Garlic and Anise Scent Attractant

[fadeaway263]

I have never used an attractant even in my days as a red neck spin fisher. I recently read an article by a guy who got a "cheap trick" from a Florida guide who makes a mixture of garlic and anise and puts it on his flies to cover up the smell of tying materials like glue and/or preservatives in some fly tying materials. "Flies are made with materials that have preservatives. Then you add paint and glue as part of building a fly and it ends up stinking." The article I read claims that the unusual scent of garlic and anise will cause a fish to hold on to the fly and give you a chance to set the hook. I have never used an attractant in my life as the only ones I know of are store bought. Do any of you think it would be a VIOLATION to mix up some 'homemade" garlic and anise scent as described in this post?

 

[TUNA]

If the fish are already taking the fly and all it does is make them hold on longer, I don't see the point. It takes .5 seconds to set the hook. If one is fishing properly it shouldn't be a problem. That said, I've never used scent attractors for Trout. I have used them for Bass fishing with Softt-Plastics, when I was younger. In some cases it made a difference, but most of the time it was probably not needed. I could see where the attractant may help with Salt flies, bit IMO it is overkill for Trout fiashing. Some flies I use are completely coated in epoxy, like the Buzzers the UK guys use for stillwater fly fishing, and I''ve never had trouble with getting Trout to take them.

 

[gulfgreyhound]

Might work in a pond or lake where the fish have a while to "smell".In a stream,probably not.Anise may work on dead bait,but the natural smell of a sardien should be enough,Ive used anise oil,but menhaden,works better for kings and mackrel.I know the salmon guides in alaska use scents on their egg clusters..Also many of them use rubber gloves to avoid human scent.

 

[pcray1231]

eh, for nymph fishing, a fish holding onto a fly could be advantageous. I know what TUNA is saying regarding you shouldn't be missing takes, but I think we all do miss some, or assume some are rocks, etc. Our skill level just determines what % are missed.

I've never used it but am interested. I wouldn't think it'd be legal in ALO situations, though, and I kind of got to like that I took everything illegal off of me so I don't have to sort through my stuff when I change locations.

 

[rrt]

Why not just fish bait and be done with it?

 

[gfen]

You'll find the traditional approach is to rub your subsurface flies in the muck at the stream's edge to filth 'em up a bit.

Scent won't catch on because the traditionalists are traditional, the competive wanna-be's can't borrow from the moulin mips set, and the bulk of people are too lazy to even think about it.

If you need an edge, it can't hurt. If you can't be bothered, just stick with streamside mud.

 

[JakesLeakyWaders]

The only attractant I have ever used is salt for bass. I stick my soft plastics in a sturdy ziploc, pour in a little salt and shake. Then I just roll them up, put an rubber band around them leave them in my tackle box. Not only is the salt an attractant but I found that after I started putting salt and plastic together in a baggie, they never dry up or melt in the heat I have some soft plastic baits in my box that are a decade old and look like new because of the salt.

Plus after sitting for a few years, the salt really gets impregnated, I could use the spray stuff but I don't.

As for fly fishing, I don't see the point of it. Kinda like turning fly fishing into stink-bait fishing.

I always considered fly fishing as an alternative more complicated and stealthy method of fishing, keying in on finesse and subtle presentations, and it just grew on me. Using scent, attractant or bait kind of defeats the reason one fly fishes.

 

[fadeaway263]

I probably should have posted this different and left off the word "attractant". I wasn't really looking at it as an attractant issue as much as hiding the inherent smells of glue and preservatives. Until I read that guys article I never even gave a thought to whether a tied fly has a scent different from the scent mother nature gives a bug. If it is true that a tied fly gives off a scent that is different from the natural scent of a bug then I would look at it more like evening up the playing surface. Gfen might have the best idea just rub the fly in some muck.

 

[Squaretail]

Gfen wrote:
"You'll find the traditional approach is to rub your subsurface flies in the muck at the stream's edge to filth 'em up a bit."

Does the trick for me.

 

[pcray1231]

Well, there are times for finesse, but there were in bait fishing too. I never saw it as more of a finesse game than bait.

In fact, the fly fishing moments I dream about most can be considered a sledgehammer approach. Pounding the banks of muddy waters with big honkin sculpins on short stout leaders and heavy weight, kasplash!!! And I fish for my little brookies with 5 weight rods and 6 wt lines, with size 10's and 12 flies, and quite literally push them through heavy rhododendron patches.

I've got nothing against finesse and tricos and midges and I do all that stuff from time to time as well, fairly successfully. But its out of necessity, given the choice I take the sledge approach.

 

[TUNA]

http://steelheadsalmontroutfishing.com/Fishing-Gear/Fusion-Scent/flypage.tpl.html

I've seen this stuff advertised in "KYPE" magazine, but I've never tried it. I don't know if I actually would use it, its very doubtful, but it may work. Anyone ever try it? I could see maybe using it on the Salmon River in NY, but that would be about it.

 

[MKern]

I heard catfish like tobacco.

 

[beadhead2]

When I was a kid we use to fish for carp with doughbait ,sometimes we would put anise or vanilla flavoring in the bait

 

[BPS]

Steelheads love them some licorice.

 

[fadeaway263]

Now should I use the dark or light Sambuca. Wow I think I'm about to Derail my own thread! :roll:

 

[Chaz]

Yeah you shouldn't be missing takes, but in the real world most anglers miss way more takes on nymphs than they know. I'd say between 50% and 90% of all takes on nymphs are missed.
I don't believe masking scent is illegal or unethical. But I've been know to be wrong.

 

[tomgamber]

Sometimes I'll hork a good loogie on a bugger to make it sink fast.

 

[gfen]

Chaz wrote:
I don't believe masking scent is illegal or unethical. But I've been know to be wrong.

Pretty sure adding scent is considered analogueous to bait fishing, so what is "masking scent" versus "adding scent."

Guess what, we're back to rubbing it in the much at the side of the stream, eh?

 

[RyanR]

Are you baiting fish or black bears? LOL. Anise is a common ingredient in black bear attractant scents.

 

[fadeaway263]

I've seen it all now. This guy says to mix velveeta cheese with anise and garlic etc for the sure way to catch fish.

http://www.ehow.com/how_4540136_make-homemade-trout-fishing-bait.html