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[lovethewater]

Do you guys think this plays a big role in catching / more specifically not catching fish?

Some guys will fish the exact same water with the same presentation and do not catch fish while others will.  i have read that fish can pick up scent in the parts per billion, so I am wondering if any of you wear gloves, wash your gear in soap and water or use anything on your hands when fishing to cover scent?

Tobacco, garlic, etc can be quite smelly and I wonder if it turns off the fish....Thoughts?

[CohoMan]

That is why when I go fish I never go to a gas station for gas first.

Not sure if this matter.

[Matt]

If anything, garlic masks or attracts, because its a reasonably popular scent added to baits and lures.  I have wondered the same, but I've hooked coho after re-tying after taking a leak and not washing my hands... so that tells you how discerning fish can be sometimes.

[bbronswyk2000]

I fill up my truck before fishing all the time, eat my lunch on shore and never worry about any scent. I have always been a lucky fisherman and none of it has stopped me from catching fish. I think most people over think fishing.

[rhino]

I fill up my truck before fishing all the time, eat my lunch on shore and never worry about any scent. I have always been a lucky fisherman and none of it has stopped me from catching fish. I think most people over think fishing.

I agree with this. Fish bite when you least expect it at times in some very unusual water. Throw you presentation everywhere. I find with Salmon especially that once you have the presentation down and its just a game of law of averages.

Good luck

[n8]

the only time i think this made a difference for me is when i used roe that smelled FOUL! i didn't have any roe left in the freezer so i had to use the only garbage roe i had left. my buddy had fresh roe.. the guys next to us had fresh roe. they all got fish. i did not. i'll blame it on the roe, not on human scent.

[BigFisher]

I dont believe you have anything to worry about. I slobber all over the line when Im tying up to avoid line frey, and It doesnt seem to have any effect on productivity. Iv cut open a few fish to find cigerette butts, so tobacco isnt likely a repellent.
What makes you think otherwise that human scent is could be a turn off for the fish? How do you know the latex gloves or soap would be a turn off to cover your human scent 

[one more cast]

I dont believe you have anything to worry about. I slobber all over the line when Im tying up to avoid line frey, and It doesnt seem to have any effect on productivity. Iv cut open a few fish to find cigerette butts, so tobacco isnt likely a repellent.
What makes you think otherwise that human scent is could be a turn off for the fish? How do you know the latex gloves or soap would be a turn off to cover your human scent 

The great innovator ( chironomid fishing ) and fisherman, Jack Shaw, once said that he would never eat an orange while fishing because of the scent.

Maybe rainbow trout are more sensitive with different scents.

[WildRod]

It sometimes depends on what kind of gear I'm chucking.  When tossing spoons, I'll occasionally use a fish scent to mask the human scent.  When using roe or wool, I'll rarely use a mask.

I've heard of some pretty interesting concauctions used to mask the human scent.  Do you guys have any favorites?

[Spiznack]

It really depends where you are fishing.  If you are fishing in rivers where your presentation is zipping by the fish then scent will not play a major role in your success as the fish has only a split second to decide whether or not it is going to take.  On the other hand if you are fishing in lakes and your presentation stays stagnant or is retrieved slowly I do find that some scents will turn fish off the bite.  For a couple bucks at a kitchen store or Canadian Tire you can buy what looks like a metal bar of soap.  This is used by chefs after handling garlic and onions and will remove any scents without the use of soaps or chemicals which have odors of there own.  I use this "bar of soap" when chronie fishing in Kamloops as I fish my chronimids with a fairly stagnant retrieve. 

[Spiznack]

...
What makes you think otherwise that human scent is could be a turn off for the fish? How do you know the latex gloves or soap would be a turn off to cover your human scent 

When fishing tournaments for Bass back in the states I found that most guys would avoid soap, cigarettes and most importantly bug spray due to the scent trails that would be left. 

From SportFishing BC: http://www.sportfishingbc.com/articles/tackle_techniques/oils.htm

"Many common chemicals that ride to the river with the fisherman have a negative effect to Mr. Steelhead. Like it or not humans are stuck with scent that contains the amino acid L-serine, which fish find pretty offensive. Some fisherman unfortunately have more L-serine than others, this is most likely the problem with your fishing buddy who is in the dry spell of his life. Or it could be he or she handles such items as tobacco products, sun screens, or insect repellents, which are all taboo to Mr. Steelhead"

I've seen it before in comps.  I was fishing with another guy on my boat.  We were casting to the same spots with the same Senkos and same retrieves but I was drastically out fishing him.  This I found a bit strange because the Senko is heavily impregnated with salt and has its own scent. 

[Fish Assassin]

Don't forget bananas. Some guides will not allow bananas on board their boats.

[lovethewater]

Here is some information I found on the web regarding this topic...

"The Scientific Angler" was written by Paul C. Johnson who worked as director and development for the Berkley Company Here's what he said concerning scents:.

"Fish biologists have long known that fish have olfactory (sense of smell) organs. What has not been recisely determined before is just how sensitive and diverse these smell detectors are in the average game fish. Within the past few years some innovative research has been done to help answer this intriguing question. Working with migrating salmon, a team of researchers ran a series of experiments using a Y-shaped salmon ladder. As the migrating fish approached the intersection of the Y they could proceed upstream either to the left or the right. The first studies showed that the fish really did not show a preference-apparently there are no right- or left-handed salmon. As expected, 50 percent of the fish turned left and 50 percent right.

Now the biologists began a fascinating series of tests. They introduced various chemical contaminants into one leg of the upstream. When they put a bear's paw into one channel all the salmon immediately ceased migrating into that side. When they put the bear's paw into the other channel they again reversed the migration. The fish were clearly detecting and reacting to trace parts per billion of a chemical coming off its paw.

If salmon had developed this ability to detect and react to the smell of a bear as a natural predator, what would they do with human smells? The researchers had human subjects experiment by placing their hands in one of the migration channels. Almost as if a railroad brakeman were throwing switches, the salmon detected the human smell, reacted and switched channels on cue. The odor coming off a human hand was clearly repulsive. In some instances, with some human test subjects, the researchers noticed that not only did the migration change, but with certain human subjects the migration stopped altogether.


Just a thought...if some people emit more scent than others this may be a reason for catching less fish...

[lapa]

the only time i think this made a difference for me is when i used roe that smelled FOUL! i didn't have any roe left in the freezer so i had to use the only garbage roe i had left. my buddy had fresh roe.. the guys next to us had fresh roe. they all got fish. i did not. i'll blame it on the roe, not on human scent.

I'll blame buddy 

[BladeKid]

Went fishing with my boss a couple months ago, I was literally almost thrown out of the car by him as I was about to peel my BANANA, he then made me throw it out the window, lol! And then made me keep a 5 foot radius around him and his flies..