I was reading Terry & Roxanne Wilson?s book (Bluegill Fly Fishing & Flies), noted more than one reference to their NOT using head cement, in that ?. . . we believe bluegills use their sense of smell in examining their prospective meal.? Struck me that I couldn?t recall having ever seen the subject of scent addressed in any manner other than general warnings about not handling terminal tackle with gasoline, sun block, bug repellent on your hands.

I can?t imagine the ?aroma? of moth balls or anything else used to help preserve tying materials is an attractant of any sort. What do folks use to neutralize the smells that must get attached to flies when they?re tied . . . material preservatives, cements, paints, that armpit (or worse) you were scratching just before tying on the deerhair wing.

Surely there?s some universally recognized technique for dealing with smells that slipped right by me, . . . right ?


smc