Do Scented Lures Work?

Do Scented Lures Work?

September 30, 2021

Scented Lures & Baits

The objective of this article is to demonstrate the different uses for heavily-scented fishing lures and bait. For clarity, this article will only focus on the use of these kinds of products for saltwater fishing, as that’s where they prove to be most effective and applicable.

Bring Them to You

When fishing on wide open grass flats, long stretches beyond the surf, or trying to find the part of an estuary channel with some decent fish, scented lures can be a great way to ensure some action or to help a beginner catch a fish without needing to be an expert at lure retrievals. Many times, when I couldn’t catch any Reds or Seatrout in an estuary that feeds into the Gulf of Mexico, I would grab a 3-inch Gulp! Shrimp and put it on a 1/4oz jighead. After just a few cast I would almost always have bites, if not a few fish already landed.

Tip: if the Gulp! Shrimp are too big for the species you’re targeting, try cutting them in half vertically as well as horizontally to decrease the size and gain more lures.

Additional Versatility

Other scented bait products, like “Fishbites,” provide a great way to add the effectiveness of fish-attractant scents to the lure’s you’re most comfortable using. For example, I love in-line spinners and cast them pretty much everywhere. However, they don’t always produce nearly as well in large bodies of water like the ocean. By cutting a small strip of the scented “Fishbites” and placing it on the treble hooks of my spinner, I could stop the motion mid-retrieve to allow the lure to drop wait a moment until the scent catches the attention of some fish. This normally would be a horrible and ineffective way to use an in-line spinner, but the added scent creates more versatility for the lure.

Prolonged Lure Life

If you use soft plastic lures for saltwater fishing that aren’t scented, you’re probably familiar with the bittersweet feeling of catching a fish that managed to bite off a part of the lure that was crucial to its action in the water. With scented lure’s (at least “Gulp!’s” shrimp and mullet series) you can continue to catch fish after fish as long as the lure is still secured to the jighead/hook. This is because in most scenarios the scent is a more powerful attractant than the action of the lure.

Verdict

While I can’t speak for all the brands out there, as I’ve only tried a few, I can confidently say that the “Gulp!” And “Fishbites” lines of scented lures/baits are the ace in the hole most saltwater anglers should have on them at all times.