To coffee or not to coffee 2024
jbmaine reply :
Let me start out by saying I love to drink coffee, every day, all the time. My wife on the other hand can't stand it. So when Strike King came out with coffee tubes I bought a pack, mostly to bug her.
A few weeks later we were out on the lake going thru an area we called the " bowl", an area around 25 ft. deep, flat and smooth, no rises, humps, anything of note. The fish finder started picking up fish, just off the bottom. I have no idea why they were there, but they were. I dropped the anchor and as it was a really windy day we both cast off the stern using, I really don't remember. No joy after 20 minutes. For something to do I tried a coffee tube. Caught a fish, then another. told my wife to try a coffee tube. Said " it must be the coffee!, I got a dirty look, but she dug thru the tackle bag and found non coffee tubes, same size shape and color., and tried them. After I had caught 7 fish to her zip she finally broke down and tied on a coffee tube, and started catching fish.
I'm not saying coffee flavor works all the time, or for everyone, but that day we had the same line, hooks, technique ( letting the tube rest on the bottom slowing twitching it in) and were fishing within feet of each other, and the fish ignored the non coffee tube but devoured the coffee flavored one. We ended up with 18 fish from that one spot, LM, SM, and Pickerel.
From that day on I have used coffee, caffeine, flavored soft plastic with great successes. The latest being the swim'n caffeine shad. This is the only bait I keep tied on full time. I caught my first fish on it this spring, my last one on it this fall, and many in between.
As I said it might not work for everyone, or all the time, but for me at least 90% of the time coffee, caffeine , flavored baits are my go to, get er done, high confidence baits to use.
Note: in the interest of full discloser I have never caught a bass holding a cup of coffee in it's fin, but you never know.
Jim
IndianaFinesse reply :
Saying they like the smell of coffee is like saying they like the smell of roses IMO. At best it helps cover up "bad" scents, but how much that matters is highly questionable. Subtle differences in technique would more likely be the cause.
jbmaine reply :
On 11/28/2017 at 7:52 AM, IndianaFinesse said:Saying they like the smell of coffee is like saying they like the smell of roses IMO. At best it helps cover up "bad" scents, but how much that matters is highly questionable. Subtle differences in technique would more likely be the cause.
You could be right, but I know my wife's technique didn't change that day, only the bait she was using. All I know for sure is wasn't catching anything until she switched to a coffee tube then she was pulling them in every 5 minutes. Since then I've caught a stupid amount of fish on coffee scented baits. Would I have caught the same amount on non coffee scented baits ? I don't know but last year I fished nothing but swim'n caffeine shads ( that is all I used ). I kept waiting for it to stop producing but it never did. From April thru October I never got skunked.
WRB reply :
Back in the late 60's we feed coffee grounds to Canandian nightcrawlers thinking it helped scent the worms. The idea of laying soft plastic worms on wet coffee grounds to help strike ratios was tried and determined to be of no help. What worked to increase strike and hook up ratio's was pure anise oil mixed with glycerin.
We also soaked mono line in coffee to dye it light brown....
Today I just drink coffee made from fresh ground beans every morning.
I can't remember the number of times a specific bag of soft plastics and scent out fished everything else.
Tom
Catt reply :
In my tiny mind anise, garlic, coffee, & Gulp scents work!
Had to proven to me too many times & have proven to others too many times.
We can try to explain it away or accept it does at times work!
papajoe222 reply :
If it works, I don't ask why. Life's too complicated as it is. Why add more to it questioning whether the scent made a difference? FYI, I rarely throw a soft plastic without some kind of scent on it, but that's me.
scaleface reply :
It wouldnt surprise me if coffee helps . I think Berkely Power Bait and Real Craw both worked .
BassWhole! reply :
On 11/28/2017 at 11:13 AM, Catt said:In my tiny mind anise, garlic, coffee, & Gulp scents work!
Had to proven to me too many times & have proven to others too many times.
We can try to explain it away or accept it does at times work!
I don't know what is in Gulp® juice, but I'm pretty sure it's fish crack, no respecting fluke (flounder) tournament angler fishes without it. I rub some Smelly Jelly® on soft plastics when bass are spitting it out quickly, and that usually seals the deal. Bacon grease, garlic infused olive oil work well. Fish slime in a pinch...
NYWayfarer reply :
I love the strike king coffee scented baits. The thing I love is the smell, it covers up just about anything.
I don't notice any difference in the numbers I catch when using it.
Ratherbfishing reply :
Just like color, scent doesn't matter-UNTIL it does. Then it matters a lot. I can't say how often that is. Each situation is different. My experience with scent has been, I think, less about ATTRACTING the fish as it is about getting them to hang on long enough to sense the strike and get a good hook set. (Most of my experience has been with Berkley Gulp and powerbait).
Glad to hear you found a solution. Don't you love it when a plan comes together?!
J Francho reply :
I could care less about built in scent, unless it's Gulp!. Most baits get smeared up with Megastrike anyway.
fishwizzard reply :
I believe that the Gulp juice does attract fish and make them more likely to bite. I also believe that it might be the worst thing I have ever had in my mouth and no amount of increased catching will make it worth the risk of having that happen again.
If you want to live dangerously, stretch the salt out of some Z-man Zlinkers/TRDs, toss them in a plastic baggy full of Gulp juice mixed with Megastrike. Give them some gentle squeezes and let them sit overnight. They suck the stuff up and it really seems to turn the bite on. Just be careful and keep your mouth shut when affixing the plastic to the jighead.
Gundog reply :
I can't use any bait that has a garlic scent. It makes me too hungry. I forget about fishing and head straight to Olive Garden.
Catt reply :
On 11/28/2017 at 11:59 PM, Gundog said:I can't use any bait that has a garlic scent. It makes me too hungry. I forget about fishing and head straight to Olive Garden.
I'm the same way with anise oil!
Absolutely love the smell...hate licorice...love the smell
DINK WHISPERER reply :
On 11/28/2017 at 11:29 PM, J Francho said:I could care less about built in scent, unless it's Gulp!. Most baits get smeared up with Megastrike anyway.
This^^^
Sam reply :
JB, let me try to remember the story of how coffee became an attractant to bass. Guys, please forgive me if I am a little off but I believe this is what I was told a few yeas ago.
I believe it was Berkley that sent a research team out into the wild to do some research on their new products. During the trip, the guys brewed coffee and then threw the grounds overboard.
They noticed that minnows were attracted to the coffee grounds.
So being research people, they threw coffee grounds into the water a second time and guess what? It attracted the minnows.
With this knowledge, the guys went back to their lab and produced the first coffee smelling baits and had DVD hawk them when they were released into the marketplace.
Why coffee? No idea. But they do work. Not all the time, but they do produce strikes.
Maybe someone out there has more details about coffee scented plastics. If so, please correct my story. Thanks.
Toad Master reply :
I had the use or not use of scent explained to me this way may years ago. It's like throwing a slice of bread in front of a dog, he may or may not eat it. But put gravy on the same slice and watch how fast he eats it. So in my mind if the fish is hungry he will eat, if he is not and only looks at your bait or hits and spits it out, scent could close the deal. I have no evidence that using scents hurts. But being practical I am sure that in some cases it does. imo
Columbia Craw reply :
I put a tea spoon of crawfish Smelly Jelly on my oatmeal every morning, that way when I want to sent a lure I just spit on it. It also keeps me regular.
Team9nine reply :
...And to think, these poor bass have been living and evolving for hundreds of thousands of years, and only now, thanks to Strike King, do they realize they like coffee aroma, and what they've been missing all this time.
burrows reply :
They need it to get rid of head aches. Apparently bass get migraines.
Mr. Aquarium reply :
i love the strike king coffee baits! the coffee tube is deadly on smallies!
Steveo-1969 reply :
On 11/29/2017 at 2:08 AM, Columbia Craw said:I put a tea spoon of crawfish Smelly Jelly on my oatmeal every morning, that way when I want to sent a lure I just spit on it. It also keeps me regular.
I mix crawfish Smelly Jelly into my coffee every morning instead of creamer. Then when I want to scent a lure I just pee on it. I get coffee AND crawfish smell on it at the same time. I say GENIUS!!!!!
Columbia Craw reply :
On 11/30/2017 at 4:25 AM, Steveo-1969 said:I mix crawfish Smelly Jelly into my coffee every morning instead of creamer. Then when I want to scent a lure I just pee on it. I get coffee AND crawfish smell on it at the same time. I say GENIUS!!!!!
Great minds think alike. I would try that but I don't want to have a kidney stone with pincers.
A-Jay reply :
On 11/30/2017 at 4:25 AM, Steveo-1969 said:I mix crawfish Smelly Jelly into my coffee every morning instead of creamer. Then when I want to scent a lure I just pee on it. I get coffee AND crawfish smell on it at the same time. I say GENIUS!!!!!
Interesting concept Steve ~
Be interested to find out what any of your co-anglers might think about the sudden & most unexpected appearance of your 'applicator' . . .
A-Jay
Steveo-1969 reply :
On 11/30/2017 at 4:40 AM, A-Jay said:Interesting concept Steve ~
Be interested to find out what any of your co-anglers might think about the sudden & most unexpected appearance of your 'applicator' . . .
A-Jay
Co-anglers have found it to be no 'big' deal... 
Gundog reply :
On 11/30/2017 at 4:43 AM, Steveo-1969 said:Co-anglers have found it to be no 'big' deal...
Sorry to hear that.
cgolf reply :
Scent can be huge, especially with lethargic bass. Best example is this. First hour of vacation fishing I had landed 4 bass, using scent, to zero hits for my father in law, no scent. He kept the same bait the whole time. I finally convinced him to put the scent on the bait he had been using, he was not a believer yet, and within 3 casts had a hit and landed a fish within 5 minutes. He now carries his own tubes of scent.
I have also seen post frontal bites where they will not pick up a bait without the secret sauce, baits were allowed to sit on bottom and the fish were either there or you recast, so presentation was consistent.
The first time I fished the coffee tubes I had a bass hit it three times before finally hooking up. Some will never believe in adding scent to baits, but I have seen way too much proof in the field that it makes a difference.
jbmaine reply :
On 11/30/2017 at 1:52 PM, cgolf said:Scent can be huge, especially with lethargic bass. Best example is this. First hour of vacation fishing I had landed 4 bass, using scent, to zero hits for my father in law, no scent. He kept the same bait the whole time. I finally convinced him to put the scent on the bait he had been using, he was not a believer yet, and within 3 casts had a hit and landed a fish within 5 minutes. He now carries his own tubes of scent.
I have also seen post frontal bites where they will not pick up a bait without the secret sauce, baits were allowed to sit on bottom and the fish were either there or you recast, so presentation was consistent.
The first time I fished the coffee tubes I had a bass hit it three times before finally hooking up. Some will never believe in adding scent to baits, but I have seen way too much proof in the field that it makes a difference.
I've seen the same thing. Last year we went into a small cove. Another boat was already in there so we hung back until they fished it and came up with zip. As they moved out we moved in. Threw a swim'n caffeine shad right where they used to be. Big hit and miss. Tossed it right back and hooked a 4 lb LM. The look on their faces was something to see. I never hesitate to rethrow a coffee/ caffeine bait again and again until the hook sticks.
Jim
Mike L reply :
I'll tell ya I have never bought a a package of plastic just because it had scent.
I make my own anyway (anise and baby oil) and I'm convinced that does help.
Is it the only reason they bit it? Maybe, sometimes I not so sure.
Mike
cgolf reply :
On 11/30/2017 at 9:32 PM, Mike L said:I'll tell ya I have never bought a a package of plastic just because it had scent.
I make my own anyway (anise and baby oil) and I'm convinced that does help.
Is it the only reason they bit it? Maybe, sometimes I not so sure.
Mike
Try an experiment if you are ever floating over some gills. I dropped a crappie slider over the side with no scent and dead sticked it for a minute and some gills came up and inspected it, but did not try to eat it. I pulled the bait up and put some scent on it and dropped it back down dead sticking it again and that same pod of gills started attacking the bait and I even hooked one without trying lol. That can be an eye opener for those that doubt that scent makes a difference, now I wish I would have had a go pro at that time to get it on camera.
Mike L reply :
On 11/30/2017 at 10:42 PM, cgolf said:
Try an experiment if you are ever floating over some gills. I dropped a crappie slider over the side with no scent and dead sticked it for a minute and some gills came up and inspected it, but did not try to eat it. I pulled the bait up and put some scent on it and dropped it back down dead sticking it again and that same pod of gills started attacking the bait and I even hooked one without trying lol. That can be an eye opener for those that doubt that scent makes a difference, now I wish I would have had a go pro at that time to get it on camera.
I don't doubt it, if I did I and others wouldn't come up with our own recipes and have success with it.
It's the attraction of the smell that I doubt sometimes.
I'm convinced that once bit the taste makes them hold it just a little longer eliminating some short stikes, but it's the actual first hand evidence such as yours that sometimes proves me wrong.
Mike
thinkingredneck reply :
Let's think this through. Fish have lateral lines, so vibrations and sound affect them. They have eyes, so shapes and colors affect them. They have a sense of feel so texture affects them. They have a sense of smell, so smell and taste affects them. I think most people agree that for bass, the lateral line and vision are the primary trigger senses used, but the other senses have to affect them too. The right scent on the wrong bait is probably like putting perfume on a pig.
KP Duty reply :
I generally coffee...just make sure you have a roll of TP on the boat.
Bankbeater reply :
Well I can’t function without my coffee either.
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