Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations Fool a Fish...what up wit dat?

I freely admit that the fishing end of it is not my strength...but man, am I learning. So, it was interesting to me when talk-radio out of Chicago focused on this stuff, and I thought it may be a good one to "throw out there"...
Fool a Fish

I've tried a lot of different spray on scents without noticing any difference really, mostly it was "fool a fisherman" out of his hard earned money

This stuff being a visual cue, I couldn't say. I'm sure some of the biologists on here will have an opinion. I just always have a negative initial reaction to the "magic fish slayer" things.

My first question would be - was "fool a fish" one of the shows sponsors?

Sticking with the visual manipulation products a new type of line that's supposed to be invisible to fish is out there called Cajun Red. I wonder if it's claims are true. http://www.cajunline.com/

I personally believe the secret to fishing is just like real estate; location, location, location, and having the proper tools, experience, and skills to present your bait naturally. If the fish aren't there you're wasting your time. However if you locate them it's just a matter of giving them what they want.

Sounds like another gimmick to me. Everbody wants the magic bait. It's the oldest scam in the book.

I believe that the "Crayfish" scented stuff does make a difference. Sometimes, it just helps fish come to the Location, Location, Location.

The scents are not magic and are in part salesmanship but there is a time and place for them IMO. Fish do have and use smell/taste in their search for food just as they use sight and sound. Different species use these senses in combination and to different degrees based on their method of feeding.

Maybe we should ask why live bait works so well. Many lures look and move just like the real thing but fish don't bite them any better. Why? Part of the reason might be they don't sound , smell or taste right. Many of the scents are made of fish oils or craw oils and as such may in the right circumstance make the fish more likely to bite and hold longer. If you have the chance to watch the tape "Big Mouth" you should. It is the result of thousands of hours of underwater filming with a lot being watching fish eat (lures included). You would be surprised how many times fish bite and are not detected and how fast they can bite and spit out a lure ,even a large crankbait with 2 large trebles. Most of the time the pro fisherman on the other end of the line never knew either.

IMO fish smell a lot more than most give them credit for. If you can get the scent right then you may get a few more bites at the margin in the right situation if you can detect them and react in time.

yeah, but....
this stuff works off UV rays and the light spectrum...?

LMB have a very strong bias towards chasing "odd" stimuli in the environment, it is much easier for them to chase an "oddity" than it is to single out an individual prey fish in a school that is larger than 8 individuals.

Source: Journal of Animal Behavior, "Oddity and Confusion effect in LMB", 1986

ewest, great points, I have always noticed that when casting for LMB that if I happen to hit a hot strike area and then touch the lure with my hands after using an insect repellant with deet that the area goes cold,Even if I would wash my hands in between. I now where a latex glove if I need to touch a lure after I have used an insect repellant, not sure if is the deet or not but seems most repellants have some % of deet in them, Took me awhile to figure out why the strikes would die and this was my conclusion.

Ted :

You are correct that deet is a big repellant to fish as are petroleum products and a number of related chemicals. Also as you know low O2 very high or low ph and many CU based chems. chase fish away. It is I think that stress factor you so well noted at the meeting. BTW great job ( along with Cary) on the aeration topic. There is some research that indicates that some fish species when stressed release a chemical response which is picked up by others in the area resulting in behavioral changes (eating stops , flight from the area, increased wariness etc.)

Brettski:

I did not look at your link before posting. That is a sight question not a scent one. There is info indicating that LMB may see in a different(additional) range of light from us . That is in addition to our spectrum -- including IR/UV. I am not saying the above product works or not.

ewest:

Where can I find a copy of the Big Mouth tape?

I saw on the Miss. fishing forum some discussion of this 'stink jelly' they called it. They were excited about the crawdad scent for crappie. Anyone heard of it? I will look at their sources and see what it says.

Smelly jelly http://www.reactionbaits.com/attractants.aspx

I read this same article and it raised many questions. I made some of my own stink bait once and it did not work so I quickly ditched it to eliminate the smell. It could work a little but I believe it will work sometimes because we want it to catch fish. Now I will be surprised if it is extremely good. The other stink baits I have used in the past were discarded. But this could be since I am not an accomplished fishing person? I do desire to give it a try, maybe it will improve my skill if that is possible.

Schroeder :

Here is a link to the tape/tapes.

http://www.questforadventure.com/bassvideocollection.htm

Here is a link to a clip of the tapes.

http://www.questforadventure.com/videosamples.htm

I gotta disagree with ewest that all petroleum products repel fish. I used to spend a week up on Lake of the Woods each year in the fall. Unlike most fisherman I was there to catch crappie. The first time I went there in the early 1990s I was surprised when the resort owner told us that each cabin came with a can of WD40. He said that was the hot scent being used to catch walleyes. So we tried it for crappie. Over the course of a half dozen trips we tried as scientifically as we would to test the claim. Each day out fishing we would take turns using the WD40. The four of us would alternate using the WD40 for 2 hour shifts. Two of us would use it while two did not. We all used the exact same maribou jig, only difference was the WD40. Without fail whoever was using the WD40 caught almost twice the nunber of fish despite the inevitable differences in presentation. I swear by it now. Seems to work wherever I go and has never seemed to hurt. I always get my share or more. How's that for odd?

bz, that is very interesting.

I wonder if the WD-40 triggers some type of instinct like a territorial thing, or a type of reaction to a threat.

I'm not sure I would want to be introducing WD-40 into my pond though.

That is odd, I'd have to see it with my own eyes. Not doubting you so much as I'd just need to see it

My experience with deet is that fish wont get anywhere near it! In fact, we probably shouldn't either... man that crap is scary! It melted one of my writwatches!

I have heard of the WD 40 thing, but never tried it.

One comment I can make about the WD-40 thing is that I wouldn't want to be smelling it on my hands all day while fishing.

The point may be mute though. When you use that crawdad stink, make sure that you consider the wind when you spray it on your bait. On a day with very sporadic gusty winds, you could be hating it.

Has anyone tried this, having a few bluegills or baitfish in their livewell, and then using a rubbermaid plastic sandwich container with small holes drilled in it to let water in. then throw some crankbait and spinnerbait in it and leave it in livewell while fishing to absorb the fishes scents.
PO

PO neat idea...never thought of that. I know when we go striper fishing and troll shiners, they give off a strong sent in the livewell. I might have to try that next time on some bucktails. Thanks.

Crawdad scents do work, sometimes on certain people too. Here is a true story, 6-7 years ago I stopped in and bought some "real craw" scent in bottle on my lunch break, needless to say I got a little bit on my hands while checking it out in the truck before I went back into work. I could still smell it even after washing up well. An hour later the gal in the cubicle in front of me stated, "I don't know what it is, but I have this real wierd craving for seafood, I just can't figure out why." Apparently some of that crawdad scent had been drifting her way.

Think I'll get some. That sounds easier than strutting around and ruffling my feathers.

Move over, Old Spice.

This is an extremely interesting conversation, seeing that there is one going on over at the Great Lakes Angler website, since last year. I am a big salmon fisherman, I try to get back to WI a few times a year every year for salmon fishing. The WD40 product and the fool-a-fish product have been verified by several of the fisherman there, that I know and trust. These are the comments/facts as I know and have used them.

WD40 - Is a proven tournament technique, it does not place a scent on the lure though, it removes YOUR scent. It does have to be reapplied everytime you bring the bait in and after you are done touching it. The downside is, its a chemical product and is bad for the environment.

Fool-A-Fish spray - Is not a fish scent spray, but a "visual" spray. The best way to use it, is to spray it on your lures the night before to dry and it will last several hours underwater. If you use it the day of, then it will wash off pretty rapidly in the water. Fish see in 4 levels of the light spectrum, we see 3 (Red, green, blue). The fourth is the UV/A light spectrum. The spray is used to coat the lure and reflect this spectrum underwater. The thinking goes that UV penetrates the water deeper/farther than the visual spectrum range does. This product has been proven in fishing tournaments and on days when the fish just aren't biting. It is not that more significant but when you are catching an average of 1 more fish out of every 3, it makes it worth it IMHO.

Take this for what its worth, but salmon and walleye fisherman are finding these two products an integral part of the tackle box, one more weapon to use.

Kinda funny we need such ingenius methods to fake an "animal" with a brain the size of a chickpea.

Forgot one thing: To see the Fool-a-Fish spray, take a blacklight and illimunate the lure w/the spray on to see the effects of it.