Scented soft plastics continue to sell, and they do work. But unscented soft- plastic lures are also widely sold, and they work, too. The answers lie with the bass themselves. That's why unscented baits with angler-added or inherent action all catch fish at times. And that's also why some makers of unscented baits say that scents are overblown and on their way out.
Scents are the old hair-tonic salesmen all over again.
Clearly, you don't need a scented bait to catch fish. But on the other hand, bass do have an acute sense of taste. If a bass finds a lure distasteful, it can often spit it out faster than a fisherman can react. In our own laboratory tests that we've filmed and publicized, bass hold PowerBaits longer than they hold our competitors' products. One way to hedge your scent bets is by lure category.