Attractants: Any Thoughts?

[cchobot]

What's your opinion on using attractants like the ones found here?

What brands / scents have you found to be most useful?

[Rob]

I think that when the water is warm and the hits a subtle a little bit of smelly jelly will make a difference between a bump and a hook up.

[Dave]

I agree with Rob and I'll expand on this a little more. We all rely on our senses and bass are no different. You will increase your chances and put the odds of success more in your favor by using attractants. The sight of your offering will attract a bass, the taste/smell sense is their next sense that comes into play. I read recently about a study on striped bass that concluded they have taste sensery glands outside their mouths (the small holes around the outside of the mouth). So they are basically tasteing/smelling it before they actually have your offering in their mouth for feel, which is the last sense to come into play. Now if that offering is a soft plastic (surf hog, real eel, slug-go) you can understand how the smell/taste of an attractant on a soft rubber bait can increase your chances of success.

[NoChunkin]

i agree with both Rob and Dave. An attractant makes the decision to hit a lure/bait a little easier for the fish. Granted, the mood if you will, of the fish is an ever changing variable that is dependent on many factors. But i really think that a fish that is undecisive can be swayed to strike by adding the attractant factor.
On another level is the Zen factor, Having confidence in something makes you perform at a higher level in just about everything we do. Same with fishing. Confidence in tackle, technique, lure, and even using a atractant.... will make and angler perform better, fish smarter, and get into our zone easier. Simply put...if an angler BELIEVES that his attractant works and makes a difference....it does. The same thing happens with colors of lures. we do good on a blurple darter a couple of times and now that color is the $hit. What we didn't know was that the dude a mile down the sand killed them just as good on a white one. Now both anglers have confidence in their colors.
Damn I'm rambling on here sorry...but I'm into other levels of consiousness and how they relate to fishing.

I'm a nutshell.....I think atrractants work

[Kevin J]

I'm on the attractant band wagon. I won't start with it but if the night is slow or the water is dirty, I'll throw it on an get hits. Coincidence? Could be, but I doubt it.

[nofish]

Unless your hands smell like fish or something worse you might not notice but for guys who might have gasoline, tobacco or sunscreen or deet on their hands I'd suggest using some. The fish smell better than people are aware. And hey it's another edge isn't it!