "MegaStrike" Its called a "Trade Secret" Same reason Coke is not patented. For those who have seen my demonstrations at ICAST and other shows around the country-I leave you with no doubt of its effectiveness.
I bought some a couple days ago, i look forward to giving it a try here soon!
Hooligan reply :
The best part about MegaStrike is the formulation. Yes it's a paste, but the solubles and fats are those that fish can actually "taste" opposed to a lot of attractants that have near zero effect on the actual sense.
In tournaments, nothing leaves my boat without megagoop on it. Nothing.
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