How often do you lube

I am one that likes to use scents to help with my day on the water. Some swear by adding scent and others feel it is not necessary. My question is not weather or not to lube but how often to lube. What is your rule of thumb after every 5th cast after every 10th cast. Maybe only when you touch the bait with your hands or after you land a fish. I tend ti wait for a hook up the I re-lube. Hiw often do you lube?

So many controversial stories about fish attractants. I like the theory that fish scents hide your odors so that you won't scare fish away. Pretty good theory to me and successfully tested it over time. I couldn't catch a trout this past winter until I figured me taking a shower and spraying cologne before leaving home was the possible cause of getting skunked. I started washing my hands with lemon-based dish soap to remove the cologne smell out of my fingers, and then touched some garlic scents to make sure I had no residue left. It worked. I caught so many trout after that.

To your question: I first start fishing without scents and see how it goes. Then I move to one if it's slow. I start with Hot Sauce (my favorite), then Uni Butter, and finally Pro-Cure Anchovies, Sardine, or Anice. It's funny how they might hit Sardine one day, literally hammering them, and the next they won't even touch it and go for Hot Sauce instead. I usually reload after I notice it's taking longer to hook a fish. Don't have a real count, don't really reload after a bite. If my bait is working, good. When the bite slows down, it's time to reload my bait.

PRO CURE! i douse those plastics in it ...but yeah sometimes they dont want to play!

hook ratio for me got alot better once i started using it....hot sauce was my go to until i found PRO cure....its money!!!

Tony G

filippodg wrote:So many controversial stories about fish attractants. I like the theory that fish scents hide your odors so that you won't scare fish away. Pretty good theory to me and successfully tested it over time. I couldn't catch a trout this past winter until I figured me taking a shower and spraying cologne before leaving home was the possible cause of getting skunked. I started washing my hands with lemon-based dish soap to remove the cologne smell out of my fingers, and then touched some garlic scents to make sure I had no residue left. It worked. I caught so many trout after that.

To your question: I first start fishing without scents and see how it goes. Then I move to one if it's slow. I start with Hot Sauce (my favorite), then Uni Butter, and finally Pro-Cure Anchovies, Sardine, or Anice. It's funny how they might hit Sardine one day, literally hammering them, and the next they won't even touch it and go for Hot Sauce instead. I usually reload after I notice it's taking longer to hook a fish. Don't have a real count, don't really reload after a bite. If my bait is working, good. When the bite slows down, it's time to reload my bait.

Great info thanks

Fishingdachronarch201E7 wrote:PRO CURE! i douse those plastics in it   ...but yeah sometimes they dont want to play!

hook ratio for me got alot better once i started using it....hot sauce was my go to until i found PRO cure....its money!!!

Tony G

So do you seriously soak your baits. Maybe I should be start soaking the day before an outing.


Thanks guys for your info and replys.

X2 on the pro cure. probably have 10-12 bottles of different scents. also to do away with any bad odors/tastes, etc. on my hands I found a stainless steel "soap" bar. Amazon and other places have them cheap. considered a kitchen item if that helps in your search. originally to get the fish smell (advertised along with jalepenos oils and other baddies.) off of your hands. just "wash" hands under cold water.

I don't use any special soaps but I do "wash/rub my hands with mud" when I launch. I usually grab a handful of mud when I putting on my fins and rinse with the lake water. I figure what could smell more like the lake. I do use scents on occasion, but have no real data or recollection of it making things worse.
Does anybody remember "Sparkle Scales?"

That's a great tip, Jerdon! Will do the same going forward. Thanks.

I don't let my lures soak overnight. Just a bottle squeeze on the body and spread it all over with my finger. If it's a big hammer swimbait, I use the tail to spread it so I don't get "dirty".

The only bait I keep soaked are the Berkely ones. I have a watertight box filled with Berkley Gulp Alive Recharge Liquid and trolling baits only. They work like a dream. See the white squid on top? That's a killer at Tidelands, Coronado.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

Big Jeff I meant like put a lot on...but that's a good idea lol....

Flip....yeah gulp is the S**t lol

I have a few books on the subject. In it they describe a series of test to determine if scent oil actually works. According to the studies the fish do 'taste' the bait at the moment of the strike. If the bait doesn't taste like food they spit it out. This taste moment happens very quickly however.

I use a variety of scent oils as I believe they work quite well. Last year I decided to conduct my own test. In my test I kept track of missed strikes, i.e., not setting the hook. Sure enough I found a 25-30% reduction in setting the hook on strikes!

I apply the scent every third cast. Or if trolling I apply each time I run it out.

bigfish wrote:I have a few books on the subject. In it they describe a series of test to determine if scent oil actually works. According to the studies the fish do 'taste' the bait at the moment of the strike. If the bait doesn't taste like food they spit it out. This taste moment happens very quickly however.

I use a variety of scent oils as I believe they work quite well. Last year I decided to conduct my own test. In my test I kept track of missed strikes, i.e., not setting the hook. Sure enough I found a 25-30% reduction in setting the hook on strikes!

I apply the scent every third cast. Or if trolling I apply each time I run it out.

I love the way you do your own field testing so every third cast got it thanks.

I use uni butter on big hammers and apply every 6 to 8 cast. Before I was using no scent I was getting short bits to none . So I agree with bigfish and flip . When trout season comes .I only take a hot shower before I go and stay clear of human scents. But that's just my superstition