I have had some of the scents and smelly jelly products for some time now and am beginning to wonder if I need worry about them "turning" bad. Is it better to just chuck them every year and buy new? Seems Like they used to work better. Or is it just me. Which types last and which don't?

If they smell like veggy oil toss them.One way to keep them fresh and last longer is to keep them in the frid when not in use.I also try not to buy to much at one time.I buy my scent for the fishery that I'm fishin only.Like Steelhead season I'll buy some pro-cure shrimp oil and some shrimp glo smelly jelly,this will get me through winter runs.Then for springers I'll buy some special mix.I will run through these scents before buying more.Good luck,
STRIKE ZONE

SZ pretty much summed up my thoughts.

Good question--I've wondered about that myself.

But if I buy new scent and still get skunked--I'll have to think up a new excuse for not catching any fish.

RB. Try washing your hands more often with joy soap.Good luck,
STRIKE ZONE

Can't remember exactly how strong the scent was when I bought it, but I think it has changed. Don't know if it helped, but I washed all of my well used tackle with lemon joy, and picked up a couple of nice fish this morning at redondo.

Until it's gone

I have had a couple bottles for a year or so and they still smell fishy but not rancid

They do go bad. Buy a new bottle and smell it against last years. There will probably be a big difference in strength. I actually open the bottle and smell it before I buy it and have been doing it for years, Also just like batteries, buy it in a place that moves it fast. Costco for batteries and Outdoor Emporium for scents. I bought some shrimp scent years ago in a little store on the way to Westport. After I bought it I smelled it on the water and it was not strong at all. It was smelly jelly and the bottom of the bottle was stained orange. It was lighter colored at the top of the oil. I talked ot one of the guys at the Sportsman show that works for Pro Cure and he said that the scents really start breaking down at 80 degrees and warmer. I usually leave smelly jelly paste in the back of my boat seat and when I pull it out months it is faded and not to potent. The sun does hit it there. I change it out often. I have a small 6 pack cooler with all of my scents that I either put it in the fridge or in the cuddy of the boat to keep it cool. It seems to last that way.

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Thanks for the tip

Thanks in advance for any thoughts or theories

Thanks for the feed back. I like the idea of keeping the scents in a cooler,especially since they are suject to many days over 80 degrees.

I believe the lemon in Lemon Joy might be the scent killer. A friend and I were talking and noticed this year that the new lemon joy is darker and called concentrate. I don't know if this is good or bad. I am afraid of using chemicals on fishing gear. Such as wax or cleaners. A salmon's nose is more sensitive than a dogs by far. Just the L-serene your body puts out is worse on some people than others. This comes from touching any gear that the salmon is goint to come in contact with. Another supposed scent that is bad is sunblock. I religiously wash my hands after doing anything on the boat. Remember isf you put on sunblock, wash your hands before handling your rod as you can get it on your rod and get it back on your hands. If you need to use something to clean your gear or keep it wet, use WD40. If you arefishing in salt water and sharpen your hooks like I do, (presuming you are not using stainless hooks) You can put a dab of petrolium jelly on the tip where you have filed or ground through the finish of the hook before you put it away. Sitting over winter can ruin non stainless hooks. I always pull these off and replace them if rusted. Good luck.

I have heard and been using one of the sent-a-way liquid soaps to wash gear and hands. These are usually found in the hunting sections of your local sporting good store. The are ment to eliminate human sent. I just have a small bucket in my boat that I put some water in. Then squirt some of the soap in that and use it as a wash basin for tackle and hands.