Can smoking seriously damage your fishing?

[Bass 3rd]

That awful smell after smoking a cigarette must effect the scent given off bait when you prepare it after smoking since most people use the same hand to prepare baits.
As fish mainly hunt by smell it must surely turn them off , since they have a much greater perception of oder than us.
I was just wondering if people who don't smoke seem to fair better than those who do given the same tactics and conditions?
The same must surely go for strong deodorants etc. left on hands before a fishing session , I remember years ago as a young lad putting worms into a bag use for garlic , my brother had his in a washed jam jar ...needless to say I caught nothing that day where as my brother couldn't keep fish off his hook !!

As a rule I was my hands with sand and sea water before fishing ... maybe just a little paronoid

Anyone have similar experiences?

[wytch]

Id say your spot on. I never fill the car or van on my way fishing. Diesel and petrol are surely a big turnoff on bait. Im not a smoker

[saving private brian]

i really dont think smoking will affect your catch rate.you might get smart comments on this,,,be prepared

[Ocean Roar]

It shouldn't. Unless the fish you catch are on Nicorette Patches.

[Tommy B]

I remember trout fishing with a guy that used to wrap his cigarette to the end of a twig and hold the other end. He used to get strange looks from other anglers on the lake.

[Bass Dad]

Some very good match anglers smoke , they seem to catch plenty of fish regardless?

[roger de dodger]

i smoke and to be honest i seem to catch more fish after a trip to a petrol station aswell so yes your flamin BONKERS in fact i always catch more fish than my mates that dont smoke i,m not saying you should take up smokin but maybe bring a dirty ashtay to soak your baits in?

[paul mason]

I remember an article which Alan Yates wrote in Sea Angler a few years about the merits of not smoking while fishing. At the time he was a top match angler winning everything in sight, he had recently given up smoking and not found any difference in his catch rate and he was of the conclusion that it didn't affect his fishing when he was smoking.
Petrol evaporates very quickly and should not leave lasting odor on your hands at least not with the amount that would splash onto your hands filling a car, and not enough to put fish off. Diesel is a different kettle of fish I've worker with this sh*t all my life and it gets into the pores in your skin and leaves a lasting odor and residue on your skin. Now whether it affects fishing is debatable but when filling my car when going fishing I'll use gloves.

[bigsod]

Ive caught doggies on smoked cigarette butts soaked in fish juice, didnt put them off.

[yappo]

I use a dubby bag full of cigarette butts it really brings fish on the feed.
Couldn't resist that, haven't smoked for years and I still catch as little as when I did smoke.

Yappo

[mickser]

definetly not I have fished with a friend who smokes his own rollups and catches plenty of fish so much that I am convinced it is the smell of his tabacco that brings the fish on he uses old holbourn tabacco and i now have an old packet of his in my tackle box if there is nothing happening i rub my hands in this packet to get the scant on before baiting up it sometime works but maybe i would have caught the fish anyway

[yngkmd]

i smoke, my dad doesnt
when we go fishing i usually outfish him

but then, he taught me everything he knows, and then i went and learned some more

[Bass 3rd]

i smoke and to be honest i seem to catch more fish after a trip to a petrol station aswell so yes your flamin BONKERS in fact i always catch more fish than my mates that dont smoke i,m not saying you should take up smokin but maybe bring a dirty ashtay to soak your baits in?

Fair enough but surely you've had some smoking related fishing incident ,,,, like when I used to smoke years ago I once remember holding the rod , getting a bite swapping the rod to the hand with the cigarette to adjust the tensioner only to watch my line shoot through the rings after burning through the line ... you haven't fished and smoked until you've done this a least once !

[gfkelly1969]

I am surprised half the lads here haven't blown themselves up from all the smoking and spilling petrol interesting question Bass 3rd I would think it might effect the fishing a bit,I do remember reading some thing about getting a woman to put on the bait because of the scent from their fingers

it would be worth experimenting with 2 rods,have one that you only use after washing the hands and the other without washing and see what the results are like

[guitarsmith]

a lot of top sea angling people hav smoked for the last 30 or more year so i dont belive it affects fishing but it might affect fresh water fishing

[billy the fish]

Its like asking... do you smoke after sex?.... answer.. i dont know, i never look down

[Bass 3rd]

Its like asking... do you smoke after sex?.... answer.. i dont know, i never look down

A word of advice Billy,
That's dangerous habit when engaged in that particular act...one always should check to be sure!!

[Tony T]

Interesting question but I doubt it affects the fishing. I've found that fish have a habit of biting straight after you have sparked up and your left trying to bring the thing in while trying not to drop your faig!! Never burnt through my line before but it had crossed my mind a few times...

[Trojan]

What will be next the aroma off your clothes after you have had dinner i think when questions like that are asked the person on the end of the line is looking into it a tiny........ bit to much

[willie bendit]

old wife's tale.