Scents (aka, "fish attractants") work. We all know that. It's just a question of how they work, and how well they work.

With that in mind, we recently received samples of a new product called Scent-A-Strike. They came in three flavors: crawfish, anise and garlic. Not much new there, though plenty of tests have proved that those three scents work well on bass. We thought, Does the world really need yet another brand of the same scents?

The short answer is yes. Only when we opened the package did we realize that Scent-A-Strike comes in a unique and easy-to-use twist-up solid stick. Think of a large tube of ChapStick, and you get the picture.

Test Results

After we got over our initial "why didn't we think of that?" reaction (complete with the required slap on the forehead) we did some testing. The upshot of those tests is that:

> Scent-A-Strike makes scent application a snap. No mess, no dripping on boat decks, spilling in your tacklebox or any of the other traditional downsides to scent fishing. Heck, you don't even get this stuff on your hands! Just twist the stick up in the tube, and apply. No muss, no fuss.

> We found the scents to be well-formulated, with plenty of kick, and as an added bonus Scent-A-Strike incorporates two of the best bass-attracting amino acids.

> The manufacturer claims over 5,000 applications per stick of product. How about 50 percent over? Based on our use the number is more like 7,500. We calculated the cost of each application and came out with a really neat number with lots of zeros to the right of the decimal point.

> You can apply it in the traditional ways, but because of its consistency you have some options. For example, when we tested it with soft-plastics we also applied the product to the hook so there was more scent when we switched baits. And if you're from the West or just have a wild hair one day, you can even use this stuff on crankbaits. Not only can you actually apply it to crankbaits, but it won't change the action of your bait, something that not all scent products can claim.

Bottom Line

Scent-A-Strike is effective and cheap to use, two of our favorite things here at BassFan. It's also long-lasting and goes on smooth – which makes it sound like a deodorant, but in fact it's just the opposite when it comes to baits. Check it out by finding it at your local retailer or click here to go to www.scentastrike.com.