..my thoughts on scuppies - - -
I can't see handling a scup with a rag being better than handling them with your fingers. I would think that with the rag being more coarse (meaning the terry texture), it would remove more of the protective coating than your fingers would. I grab my scup just behind the eyes with my thumb and index finger // no where else. Normally, the only things that make contact are my finger tips, using a rag...there are the contact points of where you grab the fish AND the areas of the rag that still rub against the fish in spots that using your fingers would not. When in captivity, scup won't normally swim backwards or in reverse, meaning that if you place your fingers infront of them while they're circling the live-well...they will swim right into your hand...sometimes they need a little coaxing from behind just to get them to swim forward. Have your hand ready to grab as they burst forward...I wouldn't worry about the scent much either,,, with them being alive and in panic mode...that should overcome any scent issues with the Bass. When I've caught bass on scup....it would be continuous....but when it was over, it was over....When I used to bait-fish more for bass..I would always find that at one time versus another, they would strike a certain bait more often. I would normally carry multiple flavors ...macks/pogies/squid/etc.... I always seemed to run out of one type..faster than the others...That was their preferred flavor for that period. I never actually put my finger on why though....because I would stick the same bait in similar circumstances and not always get the same result. It had nothing to do with what they were feeding on in that area because there was not always that type of bait in those spots. .... Could Bass be a moody fish??
...or better yet,,,,FINICKY!!