Flathead Attractant – My Hot Tip For Flathead Fishing In [gf-year-sc]

Here’s What A Flathead Attractant Is Supposed To Do

Obviously their first job is to attract fish. But it’s a bit more complex than that.

A good flathead attractant is designed to stimulate aggressive biting of the lure or bait. To be so tasty they grab it and run.

Not wanting to let go.

I’ve found this to be consistently the case. In fact, I’ve worked with attractants* for many years. Testing with and without. On days when I’ve been getting no bites just adding some attractant to the bait and lure has had, in terms of bites, almost instant results.

Bites aren’t as good as landing a fish – but they’re better than absolutely no activity at all. They give you something to work with.

You can start trying this out. Like changing your lure or bait. Using small hook sizes. Etc.

I Use An Attractant With My Berley Mix

Note that I always fish with a good flathead berley so I use an attractant as well as my berley mix.

That’s because they work together as a team.

• Berley getting scent through the water column and attracting in baitfish.
• The berley and baitfish attracting in our target flathead to the area.
• The attractant working on the bait to draw our target fish to our hook.
• The attractant enticing the bite and run with the lure or bait.

Why Attractants Work On Flathead

Attractants Work On Flathead – and most predator fish species – because the formulas are designed to simulate natural feeding signals and desirable smells and tastes.

They are researched and tested. They often contain ingredients known to attract fish. Salt, blood, garlic, aniseed and much more. Some modern preparations contain so called “secret ingredients” which are often an infusion of certain enzymes extracted and used for the purpose.

With traditional lure fishing we have always relied on two things. Movement and colour.

Lure fishing usually involves trying to emulate a wounded or erratic prey species. This is done through the action of the lure and how you retrieve it. Letting it drop, gentle retrieves, faster retrieves, raising and lowering your rod tip etc.

Colour then plays a role depending on the fish species, the environment and so on.

Lures with specific moving parts, such as spinning blades, also add a little noise to the water, adding the sensation of movement. Fish feel movement through their lateral lines (they do not have ears).

This movement is similar to hearing so a “noisy” lure can stimulate interest in some fish species.

However fish hunt using more than just vision and the sensation of movement. They rely heavily on the smell, or taste in the water.

Thus an attractive smell – to the fish, not necessarily to humans – results in the signal to bite.

It’s a bit like the way some people prefer fried fish to grilled fish. The extra additives in frying result in a taste that stimulates the desire to eat.

It’s the same reason why your dog probably drools and can get a bit nuts when you’re cooking a BBQ!

Attractants & Staying On The Lure Or Bait

One of the biggest complaints I’ve heard people make about flathead attractants is that they don’t stay on the lure or bait once you cast them out into the water.

This is true of some products. But certainly not of all. S-Factor, for example, adheres brilliantly and remains on a lure during multiple casts.

I’ve soaked bait in the water for 15 minutes and gain S-Factor attractant has stayed on the bait.

This is what makes the compounds used in some products superior to others.

Matching a good attractant, that stays put on flathead lures or flathead bait is a major contributing factor to flathead fishing success.

Back To: Flathead Fishing: The Ultimate Guide