Why do bass like garlic? What in the bass world taste or smells like garlic?
I have no idea, but I hardly throw a soft plastic that I don't make smell like garlic. For me its a confidence thing. There are other scents on the market for bass I am all in on stinky scent of garlic.
For me at least it makes a world of difference. I prefer the dyes with garlic, like a Spike It.
at worst it hides the human scent. I knew of a restaurant that threw coffee grounds out the back door and into the river. the fish went nuts and loved the stuff. Strike King makes coffee scented plastics. I am sure they like the garlic too and its not just about masking the human scent. Who knows?
Seems that you can experiment with all this stuff at home. Just soak some soft baits in a baggie of the flavor of the month: garlic, coffee grounds, cod liver oil or all three combined. But for goodness sake don't waste your money buying small jars of expensive concoctions. Most of us seem to be catching fish without such things.
One of the guys I fish with loves the coffee scent in a spray can. I can never pull the trigger on paying 7 bucks for a can of it. I recently told him I was gonna try the garlic scented Pam spray. I've read that some fisherman use that because it's so much cheaper. Maybe I'll pick up a can on the way to the pond today and do an experiment.
Scent definitly works. If you don't think so, next spring when all the fish are shallow take 2 rods with tubes out. Drop one tube without scent into an area witl a lof of gills. Just let it sit there. Note results. Now do the same but this time load that tube up with Bang or Smelly jelly and note the difference. A bluegill is a sunfish. This just in.... A bass is a sunfish too.
While scent is not the be all and and all to getting bit. It is just one more thing you can do to put better odds in your favor. There are going to be days when the fish are so active they would eat a used ciggarette butt on the end of your line. there are going to be other days when the bite is tough, some days extreamly tough. Scent can make the difference between a tough day and a decient day and between a great day and the best day eva!!! I think we all would be shocked at the amount of fish that actually see our baits as opposed to the number of hits we actually get. I use scents sporadically more because I am lazy now. When i was strong into the Tourney scene I had a bottle on deack every time.
While scent is not the be all and and all to getting bit. It is just one more thing you can do to put better odds in your favor. There are going to be days when the fish are so active they would eat a used ciggarette butt on the end of your line. there are going to be other days when the bite is tough, some days extreamly tough. Scent can make the difference between a tough day and a decient day and between a great day and the best day eva!!! I think we all would be shocked at the amount of fish that actually see our baits as opposed to the number of hits we actually get. I use scents sporadically more because I am lazy now. When i was strong into the Tourney scene I had a bottle on deack every time.
I am a fan of scents mostly to cover human scent. I honestly seem to catch more fish when using some sort of scent. Maybe just coincidence, maybe not. As far as certain scents like garlic and coffee, not quite sure, maybe they instintively like it for the same reasons as us. I was using garlic spray yesterday and caught a couple perch and a pickerel. I bet they were pissed when they didn't get any spaghetti and meatballs when I reeled them in 
This doesn't have anything to do with scent but makes a point that Stratos makes about how many fish see your bait. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lB9aVmdxyX8
I use mega strike scent, I don't feel the spray will stick to bait as well when it hits water.That's just a matter of preference.I use this because it is liker I believe if the fish decides to hit the bait originally the scent or salt makes them hang on longer to enable me to feel the bite that i might not have if they dropped it immediately.
I also use the remainder on my hands to mask the human scent.
Ever read how hunters never pump gas prior to a hunt? the smell travels immensely. I feel the same about handling my lures.
Like stratos said I'm not intense on putting scent on every single time but i try to apply more often than not.
Last edited by jwall046 on Tue Oct 16, 2012 8:00 am; edited 1 time in total
I also use the remainder on my hands to mask the human scent.
Ever read how hunters never pump gas prior to a hunt? the smell travels immensely. I feel the same about handling my lures.
Like stratos said I'm not intense on putting scent on every single time but i try to apply more often than not.
Last edited by jwall046 on Tue Oct 16, 2012 8:00 am; edited 1 time in total