First off, I want to say I personally think using scents makes a difference in fishing. I have had great success on days when I used a certain sticky scent I have for trout and salmon, and then when I don;t use it, I have off days.

Anyway, I am going out to buy a couple containers of Smelly Jelly after reading reviews. I am going to get the original sticky bait that comes in the jar and not the bottle. I read it stays on for hours becuase it is made of a wax-like material. Anyway, for those who have any experience or knowledge about this scent; what is a good way to put it on your lures. Since it's not a gel or spray, I was kind of interested in how I was suppose to get this on my lures. Do I put a little on my finger then smear it on? But doesn;t this defeat the purpose of covering my human smell? I was thinking about just scooping alittle with a knife and working a generous amount on my lure.

Any thoughts or tips?

I've used Smelly Jelly for years and really like it.  When putting it on baits I either dip the front and back end of the bait into the jelly (dip the hooks also), or get a glob on your fingers and rub it on the bait.  The stuff is so smelly that I think unless you've got gasoline or something like that on your hands the jelly will mask any natural human odor.

Unlike alot of guys, I don't think adding scent makes any difference.

Most of today's plastics are infused with scent and flavorings.

but I too use smelly jelly, except I use it to lubricate plastic.  It keeps them soft and pliable and makes them more slippery.

this is especially useful for big swimbaits.  you want that bait a little slippery to aid in getting that big hook to slam home.

Slop it on your fingers and work it all over your bait (including hooks).  I've been using for 2-3 years now and I love this stuff.  The only problem you're going to have is getting it off of your fingers.

I believe smelly jelly works, you can get them at Cabelas.

I also Smelly Jelly and have been for about 5 years.

I'm not conviced that a scent will attract a fish to your bait. I am convinced that a scent will help a fish to hold onto a bait just a little longer helping in getting the fish hooked.

Want a better product - get MegaStrike.

Slop it on your fingers and work it all over your bait (including hooks). I've been using for 2-3 years now and I love this stuff. The only problem you're going to have is getting it off of your fingers.

I HAVE RUN INTO A SIMILAR PROBLEM ON SATURDAY MORNINGS

Ive tryed it and its pretty good but its a pain to get it off your fingers. Its also goes on pretty thick, and can be seen on the plastic bait, I personally dont like the stuff, to messy for me heh. I'll stick with my megastrike  .

i use bang i think its better

I don;t neccassarily think scent will attract fish to your lure in the sense that it will bring fish distances to your lure. However, I do think that fish within a small range of the lure will be able to smell the scent, making them more apt to believe that the lure is actually real prey. I look at it like cologne. If you wear a nice cologne to a bar on a Saturday night, your more apt to get the attention of a girl than without it. Is it neccessary, no. But, it will is a great aid. I have seen fish sprint right up to my lure, only to quickly stop in their tracks and take off. I sincerely believe this is because they sense that the lure is just plastic and metal. I read that a fish's sense of smell is about 100x stronger than a dogs.

You have to think about how much debris a fish comes across floating in the water. From 7 feet away a small piece of flaoting debris(stick, leaf, junk) could look like food to a fish, but after closer inspection, using its sight and smell, the fish realizes it isn;t food. Same thing with a lure, after swimming up to it, the fish realizes, although this thing appear to be the shape of prey, and moved liek prey, it can sense, possibly with its sense of smell, that it is indeed just plastic, or wood, or wire.

Scent is just another tool to fool those fish. I certainly don't think you need it to catch fish. But, I do think it will catch you more fish, and possibly turn a slow un productive day into a decent day.

I think scents are way down on the list of getting a fish to take your lure. The fishes first/main contact with your offering is sight, followed by motion, followed by color; then, when he/she is about to commit to taking your offering, the smell "may" seal the deal. Especially if you're using a hard, vs. soft, bait of some kind. You should be more concerned with speed and depth control, visual attraction and triggering stimuli of your offering. If you've met this criteria, you are 90% there. If you are still not catching, then by all means, I would add scent. Especially in the cold water periods when your visual and motion characteristics are - or should be - very subdued. Remember, the fish WANTS to eat what you are throwing; because everything in his world has the potential of being food. And if he sees something going by - slow or fast - he really NEEDS to take advantage of it - if he wants to survive. And actually it's not under his control to do otherwise. To think that a fish sees your offering and goes over to sniff it to see if it's real, before deciding to take it, is ludicrous. They would never survive with that kind of instinct. Just my opinion folks