Paste or gel attractants?

[Shoemoo]

I always tip my hand tied jigs with Crappie Nibbles, but sometimes you miss the fish and the nibble falls off even if you've prepped the nibbles by drying them out a bit. I know about the bait pump, but it only works on tube jigs and I don't use them since I started tying my own. Can't use live minners because they're illegal in my state so jigs and small cranks are all I use for crappie.

So I was thinking of getting some paste or gel attractant to put on my jig heads so they still have some scent after the nibble goes bye-bye. I've seen Youtube videos where people have used Megastrike bass attractant for crappie, but none of the stores around here sell it. In fact, none of the stores here sell attractants geared toward bass or crappie except for the Berkeley Gulp spray and I'm worried it would affect the hair and feathers. If I'm going to have to order online, I might as well get something that works.

What have you guys had success with?

[NIMROD]

I'm not a believer in scents unless Catfish and I just use baits with their own smell.

[Brian Stucker]

Where are you from? I can't believe live minnows are illegal. That's terrible.

[ehall]

I have recently purchased "crappie slobber" off of a CDC member in a spray bottle applicator, squeeze gel and a stick applicator. I have also tipped with nibbles. Seems like I get off species bites more with them on than off, however I have never kept any notes or data to say definitively. This research should be available from the manufacturers, keeping in mind they are in the "selling" business. Back to your hand ties, I would concentrate on the head and upper body for a location to apply scent. I am of the opinion if it doesn't hurt its worth trying. But that's just me.

[impdog]

Try some of Juiced up baits products, and the new gel Bobby Garland has out they make it for them great stuff!

[Shoemoo]

Where are you from? I can't believe live minnows are illegal. That's terrible.

I'm in Idaho. Live fish are illegal as bait in all the Pacific Northwest states. They're also illegal in Utah and all but a few lakes in California. The reason is mostly because of salmon and steelhead. Coho salmon and steelhead smolts spend a year living in streams and sockeye smolts live for up to three years in lakes before they migrate down to the ocean. There are many endangered runs, and the biologists are worried non-native minnows would compete with the young wild fish. There's also the problem of spreading diseases if people released them where they shouldn't. Which (unfortunately) they would.

A few years ago Oregon had to rotenone a lake where someone had released a species of chub that was native to the state but not native to the water at a cost of $8 million. The chubs grew too large for trout to eat, overpopulated and ate virtually all the insect life in the lake. A year after the lake was poisoned, golden shiners (also not native) were detected in the lake. So yeah, bait minnows are a huge problem here even though they're illegal. If they were legal, it would be even worse.

[Cray]

Think I would opt for a jell.

[ehall]

Me too, Super Gels from Pro-Cure are sticky and produce.

[VaCrappieMan]

Get some fish oil at drug store? I use nibbles but I've heard the fish oil