Mr Yes Sir, can you please explain what a “fixative” is in a lure, bait, or urine? I have seen that word used in discussions related to the preparation all of those.
I'm no expert on the topic so if you want more understanding I'd suggest looking into the perfumers information. In the lure making world I've found the word fixative to have a pretty lose meaning from one person to the other. For me a fixative is an ingredient that helps another odor not fade as quick. It can also sometimes help give the odor more push/reach. Another quality of a good fixative is in a formulation it will help bind all the odors together allowing the more volital odors and less volital odors to disperse at a more even rate.
Some people will get preservatives and fixatives confused because the preservatives "stop" the aging process and that means in their minds it fixed the odor, but the two are not the same. A good example is for instance mink glands. They have a know quality of fading moderately quick over time. If fixed properly that fade can be greatly decreased to the point in a formulation or in a storage container they can smell very fresh many year's after being processed. A lot 0f stuff in the lure makers ingredients is considered fixatives by some and I suppose they may have some fixative natures to a degree or may work better with certain products as a fixative but there's some true fixatives that have some very great potential in fixing odors. I've only played a little bit with some of these real powerful fixatives so am definitely not all knowing in their use or potential but from what ive seen they can definitely effect the quality of a formulation when used properly.