Deer Creek report. January 26

[doitall5000]

Here we go again.  The subject of using WD-40 as a fish attractant has been debated for decades.  On one side are those who have used it and caught fish with it.  On the other side are the "Chicken Little" environmentalists who shriek about it polluting the environment and being highly toxic.  The truth is somewhere in between.

I have fished with guys who used it on baits and lures and actually caught fish...but never more than I did using either actual fish attractants...or even nothing at all to scent my offerings.  But I have known anglers who swear by it and never leave home without it.  It can and does work at times...but probably more to disguise human scent, gasoline smells or the turnoffs of sunscreen or other stuff objectionable to fish.

You might wanna read this WEBSITE ON WD-4O .  It points out that real scientific studies do not show that WD-40 has any real fish attracting properties.  It also points out that the company that makes it discourages it's use for fishing...except to lube reels or other gear.  It further points out that WD-40 is made with "petroleum distillates" but in small quantities is not poisonous to either the fish or anglers who later consume the fish.  In short, it probably ain't good for the environment but poorly maintained gas motors and other sources of pollution are far worse.

WOW!  What helpful responses. Thanks everyone!  I think  I'll just stick to my smelly jelly fish attractants in the future.  I forgot them this last trip, so maybe that's why I didn't get any bites.

As previously mentioned, fish attractants can serve a dual purpose.  In addition to providing "come-hither" scents to the fish, they help mask objectionable odors like gasoline and sunscreen...along with the natural human scent "L-Serine" which is more pronounced in some anglers than others. 

I have conducted many of my own studies and analyses over the years and I am firmly convinced that the proper use of scents and attractants will put more fish on the end of your line.  Some fish are more scent-oriented than others.  But even the pugnacious perch sometimes gets persnickety and will respond better to something that smells better.  Most serious trout and koke chasers wouldn't ever go on the water without an array of smelly offerings.  In low light, poor visibility and extremely cold water conditions (like late season ice fishing) a little dab of something attractive to the nostrils will result in a few more fish "yawning" in front of your offerings. 

There are lots of scienterrifically formulated attractants on the market.  Most will work at least some of the time...for some fish.  Like many other things fishy related your choice of "never miss" attractants will become a personal thing...based on at least one successful trip where that stuff worked noticeably better than other scents...or no scent at all.  Make scents?

I carry two or three basics...crawdad oil, shad oil and Gulp Recharge Liquid...applying them according to where I am fishing and what the primary forage base might be.  I have definitely become a fan of the Gulp line of goodies...and have discovered that the recharge liquid sold separately also works well as a stand alone attractant.  Can't remember the number of times I have reeled in an unmolested bait...after a half hour of no love...and drizzled on a bit of Gulp juice and had a hard strike within seconds or minutes of pitching the doctored bait back out.  And just a drop or two on non-Gulp plastics once in a while usually gets more hits than plain unadulterated plastics of the same size and color.  Also, for me at least, it seems to be an across the board scent...appealing to almost all species on most waters.  Definitely better than WD-40.

Years ago we were using oil from a can of sardines.  Sure worked on the crappies at willard.  But it's a secret ...