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josephcsylvia

Scenting flies???

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Ok guys, before you string me up and start pouring the gasoline just know that I dont do this lol.

I am however curious if anyone else has for whatever reason.

Here's one scenario I could see using it. Flounder a strong scent hunter. A drop of oil on the fly may help?

Shark?

Ect. Not directing this at trout but not excluding them either.

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Joe, this has been discussed here before. I've read that a "scent" needs to be soluble in water before fish can detect it, so "oil" scents may not really be of any use. I tried adding some for carp years ago, and such things as anise did seem to interest them, but on flies they're messy & made a mess of my fly boxes. I hooked more carp without any type of added scent by simply getting the fly in front of them, so stopped trying it.

 

I've also used some of the scents made for bass fishing on bass lures & really can't say they attract the fish. One I've used with some success is "Smelly Jelly" but I think it's something they just hold onto longer rather than actually attracting them, so that may be more about "feel" than taste or smell. Some folks say such scents cover up the human scent, but not sure how true that is. I used to do a lot of fur trapping, and read articles & books that said to not leave any human scent or the animals, especially those like foxes couldn't be caught. Well, It's impossible not to leave some human scent, and I still caught 100 or more foxes each season. I've read that fish can detect scents in the water even better than foxes can in the air, so again not too sure it's possible to cover up our scent.

 

IMO, if it's legal, there are some fish species it might help attract to a fly, like sharks, if some thing like fish juice is used. They tear up the flies anyway, so the "mess" is not an issue. The typical method is chum them close anyway, then cast the fly where they can see it. Otherwise, if you feel the need to use "bait" then why bother using flies?But, for trout, & others that often feed by sight, it may not be of much use. It's also possible by adding a scent to a fly it could be a deterrent rather than an attraction, so that's something to consider too. I know in MD it's illegal to use scents, or scented flies, which are considered by law as "bait" on fly only trout waters, and an angler can't even posses anything that may be considered a scent or "bait".

 

In my years of fly fishing, I've determined that I didn't need a scent or bait added to a fly in order to catch fish, so it's a non -issue for me.

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For some reason the last pikefly i tied smells like beer & chorizo! For shark? I'd have no problem dipping the fly in the 20 litres of blood that just went over the back of the boat! But normaly? No!

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What got me thinking about this is flounder. Id like to catch one on the fly. There almost impossible to sight fish unless their moving, so blind casting and slowly dragging a fly is the order of business. It made me think that a drop or two of shrimp scent would help them find the fly. But then theres the fact that their ambush eaters so im not sure it would make a difference.

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I've caught a lot of flounder with jigs and believe you just have to get over their face and they'll grab it if they are hungry.

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I've caught flounder in the past on flies. Found a hole they would sit in waiting for the tidal current to bring food, and by stripping the fly near the bottom had no problem catching them. But, if you have to search for them, that could be a lot of casting. In that case, I agree with Saltybum & would go with something like Clouser minnows & not worry about the scents. IMO, if you're going to add " scents or bait" you might as well use other tackle.

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I have wondered before about scents fisherman may involuntarily apply to the fly, like when I run my hand through my sweaty head and then retie a fly, or if I just washed my hands with somthing like GoJo.

Does anyone have any insight on this?

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I've been meaning to try it out on bass, the fish are really hesitant here lately and get up close and won't touch fly, think some scent might give them the push they need

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It's fishing ... even if you're using a fly rod, you're still fishing. This is one of those topics some "elitist" take great umbrage on. To them, it's a sin to use scent on a fly ... "Why, that'd be just like using live bait ... humph !!!"

 

If you think scent will help you hook the fish you're after, go for it. Flounder often bury themselves in sand ... I've never heard that they were scent hunters.

They have excellent eyesight. When I was salt water fishing, my favorite flounder lure was a chrome spoon with a 10 inch x 1/4 inch, white leather strip. That was all. The strip provided lots of movement with water flow, didn't even need to move it much. Pull it a few inches, let it sit, repeat. The Flounder would pounce on the pull.

 

I would imagine a white, or light colors Deep Clouser, with a long tail, would act similarly. Scent might get more attention from Pin Fish and Sail Fin Catfish, than from Flounder.

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Joseph,

I once had a conversation with a local guide on a river near here. I was fishing for steelhead with a spinning outfit and noticed that the fellows he was guiding were flyfishing. I asked how they were doing and he replied " A lot better since I soaked the yarn flies in spawn for a couple of hours." So I guess that scent might have helped.

Les

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simply reflecting on my fishing experiences I think scent is fishing hype in comparison to movement. Over the years I have fished with flys/lures inadvertently scented with gas and general car engine gunk, sweat, cigarettes, sharp provolone cheese, dirt, blood, and anything and everything that has ever found its way to my hand. While I have no way to quantify my personal experiences, if scent mattered then I should still be trying to catch my first fish.

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As far as scent goes my box of capes and hackles reeks as does my container of bucktails and other animal hides. So using scent might be ok to cover the smell of all them farm animals etc. I've also heard to that some clubs and tournaments forbid using WD-40 on lures etc. Why? It's made from fish oils.

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In British Columbia Canada scenting flies is considered bait fishing and on some rivers and streams its prohibited.

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The only fly I have ever fished with scent was one I had in a shopping bag with other flies and a bag of Gulp jigs. I accidentally left the gulp bag open a bit and it leaked over the one of the flies. I caught a few fish on it, but it didn't seem noticeably more effective than the other non-scented flies I used. Scents definitely work for some style of artificial but it seems to me it is for fishing them slow or drifting with the tide. I would think keeping them moving like I do with a lot of baitfish patterns would pretty much negate or at least limit the effectiveness of the scent. It may leave a scent trail but my flies, at least where I fish on the grass flats, catch fish my movement. They see it or sense it's movement overhead and hit it. Now I am sure that scented artificials can make a difference if you slow drift or sit them. I regularly fish Gulp shrimp jigs under a cork like a live shrimp. In fact, I often leave the rod in a holder to drag behind the boat as I drift and cast off the opposite end. I have caught fish doing this with other unscented jigs but not nearly as much.

 

I agree about not needing scents on flounder. Pretty much every flounder i have eve caught has come on an artificial. Most were on bucktail jigs bounced in the sand but have caught several on spoons fished over the grass. I have caught s couple on fly by stripping it slowly along the bottom. My biggest, not a doormat but a nice keeper, came when I tangled my line around my feel after a cast. The weighted fly sank to the bottom as I got the line loose and when I stripped tight he was on, so I must have hit him in the head.

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