As I sit here clicking the keys on my laptop, my view outside is stark, cold, dreary with lots of snow. The scene is purely black and white and nothing else. So you're probably wondering why I'm thinking about fishing. I guess it's because this is the time of year I love looking at gardening and seed catalogs, which also starts me daydreaming about warmer weather and sitting on the river bank fishing. We kayak and we're also thinking about ways to fish in our kayaks.

 

That being said, I decided to do some additional research into the benefits of using scents for fish bait. I signed onto some of the fishing forums, such as Bass Pro Shops forums and even the United States Catfish Association. And, yes, they almost all use some type of "scent" added to their bait to attract fish. I also found out again that Anise Oil ,or also called Aniseed Oil, is one of the more popular ones. According to an article on eHow.com:

"Trout anglers have long known that one of the secrets to really great trout fishing lies with bait. There are many mass produced commercial trout baits on the market, however, most of these have a few basic ingredients in common. When you get down to it, trout love cheese, garlic and anise oil. Specifically, Velveeta cheese, garlic salt, the enticing licorice scent of anise oil simply drive trout wild."

You can find the complete recipe and instructions here.

There are many ideas of why anise oil works, but I think I've come up with the real reason. Anise oil is sedating and has a strong calming affect on the nervous system. So there you go - it's not that Anise Oil "attracts" fish; I think it's just they are temporarily sedated and not quick enough to get away from that hook. Just my opinion of course but I like it!

When a friend of ours told us about how affective Anise Oil is for fishing - and hunting - he convinced us to make some products with that particular oil, so we did. You can check out our Hunter and Fisherman's spray and soap. We also carry a high quality Aniseed essential oil to make your own. Check out the link below for more detailed information about making your own bait.

Thanks for listening!

http://www.ehow.com/how_4540136_make-homemade-trout-fishing-bait.html