stevel Posted April 2, 2002 Report Share Posted April 2, 2002 ok guys, i need some help here. Both Frick and Kayakjoe don't believe me --- actually make fun of me --- when I tell them that concentrations of bluefish and stripers have a discernable smell. And that following this smell can put you on fish. So, please weigh in here and tell Joey and Frick i ain't making this stuff up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JPL Posted April 2, 2002 Report Share Posted April 2, 2002 Wow steve, your friends are tough customers! But I have definitely smelled a spectrum of things...mostly smells like salad oil...or something like that (regarding bluefish). ------------------ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FLYRODDER Posted April 3, 2002 Report Share Posted April 3, 2002 You can definately smell the odor coming from schools of bunker and bluefish cause they are oily fish. And absolutly you can tell the difference between the 2. But I don't believe theres an odor that comes from schools of stripers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hatman Posted April 3, 2002 Report Share Posted April 3, 2002 I'm thinking that oily smell associated with bluefish is the chum slick they make as they devour other fish. ------------------ on the good side of the grass..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan850 Posted April 3, 2002 Report Share Posted April 3, 2002 I saw a boat once named Tuna Finger, I don't know if that helps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frick Posted April 3, 2002 Report Share Posted April 3, 2002 Just so's we're clear on this, the smell SteveL claims to smell isn't coming from the bloody, Benihana'd remains of some feeding frenzy. He's talking, I believe, about smells eminating from the contentrations of blues or stripers themselves. I've seen him do this: he lifts nose to air, snuffles like a birddog, points with a finger in some general direction, and off he goes, paddling furiously, cigarette smoke swirling in his wake. Often as not, he ends up battering a few fish with his flyrod. But I'm not sure he wouldn't have gotten em right where he was before. I don't know but there's something weird about that SteveL. Tune in tomorrow morning, from 5 to 7, I think, CNBC, the Squawk Box show, and see what you think! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
asabatelli Posted April 3, 2002 Report Share Posted April 3, 2002 While I'm hesitant to admit it, I too have the fish smelling gift. To me, it's a pungent, almond-like odor. The odor of marauding blues on bunker is similar but much stronger/intense. My guess is that silversides and sandeels also emanate an odor when being devoured by stripers, even. In Lou Tabory's book, Inshore Fly Fishing, he concurs that you can "smell-down" fish. I've smelled the smell, pursued and been into fish too many times to write it off. One morning while wade fishing last year, the smell would waft in and next cast, fish on, then the smell would go away. Whenever it came back, I caught a fish...Believe it...or not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marksharky Posted April 3, 2002 Report Share Posted April 3, 2002 Hey I can smell Salmon searin in a pan so no doubt we can smell them there fish in da water ------------------ Fresh air-clean water-Big fish Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kayakjoe Posted April 3, 2002 Report Share Posted April 3, 2002 I do believe that you do smell something, I however for whatever reason cannot smell anything out on the water, I really do think my sense of smell is not working that well, I am olfactory challenged I guess...hmmm.... I wonder if that counts as a handicap and I can get some of those cool license plates? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dubs Posted April 3, 2002 Report Share Posted April 3, 2002 Don't worry Stevel, your not crazy. Now I can smell Bass, they have a very distict smell and when a school of bass is around and the wind is blowing the right direction you can definately smell them. When we drive on the beach (especially in the Vineyard) we'll cruise along with our heads out the window like dogs. Tim has a sniffer that is 10 times better than mine. He can smell them a mile away. As for Bluefish, never really noticed. The only benifit for me being able to smell the bluefish would be knowing which way to run. ------------------ ----------------------- Dubs a.k.a., Charlie dubs@stripersonline.com Dubs AKA: Charlie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevel Posted April 3, 2002 Author Report Share Posted April 3, 2002 ok boys, thanks, i think this is settled. I wonder if my sense of smell was developed from years of fishing with this one guide in Cape Cod. I used to always hang out with him on the top of the 42-foot boat as he looked for slicks and breaking fish. He'd smell fish and point the boat into the wind. Eventually, I got to smell it too. dubs, i do the same thing walking the Truro beaches. I'm not sure if the smell is the slick, or the smell from the fish feeding or what. But it's definitely there. The only thing that trips me up is when I follow the smell to a bunch of freshly laid lobster pots. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hatman Posted April 3, 2002 Report Share Posted April 3, 2002 Now I can smell Bass, they have a very distict smell and when a school of bass is around and the wind is blowing the right direction you can definately smell them. Tim has a sniffer that is 10 times better than mine. He can smell them a mile away. Guess I know who I'll be following at the Susky flats. ------------------ on the good side of the grass..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old_username Posted April 3, 2002 Report Share Posted April 3, 2002 Stevel,yes you can definetly smell bass.Monday I was out at low tide and could smell bass but I could'nt connect.A friend tried the same area at the top of the tide and caught 3. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saltyh2ofly Posted April 3, 2002 Report Share Posted April 3, 2002 I'm with wideside, you can smell them but if you smoke it cuts down on you ability. Bass have a smell but it is more sutble but bluefish (and bunker) are stronger. I've been with guys on the beach that just asked me to take walk and we would be into fish. I asked em "How?" "Smell em" was all they would say. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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