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Lure Review


The scent of shad...B.A.N.G. Fish Attractant
 

Date: 11/23/01
Tackle type: Lure
Manufacturer: Gambler - B.A.N.G
Reviewer: Zander






Total Score: 6.7

Introduction: Why use fish attractant? Does it work? There is a lot of controversy over whether or not fish attractants have any impact on hooking more fish. TackleTour tests one of the more popular fish scent manufacturers, B.A.N.G., to help answer some of these questions.  
 

B.A.N.G. Shad Formula Fish Attractor Specifications

Attractant Base Shad
Type Liquid (oils)
Package Aerosol
Weight 5 ounces (141 Grams)
MSRP $6.20


Impressions: B.A.N.G. is produced by a manufacturer named Gambler. Anglers that recognize Gambler are probably familiar with one of Gambler's other popular line of lures....Hibdon. B.A.N.G. Shad Oil Attractor comes packaged in a small 6" Aerosol can that can easily fit into any tackle bag, unlike some of the other larger spray bottles. One nice thing about a liquid based attractor is that there is no fumbling with it in the field, just spray and fish. Some paste and jelly fish attractants are difficult and messy to apply.

 

Why use a fish attractant: There are two widely published facts about Bass in relevance to attractant:

  1. Fish can detect 1/200th of a drop of substance in 100 gallons of water. 

  2. A Bass will spit out a bait within 2 to 3 seconds if it doesn't taste acceptable to the fish. If the Bass like the taste it can hold onto it for as long as 30 seconds before spitting it out.

The goal of all Anglers is to hook more fish, and fish attractant manufacturers are competing for your business by producing attractors that will prolong the amount of time a fish will hold onto your lure, and ultimately increase your chances of setting the hook and landing the fish.


The Test: It is recommended by most experienced Anglers that use attractants to pick a "fragrance" that is natural and not just a lab engineered scent. Top choices are crawfish or shad because they mimic the scent of common Bass prey.
 

One quick spray will douse the entire lure with B.A.N.G.'s pungent smelling attractant


B.A.N.G. cans fit easily into a backpack or tackle box, and applying the attractor on any lure is as simple as point and spray. It is unnecessary to douse the lure to the point it is dripping. Simply spray for 2 seconds and the lure is adequately coated. When you spray B.A.N.G. you will instantly smell the pungent attractor. The scent is extremely strong and definitely something you will want to avoid getting on your clothing or gear.

 

The first time we tested B.A.N.G. was at the O'Neil Forebay which is located South of the Bay Area and is famous for pumped in landlocked Striped Bass. Both MP and I were testing with identical Mister Twister white haired striper jigs. We coated MP's lure with B.A.N.G. and left mine untouched. It was a very slow day and in the end MP was the only one who landed a single Striper.

 

Unsatisfied, I field tested B.A.N.G. on 4 more occasions at three different lakes. In every case the lures coated with attractant produced the same, or slightly more fish then the standard lures.
 

The coated lure trails the oil attractant instantly


A good fish scent will stay on the lure for a prolonged period and disperse slowly through the water. I found that B.A.N.G lasts about 15 casts before the visible trail of scent stops becoming noticeable, but if you actually smell the lure it still reeks of the scent and will continue to do so for over half an hour of use. I have seen many people continually spray the lure after the visible trail is gone. While this repeated spraying probably won't hurt your chances, it wont help them either.
 

Underwater and after 7 casts the lure continues to disperse attractant


One secondary benefit of B.A.N.G. is its ability to lubricate plastics. Not only will it scent the lure but it will prolong the lure's natural movement.

 

Many lures that you buy in the store are already scented, spraying these lures may not necessarily double the lures potency. Instead I recommend using B.A.N.G. with different lures on multiple occasions and finding a combination that works for you.

 

So does B.A.N.G. work?: According to the fact that Bass are able to sense 1/200th of a drop of substance in 100 gallons of water it does make sense that adding a accent will bring some more sensory attention to your lure. But my tests have not demonstrated that B.A.N.G will stimulate more fish to strike. It has shown me that the attractant may not really attract more fish to the lure but it may improve the odds of setting a fish that takes the lure.

 

I am continuing  to use B.A.N.G. on multiple occasions to gather more data about the strike rates with and without the attractor. I will publish the long term results in a upcoming article.


Tip: Rather then spray lures out in the field B.A.N.G. can be effective at scenting and lubricating the lures in advance. I have found that spraying B.A.N.G. into a sealed plastic lure bag will lubricate the lures and allow the oils to soak evenly into the lure and prolong the dispersal of the scent later.
 

Ratings:

 B.A.N.G. Shad Formula Fish Attractor Ratings (?/10)

Construction/Quality A quality product in terms of design of the application and the fact that it is made to mimic a natural scent is good 8
Performance Performance is still up for debate. While lures with the attractor performed as good or slightly better, lure presentation is still the most important factor 4
Price Slightly expensive for a fish attractant, but you get the ease of use of a aerosol 5
Features Not Applicable to this product N/A
Design (Ergonomics) The ease of use with the spray design and the small can make the ergonomics of this product good. It is designed so that the scent gets on the target without troubling the Angler 8.5
Application Good application, and is one more factor that can be added to the Angler's bag of tricks 8

Total Score

6.7


Pluses and Minuses:

                 Plus                                    Minus

J Great Aerosol Applicator L Performance still debatable
J Good lure lubricator L Cost slightly high
J Stays on the lure  


Conclusion: On days when all else is failing it may be worth a shot to spray B.A.N.G  on a lure and see if the added element of taste and smell will increase your chances. But remember, lure presentation is still the single most important element of Bass fishing. If your lure isn't in the right spot or being retrieved in the right way there may be no fish in the strike zone to attract.


Until next time....Tight Lines!

 

   

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