There was a time when visiting the local tackle store meant picking the right hook size, sinker weight, and line strength. If needed, you could pick from a couple of different-sized bobbers and, of course, add a few favorite lures to your basket. Not today. Even the smallest tackle shop will offer dozens of choices in each category, and some products never thought important before — including scents. This last option, scents, is what we are going to explore today. More specifically, answering the questions “Do scents work?”

Like most wild animals, fish have senses far more sensitive than those of humans. When it comes to the sense of smell, biologists suggest that fish can smell 1,000 times better than we can. Of course, there are differences in what fish and humans can smell and even what a specific scent smells like to each. Based on this information, it can be assumed that adding the right scent to your lure can attract fish.

There are two reasons to use a scent. First, it can attract fish from greater distances, thus increasing the chances it will see your lure or bait. Second, once a fish does take your lure, the added scent will trick the fish, at least for a moment, into thinking it has grabbed actual food, giving you time to set the hook.

The best scents will accomplish both goals: attract fish and get them to hold onto your bait. For this reason, most popular baits smell and sometimes taste like a natural food source such as fish oil, garlic, or anise oil. Other scents, such as fish pheromones, are designed to attract fish and even cause a feeding frenzy, but will do little to increase bite time.

Most scents will be oil-based. Not only does this provide a medium that will stick to the lure, but the oil also increases the ability to disperse a small amount of scent over a wide area when placed into water. Remember, unless you are using fish oil such as cod, tuna, or mackerel, the oil itself is nothing more than a medium. While olive oil is a popular medium, it needs a scent such as garlic to be effective.

So what about scents that may be unattractive to fish? Obviously, with a sense of smell 1,000 times that of humans, there are going to be smells that not only do not attract fish but may even repel them. Petroleum products such as gasoline and oil are known to repel fish. This makes sense as these same items are often offensive to humans as well. Other scents, such as nicotine and sunscreen, have also been shown to repel fish, even though neither is particularly offensive to us.