I use salt primarily for sink rate. It has two other purposes for me. It affects the action of the bait, as well as the weight of the bait. The weight of the bait comes into play if you want to fish it weightless. You can throw a salted bait quite a bit farther, and with more accuracy than the same bait unsalted. I think that is why the Senko became so successful. It gave anglers the ability to cast accurately with a bit of distance and present the bait pretty naturally. As far as action, salt seems to give the bait a more "natural" movement. It's hard to explain. It adds a bulk to the bait, that in the right percentage, seems to make the bait move more naturally. I don't know to what degree it attracts the fish or if they hold a salted bait any longer than an unsalted bait. The importance of salt for me is #1 Bait Action #2 Sink Rate #3 Added Weight (for casting weightless) #4 Fish Attracting. Like others, I think scents work best for the attraction part of the equation.
