Fish Attractants-Do they work?

[Gville_tangler]

I was wondering if you guys or gals have had any luck using fish attractants. If you have had luck, what do you use and how do you use it.
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[streamfisherman]

Use the search feature to check for past articles. and yes they work great.
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[bassrods]

What you haven't seen how many are sold each year????
How or why would they stay on the market if they didn't work...
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]This topic comes up about twice a year on this board. The consensus of opinion is that they do generally help anglers catch more fish. Here are the reasons:[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]1. There are special scents and attractants in most of the formulas that stimulate a feeding response. Some include actual oils and scents from real bait. Others are chemical imitations that create a synthetic attractant.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]2. If nothing else, the scents help mask human odors...and the odors of gasoline or other materials that normally repel the fish.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]3. While the attractants help catch more fish, they do not enhance the taste of your sandwich. Wash your hands after using them.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Some anglers spray scent on lures. Others just add a drop or two. The gels and jellies may be squeezed up into a tube jig and will last for many casts...or for a long time when trolled.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]If you are using natural baits, like worms or minnows, you can add a couple of drops of scent to "refresh" them if you have had them in the water long enough to wash out the natural flavors. Adding crawdad scent is a good way to enhance the attraction of a piece of worm. Use shad or some other fishy scent to improve minnows or cut bait.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]If you like to fish for catfish, try soaking your minnows overnight in anchovy or sardine scent. You can also soak plastic baits in your choice of attractants. Just put a few of your favorite plastics in a sealed container...or baggie...along with a bit of the juice you prefer. Whenever you have to rerig, the plastic will be well anointed.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Tips: Be careful with that stuff. It usually stains clothes and boat surfaces. Best to apply over water or a rag. And, as mentioned, wipe or rinse your hands well after applying. It just ruins a cookie or sandwich.[/#0000ff]
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[Hooter_Patrol]

I agree with everything TD said
TD knows almost everything and what he doesn't know the rest of us do Ha,Ha [sly]

I personally swear buy them they do help.
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[2fishon]

They do work. Try Pro-Cure scents.
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[Coldfooter]

I have and do use it now and then. However I dont use it like most people do any more.
Being I make soft plastics I know that soft plastics absorb water when let soak and it might surprise you how fast soft plastics will absorb water.
I put 20-50 drops of my chosen scent into a container of water, say a quart sized container half full of water, and stir well. then I load the container with soft plastic lures and seal with a lid and then let the container stand for a day or two, or longer, (if I'm using actual minnows or fish meat and skin as the scent of chose I do refrigerate the container while the soak takes place). After the soak has reach the point I feel good about it I remove the lures and allow them to dry out completely (it usually takes a day or two).. At that point the sent that was absorbed into the lure while in the soak is locked in the lure.
By doing it in this manner the scent is released back into the water slowly as the lure begin to swell as it absorbs water again. I feel it smells far closer to the real deal compared to a blob of scent (chem or otherwise) smeared over a lure. JMHO
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