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Originally Posted by Eskimo
Hmmm...good question. I don't know.
Theoretically, even in still water the scent will eventually disperse by the process of Brownian Motion. That's the slow dispersal of a material suspended in a liquid (or gas) by collisions of molecules of the surrounding medium. By this theory, the molecules that form the scent of the chum should keep expanding from its source until it reaches equilibrium throughout the entire body of water.
In reality there are probably other forces at work expediting the expansion of the scent such as the oils in the chum being buoyant in the water, causing them to separate and rise away the solid particles in the chum.
The herring might be producing a scent in the water. Some fish release a scent when they are stressed or injured that serves as a warning to other fish that there are predators active in the area. This may also draw in other predators looking to get in on the action.
Here is an article about it: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/29/he...-too.html?_r=0
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I remember Brownian motion from high school--just not what it is. Thanks for the update. My ADHD never allowed me conceptual grasp. Question is--how long does that dispersion take. And oil is easy to imagine floating, not dispersing so well.
The NYT article, 2012. I remember this theory from way, way back...as if it were a Will Ryan "Scientific Angler" ditty in Field & Stream, only I was informed long before Will got the post with the magazine...maybe even before I fished with him while a student at Hampshire College & that long before his current stint. Ever since I read this theory, I've been careful about fish with broken skin, like when a hook catches a bass in the face...but of course, I release them anyway...piques curiosity though.
