No bite When the bite is ON

When I was a kid we would go out fishing all the time. I remember being up at this lake up in Oregon (East Lake) any way, where with all our friends about thirty of us and the bite was on every one is catching fish even some of the guys that would have a hard time of it were just bringing them in, everyone but us. We got right in the hot fishing spot, used the same bait, fishing the same time, nothing, not a bite. Not on my line, my Sister's my Mom's not even my Dad was getting a bite for six hours and not one bite. so back at camp that night after some serious ribbing the guy's put their heads together and start to think things over and they relized that the one comon factor besides all of us being in the same boat was Dad was baiting up everyone's hook. I was only six and there was no way my older sister was going to bait her hook. I'm not sure why my Mom was letting Dad do her's, in fact it might be after that trip that my Mom had start baiting her own line. Well as it  turns out that my Dad is one of those guy's back in his time that put that oily crap in his hair. Well there you go the next day  FISH ON !!! But the funny thing is he allways put that stuff in his hair, it just so happened that he put his hand back in his hair or something just before we started fishing.

So I'm guressing that none of you folks use this stuff in your hair, but how many of use put on deoderent in the morning? or sun screen  or fill up at the gas station or check the oil before you leave to go fishing.

It's not every thing you do right that helps you catch fish, sometimes it's finding out what you're doing wrong.

well thats my fishing tip for the month. 

Happy New Year and good luck fishing.             Gowen 

Following Gowen's lead does anyone have stories as to what makes the bite turn on?

I read somewhere that fishermen that smoke increase their chances of catching fish.  They figured that the nicotine rubs off of their hands when they're baiting up.  Apparently the fish can "smell" the nicotine and then follow it to the bait.

The other one I can't figure out is spraying your bait with WD-40???  Can anyone confirm that they've done this and it works?  You would think to a fish that it "smells" like gas or any other petroleum product. 

Along those lines does anyone use the bait sprays and can confirm that they work?

Any fishing mythbusters out there?

Gary

regarding the nicotine....when I used to trout fish Lake Merced in SF, the old timers used their cigarette butts for bait - some times combined with a little power bait. I didn't think anything of it until I caught a few fish that had cig butts inside their belly  I never used it but it could be a good back-up plan in a survival situation 

Now if you'er fishing with a friend and there's a bet involved for the catching the first fish.....rub some vicks vapor rub on his leader (when he's not looking) and he won't get a nibble all day 

Thats mean spirited Joel....

Saty away from my line!!!

The other one I can't figure out is spraying your bait with WD-40???  Can anyone confirm that they've done this and it works?  You would think to a fish that it "smells" like gas or any other petroleum product. 

I THINK there is cod oil mixed in WD-40......

I always heard that tobacco is bad.

I'm a big fan of the scents.  Smelly Jelly and I are best friends, and I'm not talking about Sean's kid.

-Allen

Good thread.

For certain species and in certain conditions fish can be picky.  I’ve seen this with trout.  Light line can make a difference at times.  Also heard that this is true for tuna too.  So to me, there are times when fish can be finicky.  So, I guess I do believe there are times when fish attracting scents can make a difference between catching and not catching.  But in general, I’m a bit wary because of companies wanting to take my $$$. 

I’ve also heard that sunscreen shuts off the bite too.  I’ll believe that one for now and perhaps hair products too.


Gowen,
I have a similar experience.  Here’s my story:
Many years ago, I went surf fishing with Fred and one of his dad’s buddies (We hit San Gregorio, as its less crowded than the Pacifica beaches).  We are all using the exact same rig, same leader length, etc. and the same bait.  Live grass shrimp, 2 on the hook.

We are fishing a small hole, just the 3 of us, with his dad’s buddy sandwiched TIGHT in the middle.  We are watching him cast and basically all tossing in the exact same spot within the hole. 

High tide comes and goes.  Finally tally, me zero, Fred zero and his dad’s buddy:  3 decent stripers and about 7 nice perch (the limit was 10 back then).  To this day, we can’t figure it out.  He’s a master at surfperch and stripers, so maybe it was skill?  Given his experience I know he can read the water better, but as he kept pulling fish, we were right on him.  All I know is that we felt pretty low that day.

Stuart

PS:  I've seen people using WD on bait for trout.  When I first heard of this, I thought it was rediculous, but it does catch fish.  Just not sure if its any better or worse than not using it.

Also, I'm not sure of the legality of using WD in some lakes.  Definitely not good for the environment. 

WD-40 was an old sturgeon trick.  A deckhand told me that one of the primary ingredients in WD was Anchovy oil but whatever misc baitfish like herring and sardine got mixed in was considered "Anchovy."  Its been a while since I checked the ingredients listing but when I checked it (years back) chovy oil was on the list, not sure if it is now. WD40 is now illegal to use as a scent, I'm not sure if its even allowed to be in sight while fishing. 

Black licorice smells exactly like fresh smashed up shad so we used to boil a few pieces and wash our hands in the mixture once it cooled for the midnight striper runs. Not sure how well it worked, we caught our fair share of fish but not many people to compare it with.

that's funny I've heard people using WD-40 but thought it was an old wise tail.

I've used that stuff for years and I'll tell you what, I never thought it smelled anything like anchovy oil or any other kind of fish.
as far as someone really using the stuff on bait & catching a fish, I think I would have to see it for myself before I believe it. but that's just me, very sceptically Could be some slight of hand thing.

I've heard the nicotine one as well.
Before you guy's start doing that one I want you to think about it, you could give some poor fish gill cancer.
Something to think about. 

Mooch just remember I've got my I on you buddy

I have a bottle of anchovy oil in my vest and rub it on my hands before I start fishing (usually on the water).  I figure it's funkier than any other smell that might be on my hands, then I don't worry about getting human-funk on my lures.