Kokanee and scents

[Downrigger]

I've been reading on this forum and I'm curious about the scents people use to put on their lures. I'm wondering, especially from a biological perspective, why this would attract kokanee.

As far as I understand, kokanee are plankton feeders. Thus, I can't understand why a scent of shrimp, crawdad, garlic, whatever would appeal to a kokanee when that is not what they eat.

I have only been able to come up with 3 possible scenarios for why smells might attract kokanee.

1. Curiosity - The kokes smell the scent and become interested in what it might be and follow it to its source.

2. Scents are associated with the food they eat. For example, if crawdad (or whatever smell) attracts plankton or the fish knows that garlic smells are associated with large plankton schools, the fish might follow the smell to food.

3. Scents don't attract kokanee at all.

I've read about tipping hoochies with Gulp! Maggots. I can't see why that would entice a kokanee to bite. Kokanee don't eat maggots. Maybe it attracts them, maybe they are curious. I don't know.

Do any of you?

Disclaimer - I bought pink Gulp! Maggots today to try on my trip tomorrow.

 

[SuperD]

Apply scent to the gulp maggots. The maggot is just a piece of toast for the jam. I don't care for the gulp maggots as well as the power maggets. DO NOT allow a gulp maggot to dry on your hooks. You'll pay hell trying to get them off.

 

[mrmike]

Downrigger/Good Question Why? if you use the exact same set up with two different Poles the one with the scent will out fish the other. Personnel I feel its 75% of catching kokanee is the scent. The books say sight(colors) is what bring the fish to the hook. scent is the enhancer. That I'm a real believer in . There are alot of folks that disagree, but thats O.k. I'll say something else. I was lucky enough to put a Kokanee in my boat just under 6# at Walalla Lake on a K-11 quick fish (custom made)whats that tell you think out side the box. When they get that big they eat anything they want.

 

[SuperD]

I've rationalized that Kokes are agression strikers. Some scents just get them ticked off more than others. ;-)

 

[SilverBullets]

The purpose of useing the scent oils and gels is not only to attract fish but also to mask human scent.

http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/s...=-1&mode=article&objectID=29876&storeId=10151

 

[Jim F]

I messed with scents all this winter, cant say as it made any difference.
Keeping your hands clean is the major thing I think.
Plain old maggots and white corn seem to get -r- done for me

 

[Ryno]

I don't think anyone truly knows "why" kokanee do what they do. Scents are one thing, but why they hit a 2.5-inch hoochie trailing a 4-inch dodger is another. In the Gorge they can utilize a wide size range of plankton. Most of their diet is Daphnia, which average about 1.3 mm or less than a tenth-of-an-inch in size. Not a lot in common between the presentation and the actually forage, is there? I tend to agree with others, that they are so closely related to Sockeye, and they're desire to strike at large, flashy, moving targets is an obvious genetic relationship that's still consistent between the two. I'm just glad they do it!

 

[Downrigger]

I know there are probably lots of opinions about scents and if they are effective. I tried using them probably about 8 years ago, or so and I didn't notice any difference. But, there are still questions to be answered.

Mr. Mike - that's an interesting thought with respect to the flatfish - the big ones eat whatever they want. Unfortunately, we can't know whether the fish hit because of a hunger response or a territoriality response.

Silverbullets - also an interesting thought. The scents are to mask human scent. The link you posted was also interesting. But, then my question is why would human scent, gasoline, whatever else be more or less foreign to a kokanee than garlic? The article talked about a lot of different kinds of fish that eat other fish, crawdads, etc. It didn't really say anything about plankton eaters. Given that, I don't understand why garlic would be more enticing to a kokanee than human scent. Kokanee are unique in that regard because they don't eat what everything else eats. Thus, the question remains, why would they be enticed or repelled by any specific scent?

JimF - Maggots and corn (on your lures, I assume). But, kokanee don't eat those things in their natural environment. Why do you think putting foreign foods on your lures attracts them?

Ryno - a fountain of knowledge, as usual. I hope I can learn half of what you know about the Gorge someday, and I mean that sincerely. I could see why a kokanee would hit a hoochie if they have a strong territoriality response. I figured, until now, that since they weren't interested in eating the squids (since they aren't plankton), they were attacking the lures for being in their space. I figured the dodger was just a pre-cursor to get them in a fighting mood before something else came by that was more their size. I figured all koke strikes at the Gorge were specifically out of territoriality, not necessarily a desire to eat.

Might scents get them in a fighting mood? That's a possibility I hadn't considered.

 

[BonkinKokes]

Perhaps these scents that are used are imbedded in that tiny brain of theirs. So why can't we unlock that mystery with our big brain.

Wild garlic grows in some woodland habitats. Perhaps minute traces wash down into the watersheds. Crawfish live in a lot of the lakes we fish so they are accustomed to that smell. Worms fall in the water or are washed into the streams. Krill,shrimp,tuna live in the oceans where the sockeye mature. Perhaps these are familiar smells and they sense no danger and will continue to close in on what is on the end of our leader.

CORN! So what is it about corn? Does plankton smell like shoepeg corn?

This year I have been trying some combinations of scents. I can tell you I'm not even close to finding a winner for my home water. I think next time its going to be worm and corn with no added scents. 101chromefish101

 

[kelson]

I will begin with the comment that I am certainly no expert, but with that said I have read and heard the words of those who are. All the advice I have received is use scent and don't rely on one. I have always used scents on my corn, usually mixing it up in small containers the day before my outing. My experience has been that on some days it doesn't matter which scent is in use and on other one will dominate over others when used on the same presentations. Often I will find a preference for a particular scent will last an entire season.
I couldn't agree more with Bonkin's "CORN" comment.....that is what keeps me scratching my head. But so glad the the critters do like it so!

Good luck out there.
K

 

[Smalma]

Regarding the effectiveness of corn.

Between the sugar and salt used in the canning process and the natural straches/sugars in the corn itself by using corn (or other flavored baits) we are leaving a "natural" scent trail.

Even though what we normal use to try to catch kokanee looks nothing in the typical kokanee's diet they do strike our presentations. I think it is pretty obvious that there are a number of factors that trigger kokanee to take our presentations. Those factors include such things as speed, action, color, depth, size, profile, flash, etc. I'm sure that we have seen where some slight adjustment in any one of those factors can make a dramatic difference in our success. I include scent in that list of factors and after a fair amount of experimentation am convinced that on tough days adding scent can make a difference and yes there are days when one scent will out preform others. It appears to me that after those other factors attract a potential taker that an apprpriate scent can be that final trigger in the fish taking our presentation.

Tight lines
Curt

 

[SuperD]

I always mix up 2 or 3 scents, just in case, but garlic always seems to out perform. I end up wasting a lot of corn to the other "standing by" scents.

 

[Excaliber]

I always mix up 2 or 3 scents, just in case, but garlic always seems to out perform. I end up wasting a lot of corn to the other "standing by" scents.

That's exactly what we have come up with too. Now we just use white garlic and nothing else.

 

[jacksonlaker]

Sockeye salmon in salt water eat mainly copepods ( sea lice ) These are bigger than plankton and may explain why kokanee love hoochies. All salmon before they go into spawning mode stop eating. On the Great Lakes this was around early to mid August. You will never find food in the belly of these fish even when you catch them in the lake, but they will still hit lures resembling food. I think it's like men and sex, we cant help it. If it's there in front of you, no matter what your doing, you are going for it !!

 

[kokaguy1]

A couple years ago I fished in a boat where two of the guys were using white corn without scent I on the other hand was using white corn with tuna oil....it was no contest the tuna oil made a major difference in catch rate. That said, I'm sure there are other scents that do better than tuna oil in different bodies of water but man you have to put some stink on that bait I'm a true beliver in that!

 

[mrmike]

WELL I guess we figured it out. WHY 10%of the fisherman/woman catch 90% of the fish they use some type of scent. think about it sturgeon,catfish,walleye,salmon,trout,bass, bottomfish(saltwater) scent is a great inhancer. What scent is up to the fisherman.

 

[sisca]

With the scent of garlic will eliminate some of the smell that comes out.

 

[RalphL]

scent what about wd 40 as a scent??

anyone use it

 

[ctkid]

i use scents with yellow corn and i catch them with smelt scent and my buddy catches them with the krill scent on the same day.they hit corn with a meal worm too. i haven't figured any rhyme or reason. they say a bare hook works with beads, but i'd like to catch a trout too, so i put corn on. strange

 

[platypus]

anyone use it

--I'll say maybe... one person I know that consistently catches big fish sprays wd40 on his fluoro leader to ensure he gets a good solid knot... maybe its the wd40 scent rather than the careful knot that is giving him an advantage.

--human scent... my grandmother always caught more fish than the rest of us when in the same boat.

--I think there are many more instances one could think of that could be but not necessarily directly related to scent.

--maybe fish are more basic than we think they strike because it doesn't smell like a rock or a stick that is not food for them.