Fly Fishing : Trout Senses - Smell
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Trout have
amazing powers of smell. For humans, trying to understand smell
underwater is rather difficult since we can’t do it.
However, trout have no difficulty smelling underwater, and as such,
it is worth the anglers time to make sure that they aren’t
introducing foreign smells into a trout stream – any of which
can warn a trout to a lurking danger such as a fisherman.
When fly fishing for trout, do your best to avoid any artificial
smells that are completely foreign to a trout stream. Avoiding
these smells, though, of often easier said than done, as the sources
of these smells can come from many sources. Fly line cleaners,
fly floatants, epoxies and glue can all contribute alien smells
to a trout stream. Other things such as aftershave, deodorant and
even the smell of your clothing can all tip off a trout that an
angler is near.
Obviously,
you can’t get rid of all foreign smells you may
introduce into a trout stream. However, there are a number of easy
things a fisherman can do to reduce the likelihood of a trout getting
wise due to smell. When using fly line cleaners and fly floatants,
use the newer ones that are designed to “mask” the
chemical smell. The cleaners and floatants are usually the same
price as other “non-masking” chemicals, but can go
a long way towards reducing the likelihood of a trout becoming
alert to the fisherman due to smell.
Also, before
hitting a challenging trout stream, it never hurts to leave the
cologne and other fancy
deodorants back in the hotel room. On a challenging trout stream,
an angler needs every edge they can get, and avoiding strange
smells to finicky trout is a good way to do this.
Remember,
trout have very powerful senses of smell. It is only logical
that they will use this sense to identify flies presented
their way to determine whether or not is something that is good
to eat. A funny smelling fly, due to either chemical floatants
or inadvertently smelling like Old Spice, is a good way to send
a trout away from your fly and onto more “naturally” smelling
food.
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