Smell-good Pitchin'

Tom's exactly right-on about that. I have the excess L-serine problem and have to use scents. I've learned to try a little on the hands before buying because once on the water I've had some so slippery the rod spun in the hand while cranking and retrieving fish, requiring an extra heavy grip. Of course it would be possible to let a rod get away : It'll let a steering wheel get away too.

Ivory has no perfume, being a soap recommended for folks allergic to additives. It's used around here on catfish trot lines and jug lines. It doesn't hold up long enough on limb lines where waves constatnly come in.

It doesn't sound right, but a less slippery attractant is one I make. I barely melt lard not getting it too hot, then add some anise oil and crushed fresh garlic cloves, and pour it into a baby food jar. Once hardened again it makes a good attractant and hand scent masker. It wipes off the hands easily on pants leg, but doesn't help meet new ladies.

It can get a little expensive, so be conservative on the anise oil. Adding a little liquid Cod Liver oil can excite bass too. You mostly want lard, as that's the main old fashioned ingredient in soap, edible to fish, not too slippery. If you can't find lard or lamb suet at the grocery then Ivory will do as well. Any excess suet ought to be used to make up a fine pot of chili.

Jim

Not to change the topic, but home brewed scents make sense. Because most commercially available scent products for bass fishing are petroleum base gels or oil like Vaseline with fish oil, I have been making my own for a long timer. Robert Lincoln Page, the editor of Outdoor life back in the 50's ran an article about bass being attracted to anise oil and had a recipe for pork rind trailers; Add two drops of pure anise oil and glycerin to your bottles of pork rind. I tried that and have never stopped. When talking with Robin who makes Super Pork trailers, the best available pork trailers on the market in my opinion, he suggested adding fresh crushed garlic to the recipe. I tried that and that works even better. So now the recipe is 2 drops of anise and glycerin and 1 teaspoon garlic to each bottle 4 ounce bottle. The water in the bottle is a 50% boiled water and dissolved salt mixture, called heavy salt to make the pork trailer buoyant. This solution does not affect the hairs on hair jigs, stain clothing or ruin the gel coat on your boat and works on everything that I fish with.
Tom

Most of the store-bought attractants I have are not very slippery, and in fact some might even help the grip, making the cork tacky. Some are super slippery. My lard concoction is very slippery, but it's really effective. I've lost track of the "fishing" trips I've joined for the purpose of trying to fish out someone's prize combo. I'd guess most of that happens in summer, losing a grip due to sweat. Some of it is newcomers not expecting stripers. A trigger handle helps. One mindless moment is all it takes to toss a few hundred bucks out of the boat. I've come close on 100+ degree days, using both hands to keep my rod on the cast. I've only done it once in my life, air temp in the 20's, hands too cold to feel anything. I was lucky, hoisting it out of 15' or deeper water by the line with spool shut. I don't do stupid things like going bare-handed or wearing cotton jersey gloves in winter now. But back then I don't think we had access to thin insulated fishing gloves. The option was thick mittens. Couldn't hold a baseball with those.

Jim