Bio Catch Chemo-Attractants:

It’s not uncommon for tackle companies to produce artificial baits that include some type of “scent” or “fish attractant” as a vehicle to help catch fish and presumably boost sales. 

Unfortunately for the angling consumer, the depth of scientific understanding behind their attractant science isn’t reliable. Laboratory testing shows most commercially available fish attractants used in these baits either doesn’t work or provides no noticeable improvement. They’re not formulated from information gained from research or testing, and have little impact attracting fish or encouraging them to bite. They are more likely to undermine performance, producing fewer strikes, forcing anglers to spend more time changing baits and less time fishing. In basic terms, generic fish attractants provide a “placebo effect” for consumers. If anglers believe their bait is “super charged,” they feel empowered. They focus harder while fishing, they exercise greater patience, and are more accepting of a bad day on the water. If anglers believe they’re fishing with something that’s special, they’ll continue using it.

While a handful of manufacturers do include additives that are mildly stimulatory, their formulations don’t include key additives that elicit a recognizable biological response, leaving anglers with frustratingly poor results.

It’s common to see companies mistakenly include “aversive compounds” within their attractant products that interfere with receptor stimulation. They have a “repellent” effect - driving fish away.

Tackle manufacturers either knowingly or unknowingly mislead anglers into believing that if a bait has a strong and pungent odor, it will be more effective as a fish attractant. Sadly, this isn’t true. Fish are not interested in airborne chemicals (volatile compounds) that land animals (humans) can smell. Fish live in the water and they’re only concerned with water soluble chemicals - chemicals that humans can’t smell. Airborne molecules can’t be processed by fish.

The team at Bio Catch recognizes that fish are incredibly sophisticated animals and respond to a complex array of water soluble chemicals. Their sensory processing abilities allow them to interpret thousands of molecules in the water. Fish detect dissolved chemicals in the water through a complex array of specialized smell (olfaction) and taste (gustation) receptor neurons. Food related molecules act as chemical cues that can attract fish from a distance. If the appropriate stimulatory chemicals are detected, they can trigger clearly observable behavioral changes as fish eagerly search for the source of the stimulation. 

In both freshwater and marine species, the basic mechanisms for capturing water soluble molecules are similar, but the sensitivity of receptors and chemo-attractant molecules differ between species. Chemical signals from olfactory and gustatory receptors are relayed to specific regions of the brain that integrate sensory input with metabolic conditions. Fish olfaction relies on water soluble chemicals entering the nasal openings (nares), and flowing over receptor neurons embedded within olfactory epithelial tissues. This process converts chemical binding taking place within receptor cells into neuronal signals that travel to the brain. Gustation uses taste buds that are distributed not only in the mouth, but often found on the lips, barbells, gil arches and in certain bottom feeding species, on the skin and even on the fins. 

The ability for fish to rapidly determine taste and smell helps them locate food, find suitable mating partners, determine a safe habitat, and avoid dangerous predators. To consistently get fish to bite an artificial lure, the product must contain the correct combination of chemo-attractant compounds that excite specific sensory pathways that process smell and taste.