Inshore: Dip The Strips - The Fisherman

Inshore: Dip The Strips

Making sense of fish scents.

All fishing scents are created equal, right? Well, not really, or there wouldn’t be so many manufacturers out there each touting their individually designed scented baits and oils. No doubt, each scent or scented bait built for fluke fishing definitely has its own ingrained advantages, so it’s more about what you feel comfortable with. Here’s a roundup of fluke specific scented baits and juices to use or dip your bait strips in.

Fin-Essence

FIN-ESSENCE

Under the Fisherman’s Choice umbrella, Fin-Essence attractants are available in a variety of scents you can mix and match to lure profile and shape as 3-ounce bottles are available in Shedder Crab, Clam, Bunker, and Shrimp. If using cut bait strips like bluefish, mackerel or squid, marinate the strips in the fridge the night before to insure they soak into the meat thoroughly. If using on rubber baits or bucktails, it is recommended to douse the bait or lure every 30 minutes or so as a refresher.  Be on the lookout for Fisherman’s Choice hand-cut Salmon and Squid strips, both are pre-saturated in shrimp or shedder crab Fin-Essence.

GULP-ALIVEBerkley gulp alive!

Gulp! needs no introduction. Usually known as the “standard” in scented baits, Berkeley Gulp! is spawned from one of the original developed scents – Berkeley Strike. Gulp! Baits take it to a new level now as rechargeable tubs of Gulp Alive! allow you to reuse baits that would normally shrivel up or lose scent. Perennial favorite patterns are Swimmin’ Mullet, Swimmin’ Minnow, Jerk Shad and Shrimp, usually in pearl, chartreuse and pink patterns.

Fishbites

FISHBITESKnown for its groundbreaking product Bag O’ Worms, Fishbites has now expanded its products into more eclectic shapes and sizes for various species. For fluke, check out the Fishbites Bob’s Your Uncle Scented Bait Strips, perfect for sending down for a flatfish strike. Also, Fight Club Lures made from Fishbites’ patented Hydrogel matrix have proved deadly on fluke, especially the Dirty Boxer. Each of these baits is heavily infused with their flavor/scent technology.

Pro-Cure

pro cure

A top performer, the line of Pro-Cure Super Gel scents as well as the Pro-Cure Flounder Pounder Bait Oil lineup have fluke in a frenzy. The gel is primed to inject into rubber baits while the oil is best utilized on cut baits and strips. The possibilities are endless with the varied Pro-Cure checklist of products, check the website and try odd scents like crab or herring to see how the fluke respond. In fact, the folks at ZMan just entered the fluke fishing scene in full force with the DoorMatadorZ 6-inch grubs infused with Pro-Cure Flounder Pounder Super Gel that can be recharged after continued usage.

Whichever product you choose, options abound in the scent arena this summer to help ramp your fluke game to the next level. Have fun playing around with what works and what doesn’t for you.

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