Why Fish Bite

[cpierce]

I thought some of these articles were interesting. They are mostly about a fish's sense of smell.


Why Fish Bite
[url "http://www.sschapterpsa.com/ramblings/Why_fish_bite.htm"]http://www.sschapterpsa.com/...gs/Why_fish_bite.htm[/url]

Keep it Clean with Toothpaste
[url "http://www.sschapterpsa.com/ramblings/keep_it_clean_with_tooth_paste.htm"]http://www.sschapterpsa.com/...with_tooth_paste.htm[/url]

Do Fish Smell
[url "http://www.sschapterpsa.com/ramblings/Scent.htm"]http://www.sschapterpsa.com/ramblings/Scent.htm[/url]

This last one I saw on the Utah forum and got to poking around on the site.

I know that it is a bit bizarre, but I have started using a small dab of Crest Reg toothpaste to wash the fish slime off of my hands when I am on my float tube. The one guide in one of the articles used it to clean lures with so I though why not my hands. A little extra fluoride for the fishies' teeth! On the rivers I can use sand, but some lake fish are just extra slimy and I don't like to use soap in the water. Sometimes a rag just isn't enough. I don't know if the smell of Crest shuts down the fishing or not, but it makes lunch and snacks more pleasant!


The links have changed to:

http://www.leeroysramblings.com/Scent.htm

http://www.leeroysramblings.com/keep_it_..._paste.htm

http://www.leeroysramblings.com/Why_fish_bite.htm
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[windriver]

I mostely worry about sents that seem negative to me like sunscreen or bug spray. When I get this on my hands I spray my hands with crawfish oil or one of the other sents just to try and neutralize the odor I don't think fish like. I will have to try tooth paste. That would be much more pleasant on my lunch.

Windriver
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[eagleflyfshr]

I had a friend who used to swear by WD40. Would always spray a little on his wet flies. I never tried it, but he always caught fish. I presently use a waterless hand sanitizer to deal with the fish slime on my hands since it evaporates completely, but I never considered how the odors might affect my fishing.
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[Untangler]

That is a cool website. For all the effort we make to go fishing, it makes sense to take a little time to minimize odors. I put REGULAR Crest toothpaste and a small bottle of Lemon Joy on the shopping list and am going to give it a try.

As far as why fish bite - I always thought it was because they felt sorry for me.
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[iwantabuggy]

Did you know that WD40 is mostly fish oil? True.
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[CoyoteSpinner]

water displacement factor 40

Did you know? Never meant as a "lubricant" but one in a series of tests for a water displacement solution.

Don't know if it's good for the fish, but have heard of it's use. Best thing to do it catch a fish, and get covered by it, so you smell like fish. Washes off skunk right away. : )

[Leaky33]

As I understand it, may be mistaken, did you know that wd40 is illegal in some states? Be careful. []
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[TubeDude]

[quote iwantabuggy]Did you know that WD40 is mostly fish oil? True.[/quote]

[cool][#0000ff]That is NOT TRUE. It is mostly petroleum distillates...harmful to fish and humans.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]That is a common "old wives' tale" spread by guys who like to use it. It does seem to add appeal to lures and baits but if a fish eats it it will not do the fish any good. It is illegal in some states.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Check it out on [url "http://www.snopes.com/inboxer/household/wd-40.asp"]SNOPES[/url]...especially the last two or three paragraphs at the end of the page.[/#0000ff]
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[Leaky33]

Thanks for the support and clarification Dude. Thought as much, but didn't know the details to argue the point. []
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[drowning_flys]

always make a habbit of filling the truck a day before you fish. Im convinced the gas smell is so hard to remove it cuts down on your catch.
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[prvrt]

Strange thing about gas. I was fishing Mackay Res. years ago and caught one fish all day. The next day was not looking any better. Around noon I was low on fuel, so my friend with a party barge pulled up next to me and handed me a full tank of fuel. This tank was the portable kind made for outboards. My boat had an out board, but had a built in fuel tank. I had no funnel, so we used a paper plate and started to pour the fuel into my tank. We finally got the fuel in, but not with out spilling some and of course my worms were sitting right there. The worms were floating in the container. We headed off trolling again and nothing for about 15 mins. I reeled in the poles to check the bait and put on a fresh worm. I dropped them in and headed off towards the dam. I never got the line all the way out and bam, fish on. I look over and my buddy had one also. We boated 30+ fish that afternoon, mostly Kokes. I still believe it was the gas that did the trick that day. I have always wanted to try it again, but I never seem to have fuel on the boat that is not in the tank.

I have always fueled my boat on the way up fishing and my boat is very prone to blow back when fueling and I always seem to spill some down the side. Never had a problem catching fish. I really think the problem is the scent of different people or an electrical charge issue. My friend has a boat almost identical to mine and can fish right beside me with the exact same lure/bait/fly/speed/depth, and 99% of the time I will out fish him. It may be an electrical charge issue as I have had people catch nothing on his boat and hop onto mine and start catching fish right away. Off the boat the same thing happens tho. I can be catching fish and he will be catching nothing out of the same creek or hole. It may be one of those things we may never know, but I am pretty sure gas does not hurt the catch rate.
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[iwantabuggy]

I agree with you. I don't think gas is that big of a factor.

My theory is that its all in how you hold your mouth.[]
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[GP]

I use a weak solution of Anise in a small spray bottle. On hands and lures. (licorice smell). Seems to work on both.
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[Kent]

I have a plastic jar full of baking soda on my boat. It works great for cleaning my hands and removing odors.
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