Before you even sit down at the Vise.

[yea-who]

This occured to me, that the odours from our hands would rub off onto the flies you are tying. Myself being a smoker also i handle garlic and onions just about everyday. Now my Question to youz is, what do you use to remove these sents from your hands pre-tying ? I've research this and came up empty. And yes i thought of soap, but most have a hint of some flavor. Now during hunting season i only use Apple shampoo on non-hunt days and sent killer pre-hunt. Maybe i'm diving too far into this, or maybe the self satisfaction i get from catching fish on something i created is push me to think how could i catch more. Your opinion ?

 

[afishinado]

Since may tyers take their fly tying materials out of the bag filled with mothballs, tie it on the hook and color it with a permanent marker, and add head cement to the windings, I don't think scent has much to do with fish taking your flies.

Sometimes I color my flies with a marker on the stream to match the hatch. Also I apply floatant on my dries, and some guys use concoctions for floatant containing lighter fluid.

I've read where some FFers advise rubbing the fly (not a dry though) in mud or stream vegetation to kill the scent before using it. That may or may not help, it's hard to say.

I never worry about it.

 

[Fishidiot]

afishinado wrote:
Since may tyers take their fly tying materials out of the bag filled with mothballs, tie it on the hook and color it with a permanent marker, and add head cement to the windings, I don't think scent has much to do with fish taking your flies.

Sometimes I color my flies with a marker on the stream to match the hatch. Also I apply floatant on my dries, and some guys use concoctions for floatant containing lighter fluid.

I've read where some FFers advise rubbing the fly (not a dry though) in mud or stream vegetation to kill the scent before using it. That may or may not help, it's hard to say.

I never worry about it.

My thoughts exactly.
While I think there's some research to be done on salmonids and scent attraction/repellant I've never thought that hand scent, or any other "foreign" scent, affected my flies.

 

[whheff]

I fish with a guy who smokes cigars while fishing. He seems to catch less fish than the rest of us. Does the cigar smell on his flies cause this? Is his fishing abilty the problem? I don't know. I try to keep all the odd smells of my flies.
Site is more improtant than smell in my opinion.

 

[yea-who]

Very true !!!! thank you. Some head cement smell like finger nail polish and i'm worried about my hands smelling like a Marlboro seasoned Porketta. I was just wondering if that would even push the odds more in my favor.

 

[JasonS]

I fished with a guy out in Colorado who swore that his catch rate went down once he started smoking again. I'd guess it has some effect. How much though? Not sure.

 

[flybop]

I smoke cigars when fishing and really do not think it makes a difference. Jay L met my buddy in Fort Smith that is a hard core fishing machine. This guy will out fish anyone, any day and he is a chain smoker that rolls his own smokes (not that kind).

I also use a floatant that is basically parafin disolved in kerosene and that has not seemed to bother the fish.

 

[pete41]

I am with Don[Flybop]
I smoked cigars and cigarettes,then had no smoking spells and no difference.If you smoke cigars and double haul,watch the tip or you can ruin the fly line[don't ask].
If you deep wade and have your vest inside your waders and the fish still hit the flies,they aren't real particular-lol

 

[flytyingfred]

yea who
a while ago my wife bought me something called fishermans soap. Its supposed to remove any smell from your hands. I dont know where she bought it but I would think it is available at most fishing shops. I use it when I have gas smell on my hands cause I cant stand that and It does remove the smell enough that I cant smell it as for the fish I am not sure. I would say if it can remove a gas smell it can handle most anything. If you really want I can ask the wife where she got it and let you know.

 

[osprey]

maybe you're supposed to wash the fish with it.

 

[yea-who]

Triple F,

Thats okay. I just wash my hands with the scent removing soap i use for hunting. I'm thinin that after i wash them to spray them with one of those attractants they have on the market....LoL I know i'm off the wall.

 

[flytyingfred]

Hea Yea,
this has given me an idea. I think I will make up a batch of ground up powerbait and mix it with some salmon eggs put it in a bowl and dip my hands in before tying every fly. I wil have to get a gas mask to wear for tying. What do you think?

 

[yea-who]

FTF,
LoL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! MAke sure the powerbait is directed tward the species your tying for...

 

[sandfly]

i take fish oil, so i just rub my hands in it/ or i could just p on my hands.

 

[flytyingfred]

talking of p-ing and I think this is relevant to this forum. on the subject of urine stained fox dubbing who pees on the dubbing the fox or us ?

 

[MKern]

I think trout react to quickly (most of the time) to worry about scent.

However, I hear catfish like the smell of tobacco, and to roll the bait in a broken open cigerette before the dunk.