What is the best Fish Attractant you have used?

[SPARKY101]

I have used WD40 in the past for trout and landlocked salmon when i use to fish them and that stuff worked great stays on forever guess thats why its WD40"Water Displacement 40th attempt":cheers:

[mappum]

Have any of you guys heard the rumor that WD40 is suppose to be a killer fish attractant?

Maybe killer (in a different sense of the word). I hadn't even heard of that before, doesn't sound good for the lakes.

[clam man]

Beerman,

WD40 does seem to work, for the fact that it very easily covers up people scent on lures. But it is AWFUL for the lake water quality, and inhibits growth in the forage of fish. I had a friend who used to use that, but we badgered him into natural attractant. So, while you might catch some fish with it, you are really doing some damage to the water, that you could easily avoid by using a biodegradable fish attractant.

In this state we really need to be careful with how we treat the water and land, or the moron liberals/greenies from Seattle and Olympia will be able to take it away from us. Look what they did in King county with the CAO land grab. The courts just overturned that after a year of huge fees and land limitations without taxation credit. Field and Stream has articles about diminishing fishing/hunting land every month due to lobby groups taking it away from sportsmen. Skip putting that oil in the water if you can.

[beerman1981]

Beerman,

WD40 does seem to work, for the fact that it very easily covers up people scent on lures. But it is AWFUL for the lake water quality, and inhibits growth in the forage of fish. I had a friend who used to use that, but we badgered him into natural attractant. So, while you might catch some fish with it, you are really doing some damage to the water, that you could easily avoid by using a biodegradable fish attractant.

In this state we really need to be careful with how we treat the water and land, or the moron liberals/greenies from Seattle and Olympia will be able to take it away from us. Look what they did in King county with the CAO land grab. The courts just overturned that after a year of huge fees and land limitations without taxation credit. Field and Stream has articles about diminishing fishing/hunting land every month due to lobby groups taking it away from sportsmen. Skip putting that oil in the water if you can.

No worries, I wasn't planning on trying it, I was just curious about whether this rumor was true or not. There's a reason my tag line says "love washington and leave only your footprints behind."

Beerman

[crappie007]

I dont use attractants very much, I once had a friend spit redman chewing tobacco
on my bait and caught a 5# stripper.

[TroutCowboy]

Have any of you guys heard the rumor that WD40 is suppose to be a killer fish attractant? Beerman

My grandfather used to swear by the stuff, said there was a fish oil in it as a lubricant. Maybe, but I would imagine there are all sorts of petroleum products and other cr@p in there as well. He was a smoker and I'm assuming he was just trying to mask that scent. That generation used to spray it on their joints and swore it helped with arthritis though, too.

I am glad the question was asked though, I've often thought of getting some Smelly Jelly (or similar) and didn't bother once I got blown away by the selection. Sounds like shrimp or crawfish cover a broad spectrum.

Just to back up the garlic conspiracy, I've used garlic marshmallows as long as I can remember. Honestly I can smell them right now just typing this, and recall lots of fond memories out on the lake in my grandfather's aluminum boat (which I now own). Stinky memories, but great ones. :thumright

[joshswrench]

Copehagen is a very good one I've found while fishing for cats. Spit it on your worm and watch it go! Had a buddy of mine back in high school that used to swear by cig butts as a bait. The people at the tobacco company must have fishermen in mind

[Bscman]

Anise scent seems to work best for me, for trout.
Regular ole chartruese powerbait nuggets with a dab of anise was knocking 'em dead...sometimes catching 2-3x what my fishing buddies were catching--when standing shoulder to shoulder, with the same exact setup.

I bought a jar of crawfish scented smelly jelly and only used it once...even just opening the jar for a whiff will leave the scent on your for days--strong stuff!

[ripper]

I like Dr. juice tournament walleye juice. I used it over at potholes while walleye fishing and caught a bunch of smallies. Now I use it on all my bass lures and it seems to work well. I've also caught pearch and crappie using it.

[fishaholictaz]

Anise scent seems to work best for me, for trout.
Regular ole chartruese powerbait nuggets with a dab of anise was knocking 'em dead...sometimes catching 2-3x what my fishing buddies were catching--when standing shoulder to shoulder, with the same exact setup.

I bought a jar of crawfish scented smelly jelly and only used it once...even just opening the jar for a whiff will leave the scent on your for days--strong stuff!

The crawdaddy by smelly jelly is a sweeter scent it has anise I would assume and works well for me!!!!

[AaronE]

I once had a friend spit redman chewing tobacco
on my bait and caught a 5# stripper.

Was she driving a Camaro?

[gian]

when I used to do a lot of saltwater fishing, it was not uncommon to find WD40 in half the tackle boxes on the boat. Not so much as a fish attractant, but more a protectant of your gear for the salt water, and a scent masker for your skin. We allways used live bait so the need of artificial scents was not needed.

That being said when I'm on fresh water scent helps a lot. Unless it's opening day, then you can troll a matchbox car tied to a shoelace and catch a fish

I use pro cure trout scents, "trophy trout or kokanee killer". I also use shrimp/ anise mix smelly jelly but the jury's still out on that scent. The most important scent I use is "dirt" by (insert lake here). I grab a few handfulls and grind my hands together until it looks like I've been making mud pies.

[AaronE]

I just picked up a jar of Mike's Crawdad jelly on my way home tonight. Well, I think it says Crawfish on the label but I'm not a Yankee so I don't know how to pronounce that word. I'll try it out tomorrow and see how it works.

[ruthven78]

I've tried the garlic scented bait dip berkeley put out...I dont think it did any good and is super messy, it drizzles everywhere, very runny/slimy. I've heard natural garlic works the best by putting it into a ziplock, crushing it, and then after you bait you hook, put it into the bag and smear the bait in the crushed garlic. My uncle swore by it, plus its all natural.

[ruthven78]

For bass dont forget Crawfish is a real popular scent

Yup!

Smelly Jelly - BassFeast

For trout and panfish I use Pro-Cure - Garlic or Anise

For catfish just use chicken liver or some stank bait made for catching catfish.




fishnislife

I've also heard chicken liver works good but I've heard people using chicken liver and Limburger cheese

[No_Bad_Skunks]

It's been my experience that attractants work best when the fishing is fair to mediocre. When it's either really hot or completely dead, you might as well be using Aquafina.

My personal favorite is Dr. Juice Super Juice.

[BassinBomber]

LOL @ Skunks,...!

[jbball50]

Have any of you guys heard the rumor that WD40 is suppose to be a killer fish attractant? My dad told me this rumor, and if you do a google search for "wd 40 fish attractant" you will pull up tons of discussions on the topic. Has anybody ever tried using WD40?

Beerman

I actually saw someone doing this at Island Lake in Kitsap County last year, they were outfishing us by far that day. They caught a few smaller trout and 2 other trout that went a few pounds.

[Anonymous]

I use wd40 on my spin n' glos when I plunk.It gives them a great spin even with debrison it.The best attractment I use is on the ocean ,me chumming over the side being seasick catching a 26 lb king.Everyone on our boat did well as I chummed it all day.
I've also used to spit Redman on my worms for catfish.I had an old timer fishing buddy who swore by it.

[ruthven78]

Just some interesting info on WD-40............


From wikipedia on WD-40

WD-40's main ingredients, according to U.S. Material Safety Data Sheet information, are:

50%: Stoddard solvent (i.e., mineral spirits -- somewhat similar to kerosene)
25%: Liquefied petroleum gas (presumably as a propellant; carbon dioxide is now used instead to reduce WD-40's considerable flammability)
15+%: Mineral oil (light lubricating oil)
10-%: Inert ingredients

...
It further lists flammability and effects to the human skin when repeatedly exposed to WD-40 as risks when using WD-40. Nitrile rubber gloves and safety glasses should be used. Water is unsuitable for extinguishing burning WD-40.

There is a popular urban legend that the main ingredient in WD-40 is fish oil.[2] Although it is unknown whether the formula contains fish oil, material safety data sheets for the product show that the main ingredient is Stoddard solvent, not fish oil.[3]


From wikipedia on Stoddard solvent

White spirit, also known as Stoddard solvent, is a paraffin-derived clear, transparent liquid which is a common organic solvent used in painting and decorating....

White spirit is used as an extraction solvent, as a cleaning solvent, as a degreasing solvent and as a solvent in aerosols, paints, wood preservatives, lacquers, varnishes, and asphalt products. In western Europe about 60% of the total white spirit consumption is used in paints, lacquers and varnishes. White spirit is the most widely used solvent in the paint industry. In households, white spirit is commonly used to clean paint brushes after decorating. Its paint thinning properties enable brushes to be properly cleaned (by preventing the paint from hardening and ruining the bristles) and therefore enabling them to be re-used.

...
White spirit is mainly classed as an Irritant.

White spirit has a fairly low acute toxicity by inhalation of the vapour, dermal (touching the skin) and oral routes (ingestion). However, acute exposure can lead to central nervous system depression resulting in lack of coordination and slowed reactions. Exposure to very high concentrations in enclosed spaces can lead to general narcotic effects (drowsiness, dizziness, nausea etc...) and can eventually lead to unconsciousness. Oral ingestion presents a high aspiration hazard. Prolonged or repeated skin exposure over a long period of time can result in severe irritant dermatitis, also called contact dermatitis. It is highly recommended that skin exposure is kept to a minimum by use of gloves and that hands are washed after coming into contact with it. Occasional exposure to skin is highly unlikely to cause any problems.

Exposure to an average white spirit concentration of 240 mg/m3(40 ppm) for more than 13 years could lead to chronic Central nervous system effects. White spirit is implicated in the development of "chronic toxic encephalopathy" among house painters.

Owing to the volatility and low bioavailability of its constituents, white spirit, although it is moderately toxic to aquatic organisms, is unlikely to present significant hazards to the environment. It should not however, be purposely poured down the sink or freshwater drain if avoidable. It should be disposed of correctly wherever possible.


WD-40 does not reccommend using it as an attractant