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Step 1
Consider a game fish's sense of smell as important but less significant than sight and hearing. Fish prefer live bait and rely on the other two senses until the bait is close. Game fish probably won't strike if the bait smells bad. As a result, the more desirable fish are easier to catch with a nonsmelling lure. Scavenger fish and other marine life rely more on their sense of smell.
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Step 2
Keep in mind that whatever smells good to a game fish probably would to you too, assuming you like seafood. Fish want their food to be very fresh. Some species such as speckled trout will eat only bait that is moving because they know it will be fresh. Others, such as redfish, will hit dead bait if it is very fresh.
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Step 3
Remember that all scavengers and predatory marine life along the Gulf Coast, like humans, crave fat. Game fish get their fat solely from marine life. That is why oily baitfish and particularly shrimp, which have fat in the head, are such good bait. Redfish, sheepshead and black drum are equipped with mouths that allow them to eat crab, which has even more fat than shrimp.
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Step 4
Leave the prepared scents at home. Oil of shad in a spray can doesn't turn trout on. Fish want their prey fresh so, while a small piece of shad on your a hook may help, it may not be worth the trouble and expense. In general, the lack of scent on a lure being used to catch a game fish is not a factor. However, a negative scent such as motor oil will turn them off.
