Would scenting your flies before use with a fish attractant improve your catch rate. Interested to know if anyone has tried it and how they got on.

Trout have an extremely acute sense of smell but it is probably more important to get the pattern and size of hook right before anything else. I am a believer that scent does make a difference. When a fly or lure has caught a trout or two it is often impregnated with some of the fish smell from their slime. I have found that this does enhance its catching properties. I have never tried manufactured scents and reports on the ones from America are not conclusive.

Carp fishermen use baits that are soaked in smelly substances and this seems to enhance the catching properties of the bait.

I know this isn't conclusive on man made scents but trout scent definately works.

BK

Nothing but cheating,as fly fishermen/women we are trying to fool the fish into taking a creation of fur and feather.You would be better of bait fishing.

__________________
Silversedge
LETS TACKLE CANCER SUPPORTER
"MON THE HILL CLIMBERS!!"

Wow! That's a bit harsh! Are we heading back down that route again? Maybe the lad just wants to explore ways to catch fish? He's angling isn't he, part of the brotherhood.

Next step will be making booby eyes from powerbait!

__________________
Silversedge
LETS TACKLE CANCER SUPPORTER
"MON THE HILL CLIMBERS!!"

I've tried that they go all soggy and fall off.

BK

Boilies work soooooo much better

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Those who forget history are condemned to repeat it

The last person to ask about this on here was well and truly slated and hasn't been back since. I think that this thread was totally innocent in the way it was written.
Personally I think trout use their eyes primarily to find food, not their sense of smell.

Some years ago there were reports in the Angling press that claimed spraying baits with WD40 enhanced the bait's fish catching potential. I tried it on sea baits but found there was no noticeable improvement in my catch rate.

Perhaps you could try spraying flies with WD 40 maybe it would help them float as it does displace water. Wether its "scent" would attract trout I wouldn't know.

Personally I wouldn't bother, to me fly fishing is a sight fishing method and that's the way I like it but if you wish to experiment and its not against the rules go for it and see what happens.

An old pair of tights is the answerthough the smell from the tights might be enough

__________________
Silversedge
LETS TACKLE CANCER SUPPORTER
"MON THE HILL CLIMBERS!!"