I'm setting here pondering a thought WHY! you know people try to come up with new Idea's, new way's ,new look's, new concept's and it's all for not! fish have been caught for age's animal's have been harvested the same length of time I notice as I grow older I want thing's easier in My life do fish and animal's think like this. I'm not a betting Man but if were to say it would be yes, think a minute Mature buck's grow older by avoiding hunter's young one's learn this by traveling with them at NIGHT! Fish learn spawning and feeding patteren's by instinct they avoid being eatten by using cover be it brush or darkness ? and it's a food chain thing so here it is . The bait your using where's it at in the food chain did you buy it because it look's realistic what does it look like 20 foot under water some of these minnow jig's look like a pumkin on a tomatoe plant is this natural NO! do you catch fish sometime's all's you have to do is think basic present a ture likeness of what their feeding on in a simular movement patteren and yuo'll have sucess here's the challange when it's my turn to do a swap it will be based on food chain patteren's color and shape I'm putting this mind thought question at you now so you are prepared My most succesful bait is the easiest to tie and it's very plentiful in My home water's and the fish I seek know this!
Be ready Men FF![]()
Well all I have to say about fish and them recognizing a certain bait. I have a little spot off the dock next door that I have been fishing for the last 9-10 years. I go out there when I am not going out in my boat and just want to have something pull my string. I catch a lot of bass there, not big or anything, but lots of them. I know that if I am out there one afternoon and catch fish on some color bait that if I go back the next afternoon I had better at least change color or I am not going to get the normal bites I get there. If I change from a wacky worm to a jerk bait or some other style that is good enough too, but if I go back with same color and style I will not get bit enough for my fun.
I also know that a good shad pattern on this lake should be good as it is full of them, but I also know even though that is their main food source many times a different color will produce better even if the shad bait looks like a shad.
And what it looks like them them is pure speculation to me because I have no idea what they see or how they see it, but I do know when I get bit.
Skip
Simple is good.
Fish might have better memories than some of us - wait till you get to be my age!
I think I am in the same boat as 1aB
I look forward to that swap FF. I am in the process of developing an Egg sucking Leech on a jig head with a wide body and a ribbon tail in my crochet pattern. Guess I better get to working on it.
Going for total realism. Anyone got a picture of a leech sucking on an egg? I mean in the wild! Last time I checked there shouldn't be a body of water that doesn't have leeches so it should work, right?
I love taking my kids fishing, now if I could just manage to fish at the same time.
My buddy fishes with micro jigs in crazy color schemes year round and does pretty good. He calls it the jelly bean theory, no matter if your hungry or not if somebody has a bowl of those fancy jelly beans out you will pick out the blue one with the pink dots and try it just to see what it tastes like. He says fish are the same way, they see something they've never seen before they're going to taste it even if they're not hungry. We had days where the only thing we would catch was maybe one big crappie and it would be him on a orange jig head with a pink tail with a chartruse nibble and I would be trying every "normal" color in the box.
MY biggest came off of orange and yellow.........and another one thatd look like his twin off of a solid black, which isnt unusual for here. Black is great. especially under large boat docks.
Flat
I don't know about natural vs manmade - what works on a given day works - who knows why?
Case in point - this summer, I was on a small impoundment - mid summer, water temps easily in the 70s, early morning, call it 6am-10.30 am.
I was fishing a 1/16 oz white head, red collar, yellow marabou jig. The crappies liked it, a 23" carp liked it. Tryed white hd, white marabou - nothing doing. Tryed a black hd, white marabou jig, nothing doing. Went back to the yellow - and fish on, again...and again...
The yellow marabou couldn't have looked like a minnow, nor could it have looked like bottom growth or what ever it is that carp eat, yet both the crappies and the carp wanted it.
On another trip to that same water, I'd catch 2-3 fish on a given jig, then they would stop. Change jigs, catch 2-3, etc....
Who knows what fish think, or IF THEY THINK....that is part of the mystry of fishing....
My $.03....inflation, you know.
UG