Want More Bites? Start Using Scents and Attractants!

If you’re still fishing without scents or attractants, you’re leaving bites on the table. Whether you’re chasing bass in freshwater or targeting saltwater predators, adding scent to your presentation can trigger strikes when nothing else works.

Why Scents and Attractants Work

Fish rely heavily on their sense of smell and taste to detect prey, especially in low-visibility conditions like stained water, deep structure, or overcast days. Unlike humans, fish have highly sensitive olfactory systems that can pick up chemical cues from prey long before they see or feel it. Scents and attractants tap into this system by mimicking the amino acids, enzymes, and natural compounds released by wounded or feeding baitfish. This triggers a primal response, not just curiosity. Using scent helps mask unnatural odors (like plastic or sunscreen) and adds realism to your presentation, making fish more likely to strike and hold on. It’s a simple upgrade that activates another one of the fish’s key senses, giving you a distinct edge when bites are tough to come by. Freshwater or salt, the principle is the same: smell matters.

Top Brands & When to Use Them

Here’s a quick guide to some of the most effective scent brands on the market, what they’re best for, and when/how to use them:

Pro-Cure

Best For: Salmon, Trout, Walleye, Bass, Inshore Species
When to Use: Pro-Cure Super Gel Attractants are a legendary series of gel-based fishing scents and attractants. Scents are made with real ground-up baitfish, nightcrawlers, and other tasty dead critters and common aquatic snacks (depending on the scent). These scents are then further enhanced with anise oil, amino acids, and UV Flash (once again, this varies by scent). Their sticky, gelatinous consistency makes them great for adding to artificial hard lures and soft plastics, including crankbaits, plugs, swimbaits, jigs, spinners/spinnerbaits, worms, creatures, and just about anything else it'll stick to!

Bait-Pop

Best For: Bass, Crappie, Panfish
When to Use: Infused with a unique blend of Colors, Sparkle Scales, and Scents, Bait-Pop is the top Live Sonar Intensifier on the Market and one of the best Scent Boosters money can buy. Bait-Pop adds scent and visual enhancement. It makes your lure stand out and smell right, giving you a double advantage when fish are being picky. Perfect for FFS applications, and can be applied to both soft and hard baits. 

Nories Bite Powder

Best For: Bass, particularly in pressured waters
When to Use: Excels on tournament days and finesse soft plastic presentations.
The Nories Bite Powder Attractant, a product favored by renowned Japanese angler Taku Ito in numerous tournament victories, is now available to enhance your fishing success! This innovative powder, formulated with a specialized and rigorously tested blend, stimulates the predatory instincts of bass and other game fish. It creates a slow-release scent film around soft baits, prolonging its effectiveness.

Berkley PowerBait Attractant

Best For: Bass, Trout, Walleye, Panfish
When to Use: The Berkley PowerBait Attractant (8 oz.) is a thick liquid scent designed to boost strikes and make fish hold on longer. It works on soft plastics, hard baits, jigs, and even live bait, and comes in species-specific formulas like Bass, Trout, and Walleye. Easy to apply and long-lasting, it enhances your presentation without affecting bait action.

BaitFuel

Best For: Freshwater and saltwater species 
When to Use: BaitFuel uses advanced Fish Active Scent Technology to trigger real feeding responses in both fresh and saltwater species. It comes in multiple forms, including Freshwater Gel for soft plastics, Hardbait Sticks for quick application on hard lures, and Injector Kits for loading scent directly into baits. Odorless to humans but deadly to fish, BaitFuel is perfect when fish are inactive, pressured, or short-striking. 

Atlas-Mike's

Best For: Freshwater and saltwater species
When to Use: Atlas-Mike’s offers time-tested attractants for a wide range of species, from Trout and Salmon to Bass, Tuna, and Sturgeon. Their scents come in both oil and lotion formulas. The oil is great for soaking bait or marinating soft plastics, while the lotion clings better to lures and stays on longer in moving water. Whether you're drifting bait, casting spinners, or working jigs, Atlas-Mike’s helps trigger more strikes across fresh and saltwater species. 

BnR Tackle Steelhead Express Scent

Best For: Steelhead and Salmon
When to Use: Drift fishing, float setups, or when adding to cured eggs.
Specifically designed for Steelhead, this scent delivers strong, long-lasting attraction in cold rivers. A go-to for West Coast anglers during winter runs.

Load Up & Get Fishing

No matter how you fish or what you’re targeting, adding scent to your setup gives you a serious edge. From gel-based attractants that cling to soft plastics, to oil sprays for soaking bait, to injectables and hardbait sticks, there’s a scent solution for every style and species. Whether you prefer science-backed formulas like BaitFuel, natural blends from Pro-Cure, or versatile options from Atlas-Mike’s and Berkley, the right attractant can turn lookers into biters. All of these are available right now at www.DiscountTackle.com and put more fish in the net, season after season!