[Paul Green]

Just wondering if anyone knew why xlayers have an aniseed scent. Has there been research carried out that shows bass are attracted to this smell. Has any one had any good results adding scents to their lures adding another dimension . I have been looking at the bottled oils that you can buy, you can get sardine and mackerel. I read in one of keith whites articals that he likes to cover his hands in a smelly jelly to get rid of his scent so it isn't passed onto the lure.

 

[Pedro B]

I think that the theory is that when a bass (a freshwater black bass) get a SP that as "taste" and smell in it's mouth it will hold on to the lure a few seconds more, allowing more time for a better hook up.

I guess the smell in the X-Layer is originally tought for freshwater bass, but I guess it also works with seabass, still I think that what really does make this lure so effective it's the way it looks, moves and the vibrations it gives (thanks to the rattle and the lure shape).

 

[Peter Smith]

I wonder how long it will be before we get plugs/lures that can be filled with various scents.
Just another *New Improved* plug that every fisherman should own.

Well they wont make a sucker out of me ... I will only order 5 ;-)
guess i should stop typing and start making room for a Patchinko III ,Y-Claw, XYlayers etc ...

 

[Mick Ward]

Years ago I was chatting to this old boy who was telling me how his best tide (3days) of surf fishing for bass was at St Ouens Bay over here. He said he had about 50 bass in three evenings and they fell to bunches of lugworm, but he put the extra big haul down to the fact a bottle of Pernod had spilt on the towel he had them in. He said for me to pour Pernod on my worms and see if it makes a difference, so I bought a bottle of anniseed food flavouring and tbh it didnt make any huge improvement. Interesting though that since that conversation (about 15 years ago) I have seen loads of bass lures with an aniseed flavour, so maybe the old boy was onto something.

 

[Carl B]

its well written that fish can sense unnatural scents i.e tobbaco, but never smelt a fish like anaseed until its cooked with fennell, but then again caught plenty of carp on spam rolled in curry powder, you got me thinkin now

 

[Ben Field]

When I coarse fished, rather than looking for the best way of doing something like my friends, I very often would do the opposite and started at the bottom trying to figure out what they DIDN'T like. I'd be very tempted to do that with this as well! Whacking tobacco all over my lures will be the only way to get an answer as to whether they really don't like it, or whether they don't actually care. One of those things that nobody truly knows the answer to isn't it.

 

[Mike Hayes]

Freakly, had a conversation with a chap this week regarding a session producing 8 bass to 6lb in a couple of hours session on lug soaked in oils. Surely the right flavour combination can only add to the overall attractiveness? In relation to the Xlayer, who doesnt like aniseed..yum. Def food for thought though paul. I do know that they hold that scent for a considerable time.

 

[Keith White]

I do know that they hold that scent for a considerable time.

yes but, probably not for that long after its been fished, left in an open bag etc.
I've seen guys using xlayers over clean ground for hours, no bites, lure goes back in the bag.
I've done it.

But, get on a HRF session where life expectancy is far less and fresh lures are going on all the time.
Bites can come fast and furious.

Is this because the lure is fresher ? I think so.
Do old xlayers take on new scent ? I don't know that because I discard older ones now.
I've had far more bites on fresh ones to ignore the fact that something is going on.

 

[kev southey]

talking all things fishing in the freash water match scene they say roach seem to get some kind of high and become greedy for hemp and aniseed so maybe its the same for most fish ????

 

[Nick Aldridge]

I now believe as Keith says that X Layers lose their effectiveness when the aniseed scent dissapates. Once I have rigged them up with jig heads I place them back in the original bag and take them out just before fishing. The scent/flavour seems more likely to remain. If they have not been chewed by the end of the session I put them back in the bag again. Maybe it would be worthwhile having another bag with some Pernod for the seconds that you don't want to throw away?

There is a great thread on making your own sp's. Well worth a read for anyone interested in home made sp's. It's not something I have done yet.
I would never be allowed to go fishing again if I used the kitchen for this.
Nick

 

[anselmo]

you can make your own aniseed scent and smear this on your "old" x-layers
I started a thread on how to make them - very easy

nick - read that because theres a link on keeping your wife happy too (that sounds dodgy - but its not :lol

something else to consider with x-layers and their "taste" to the fish is the salt layer
unlike most salted SPs the x-layer has a band across the back which once used is gone
experiment - stick a fresh and then a used x-layer in your own mouth (as long as you don't swallow its safe) and taste the difference
(again that sounds dodgy - but its not :lol
the salt layer dissolves pretty quick and "new" salt is only accessed by "breaking" the layer of plastic around the salt crystals (fish bite or a manual manipulation by the user

Nick (the other Nick)

 

[Andy K]

Years ago I was chatting to this old boy who was telling me how his best tide (3days) of surf fishing for bass was at St Ouens Bay over here. He said he had about 50 bass in three evenings and they fell to bunches of lugworm, but he put the extra big haul down to the fact a bottle of Pernod had spilt on the towel he had them in. He said for me to pour Pernod on my worms and see if it makes a difference, so I bought a bottle of anniseed food flavouring and tbh it didnt make any huge improvement. Interesting though that since that conversation (about 15 years ago) I have seen loads of bass lures with an aniseed flavour, so maybe the old boy was onto something.

Mick, something for you to consider here. When at school and doing cookery lessons, I had a bottle of pear flavouring. Smelt gorgeous, just like pear drops. So with me being a typical teenage twat, I put a capful of the stuff in my mouth. Nearly burnt my mouth out - or so it felt. The point being that the annised flavouring you had, if it was the catering stuff i am thinking of, would only have one or maybe two drops into possible 1.5 to 2 litres of food mix (cake for example). Whereas the pernod would have had the flavour diluted to a pallitable "mix". Also, by the time the guy was fishing (unless he was being stupid and knocking the stuff back whilst fishing) would have probably spilt the liquid much earlier on. Allowing for the alcohol to evaporate off and very little of the original drink itself actually making contact with the worms wrapped in the towel in question.

As for scents in general, I have noticed that an awful lot of SP's seem to reek of lighter fluid. Same stuff as you might was out a reel's bearings or fill up your Zippo with. How the hell they find this attractive, I dont know. But just as with light being seen differently by fish, maybe certain smells are scented differently too. Basically givng a "scent spectrum" thru which the fish will either taste something as really good thru to really foul (for me, fresh fish smell lovely, but leave them a few hours in the sun....). Even possible that there are scents we simply cannot detect, that they can. Possibly vice versa too.
Could it be that just as we - and other animlas - sweat and release pheremones when in a state of panic, that fish do a similar thing too? If so, then its quite possible that there is something within this anniseed kinda smell that very closely matches what predatory fish are looking for in a panicked fish / bait??

There was a load of stuff going around a few years ago about spraying your baits with WD40. Have never deliberately tried it, altho some may have inadvertantly made its way thru to my bait when spraying bag zips or when the boats engine has gotten a little too damp and I have sprayed all the plug leads etc. I dont for one minute believe that fish would be attracted to the poisonous chemicals within such a spray, but if the do scent / smell things in a different spectrum to us, then its possible that something within that liquid is attractive to certain species.

 

[Retired]

Great posty Andy. I have noticed that aftermarket scent applied to SPs is much more effective if used sparingly.

 

[Keith White]

There is certainly a difference in watered lures as opposed to new, fresh ones and that has been reinforced even more since swimming with soft lures whilst taking notice.

They not only lose scent, many actually swell up, go rigid, break down etc.

Xlayers lose colour just as fast as most but, not scent. They seem better to me.
Senko's lose weight a little too as they break down and become rubbery and tough.

Obviously, skishing totally accelerates this breakdown but I'm aware of it now and will act on it.

 

[Dr.Thomas k]

I don't know that because I discard older ones now.

Keith: can I get them for the shipping cost after you collected a small parcel full for me? :wink:

Cheers
Thomas

 

[trev richardson]

Andy,
I think a concentrated mixture is used because it is dissolved and trapped in the gloopy vaseline and is only released very slowy into the water to give a steady scent trail that lasts. Does that make sense??

 

[Andy K]

Andy,
I think a concentrated mixture is used because it is dissolved and trapped in the gloopy vaseline and is only released very slowy into the water to give a steady scent trail that lasts. Does that make sense??

So the concentrate is in gel / grease type of format, then Trev???
I dont know. I was just guessing along the lines of a "watery" liquid.

Baring in mind what Keith has said above with the scents and structure of the lure slowly degrading in use. More so when constantly being washed by the sea. I would guess that if the concentrate is sold as a dedicated SP additive, then the longer the lures themselves are kept in either the original or another airtight plastic bag, then the better. Not because of the contact with the concentrate (basically smothering them in it), rather being able to absorb the vapour / scent itself back into the SP. If they are in some way degrading in water, then surely they are also absorbing a certain amount of it too, before slowly loosening the bonds between the molecules, allowing for tiny amounts of the SP to appear to degrade in the water?!?!
Altho keeping some of the concentraet in the bag wont replenish the material the SP is made of, it may well assist in giving it back at least a good percentage of its scent. Whats more, its should allow the scent to impregnate the SP material to a better extent, the longer its been kept in the same small and enclosed environment. Lets face it, if you dunk a fresh onion in vinegar and bite into it, you're not quite going to get the same effect, taste wise, as one that has been left in it long enough to become pickled. Perhaps an additive would require a similar principle to properly inpregnate the SP's?!?
It would be interesting to find out whats the shortest amount of time between when XLayers are produced / packaged and when they are being cast around successfully in the sea. Could it be that the proverbial older stock, thats been kept out of sunlight (never seems to do SP's a lot of good over time) would work even better than "fresh" ones that have just arrived into the shop??

I feel the need for a coffee and paracetamol coming. Way too much thinking going on here

 

[trev richardson]

Sorry Andy I thought you were talking about Nick's home made concoction not the bottled additives mate. Having said that Yellow tail lug juices are iodine and burn the skin if you get any on you so you wouldn't get a much stronger natural juice / scent than that. I'd bet if you were brave enough to put some in your mouth, apart from tasting awful, it would burn you pretty well.

 

[Peter Smith]

It won't be long before sp's come with a syringe so you can inject them with any scent you like. it would be possible to add tiny pores to them to allow the scent to escape.
Then we will be asking what scent smell and colour works best? ;-)

 

[Andy K]

No worries Trev. Neighbour came round and we sorted out his next tattoo for Sunday night, so got my mind away from thinking hard and more towards a relaxing kinda buzz.
Have had lug and rag juice in my mouth plenty of times tho. Baited my hooks and cast out only to delve into the sandwiches. Worst bit has to be when I have gotten a little bored and started to bite my nails - YUK!!!

Pete, you can buy your own syringe from the chemists and inject additives to the SP's already. Have tried it with numerous fish oils when drifting for cod locally, using shads. Not had a great amount of success tho. The nature of the "latexy" texture to Sp's makes them very easy to inject at an angle, a couple of cm's deep into it, and then just gently squeeze on the syringe as you withdraw the needle. Very little goes a long long way!! Obviously, something done with a lot of care and if the boat's moving around alot, then forget it.
I guess by your handle on here, Pete, that you actively go for mullet??? If so, have you tried using fresh water groundbaits to help keep them around? Have wanted to try a hemp mix to help hold them in a given area as well as trying pellets. Possibly hair rigged. Lets face it, there are not many coarse fish that turn down pellets. I have watched underwater footage (carp crew - stalking for carp) where a guy baited certain area of the lake for carp, yet even perch were having a good go at the smaller pellets that had gone out as free offerings.