Mend-It Question

[BPayne]

So, I just started dabbling in the big soft swim baits a few months ago.  One of the first things I got was a bottle of Mend-It at the recommendation of a few buddies.  Well, I went on a real streak with those softies and caught some quality fish in a short period.  Naturally, my baits took a beating and I found myself using that Mend-It soon after.  That stuff works miracles on repairing my soft baits!  Now to “the problem”…I have noticed that there is a very loud smell emanating from the repaired baits that doesn’t seem to dissipate.  I have also noticed that once I have repaired a bait, I haven’t caught a single fish again on said bait.  In fairness, I HAVEN’T caught any more fish on soft plastics (I haven’t thrown any new, non-repaired ones) for a while, but I can’t help but wonder if that pungent smell left from the Mend-It fix on the baits is acting as a deterrent.  My buddy suggested that my fish just moved off and I have to find them again (also to throw new, untouched baits to eliminate that variable) which may be entirely true.  I simply don’t know.  I’m just curious if anyone else has any knowledge on this subject they could impart on me!  Cheers

[chevro1et]

I've used heavy amounts of Mend-it on a single bait and continued to get bit on it. Couple of examples here... 

 

[Morgan Y]

3 hours ago, BPayne said:

So, I just started dabbling in the big soft swim baits a few months ago.  One of the first things I got was a bottle of Mend-It at the recommendation of a few buddies.  Well, I went on a real streak with those softies and caught some quality fish in a short period.  Naturally, my baits took a beating and I found myself using that Mend-It soon after.  That stuff works miracles on repairing my soft baits!  Now to “the problem”…I have noticed that there is a very loud smell emanating from the repaired baits that doesn’t seem to dissipate.  I have also noticed that once I have repaired a bait, I haven’t caught a single fish again on said bait.  In fairness, I HAVEN’T caught any more fish on soft plastics (I haven’t thrown any new, non-repaired ones) for a while, but I can’t help but wonder if that pungent smell left from the Mend-It fix on the baits is acting as a deterrent.  My buddy suggested that my fish just moved off and I have to find them again (also to throw new, untouched baits to eliminate that variable) which may be entirely true.  I simply don’t know.  I’m just curious if anyone else has any knowledge on this subject they could impart on me!  Cheers

You can always put scent on your baits like pro cure or bait fuel to mask whatever you believe is on there as far as smell. As long as it is a water soluble scent you’ll be set since bass are “water soluble smellers”. As far as not getting bit your fish probably either moved shallower if the water got a bit warmer or went to some deeper structure if temps dropped (generic rule of thumb for this time of year, obviously it’s far more nuanced and complex). Just go mess with depths and you should find them. 

[Good Year 71]

Interesting… can’t say I’ve had trouble myself. But I let them air dry a couple weeks or more largely due to odor you describe. I used the stuff frequently several years back, custom pours I didn’t want to give up on, some having been repaired half dozen times or more