Deep down I’ve always postulated the source of fly fishing’s elitism stems from the lack of goo on our fingers.
Professional Bass fishermen use artificials and barbless hooks just as we do, only they spatter and paint their offerings with everything from tobacco juice to the Scent of a Thousand Nightcrawlers.
Scent being the Unclean Thing, akin to Doe Urine, only more pungent.
Whatever superiority we feel has to have roots in hygiene. Fly fishing being the lack of anything you’d have to wipe on a pants leg, or lick off a finger, prior to eating lunch.
Unfortunately that’s all about to change.
The war on aquatic invasives has started to spawn all manner of technologies that will find a place in your vest. That goes double for anything as unobtrusive as a squeeze bottle that resembles fly floatant but is filled with fish pheromones.
“By putting female carp implanted with osmotic pumps inside traps, we predict that we will be able to attract and capture large numbers of the sexually mature male carp from reaches where the “pheromone traps” are set.”
… and because traps are inhumane, especially for large fish that love to eat flies and peel plenty of line, we’ll have to protest their deployment while applying a generous dollop of Lust in the Elodea to everything in our fly box.
It’s only a matter of time before the same process produces a raft of pheromone based ointments covering every gamefish from Jack Smelt to a Great White Shark. Fly tiers will be soaking it into the underbody, and guides will be ladling it into the boat’s wake, removing the inhibitions of most of the fish downstream, as well as any locals that depend on the creek for their drinking water.
There’ll be a great debate over whether it’s fly fishing or not, and a few whispered stories about some fellow spilling the bottle on his waders, but complete success always breeds a certain understanding among us gentlemen.
Dave Whitlock endorses rubbing your fly in mud, weeds, gravel, etc. to remove offensive odors and to make it smell/taste more natural. I don’t see how this is any different then adding Gulp or Fish Formula to your fly.
Scent is probably one of the least important factors in determining whether a fish bites your fly. A generous glob of scent isn’t going to make that size 10 Hare’s Ear tied to 14 lb gold Stren being stripped against the current more attractive to a trout.
I will continue to spritz a little Fish Formula on my Clouser Minnows when I’m out smallie fishing. May as well…I’ve already been told those Clouser are just jigs anyways.
That all being said, if a particular area bans the use of natural and artifical baits and scents (like the Smokies), I wouldn’t use scent.
Rex is correct. What does a Stimmy smell like? Or that Hare’s Ear dropper? I am just glad that mine don’t smell like a stogie!
I am tempted to throw my Eel flies in with my live eels when bottom fishing, cause once in a while I feel the need for an edge in salt water…
I would like to hear from Mr. B as to any known evidence as to the olfactory sensitivities of fish. I used to go trout fishing off a boat with this old guy who absolutely insisted I wash my hands before touching the hook or bait, as he claimed the superior sense of smell of the species. Yes, as a matter of fact, the old guy DID catch a lot of trout.
Mr. Singlebarbed – what say you?
There are some that say they only use W-D 40 on their hooks to keep them from rusting! They even spray it on their habds. Now thats careful.
Considering all the crap in the water, from baby diapers to everything Detroit ever made – and a couple squillion gallons of fuel oil, you really think they can smell anything?
Maybe something clean. Perhaps a little dab of Ivory or Irish Spring.
Professional bass anglers using barbless hooks? That’s a new one to me….