Do you think scented plastics like Berkley’s Power Grubs or those Storm scented grubs are any more or less effective for fall walleye or bass fishing on the river? I know a lot of people catch a lot of walleyes on the unscented B-Fish-N Tackle’s K-Grubs, Ringworms, and SuperDoos so obviously a scent is not needed but what’s your opinion on when a scented plastic is a benefit or hindrance.
Thanks,
Boone
Last fall there were alot of posts on this subject alot of guys were spraying there plastics with a garlic scent and the reports consistently were that they helped I hope to give it a try as soon as plastic season is here
Good question! I have messed around with scents on and off the last few years and can honestly say I have had only one day out of about 3 years where I honestly beleive they helped me catch fish. I am not against them what so ever since everything has a time and place.
In lakes I can see where they would be more effective. In rivers, walleye hold on current breaks an ambush their prey, most times with out a second thought when they are active and on the prowl for there next meal.
I can also see where scent would come in handy while probing the deeper depths on an off day while experiencing low flows in the dead of winter.
Until I have a few more instances that prove to me that the only reason I made that walleye bite is because of scent……..I will have more confidence with out um.
One of my thought on scents is that adding a scent to a un scented lure is about the same as changing to a new lure. My time with trying this has been pitching to the wingdams in the summer months and higher flows of water. These have been days when the eyes have taken many different baits. Every time you change a lure and pitch it back to the same spot you catch a new fish. Adding a scent to a plastic that the fish got used to would usually ad anouther bite or 2. It then wouldnt take long for them to start passing on the scented lure.
Thanks for the input. I’ve tried using some 5″ Berkley Power Grubs on a big jig during the past couple of summers and have had decent success with them. But I really can’t say the scent is what made the difference. I also caught fish on unscented plastic on those days. I often tip my jigs with bait (minnow, leech, half of a crawler) even when I also have a grub tail on the jig so perhaps I’m just comparing different scents.
It’s really hard to make any conclusions that can be determined to be mathematically statistically significant. It may seem weird but being an engineer, I’m ofen wonder about this statistically significant question as it relates to fishing. For example, say you and your buddy are fishing and your buddy is up 4 fish to zero on you. Is he really out-fishing you or is it just random probability? If you flip a coin four time, 6.25% of the time it will be four heads so maybe he’s just lucky.
Thanks Again,
Boone
Quote:
If you flip a coin four time, 6.25% of the time it will be four heads so maybe he’s just lucky.
I’d rather be lucky than good anyday 
Boone,
I appreciate you view of what actually affects (statistical difference) in fishing success. With all of the variable in fishing (line lures and presentations etc) it’s impossible to say with any certainty what actually made the difference. An example is my wife can not hold a spinning rod still while she reels. Both of her hands are moving and I suspect the lure is changing speed constantly. I hold the rod stationary and the lure is likely moving at a constant speed. Subtle differences like that can affect fishing success, but an observer might attribute the difference in results to something such as color.
I have only seen two example where I’m convinced that adding scent made a difference. Once with walleyes and once with smallmouth bass. In both cases the water had just muddied up and I suspect the fishes sense of smell helped them zero in on the lure till they could see it.
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