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Thread: Theory why fish bite lures. Pretty long winded so you might want to open the topic...

  1. #1
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    Default Theory why fish bite lures. Pretty long winded so you might want to open the topic...


    ...some other time when might actually be interested.

    I started hand pouring soft plastic lures years ago and always thought the lures produced had to be as perfect as those mass produced by companies such as Mr Twister, Zoom and Berkley. But I discovered that wasn't the case after watching a friend catch fish through the ice on a thin, unshaped piece of plastic he had melted down from some old lures and hooked to a jig. He got better with the shapes of his baits but they were still nothing to write home about. The most important lesson I learned from watching him: fish react to lures with no thought process involved. A lure works most of the time or it doesn't.

    All of the beautiful paint jobs, natural looking soft plastics or taste additives (YUM) mean nothing to predator fish IMO. They have amazing senses that detect movement underwater and detection is the first step in catching them. Once you have their attention, it's just a matter of pushing the right buttons to get them to react. The buttons I'm referring to are: lure design and presentation.

    Many of us have fished with lures we thought fish thought were a specific prey animal such as a fish, insect or worm. But in order for a fish to recognize a species of animal, it had to have seen it at least a few times. What's more, even if a fish had seen a worm once, it's memory is limited and forgets anything it may have attacked after a season. In lakes with thousands of fish, the great majority have never seen lures much less bit them until you and I put one near enough and long enough to get a reaction due to a proper presentation.

    Anglers who have caught fish on many lure types, should be aware of the unique action and vibrations of the best lures they own that catch fish. A fish's lateral line may detect rattles in crank baits but not so much with soft plastics. But even barely moving soft plastic lures will still get their attention and begin the process of irritating a fish to strike.

    Note: that I didn't say lures convince a fish of anything because fish with brains the size of a pea are blank pages and simple conduits connecting senses to muscles. Fish don't say to themselves, 'man that's one fine looking crawdad, think I'll eat it!' In other words, fish don't think, they simply react. Again, this anglers conjecture.
    Remember when creature baits first came out. They resembled nothing in nature, yet caught fish. No one except one prone to self deception could ever believe bass believe the lures pictured below represent crawfish.



    You've heard the expression: action speaks louder than words? Well I've got to believe that a lure's action is what catches fish, with lure appearance a close second.

    I'm not saying that lure profile is insignificant as say when a lure looks similar to a bait fish - (in fact, I use the lure design pictured below 95% of the time and always catch fish of different species. Coincidentally they look and move like a minnow but IMO aren't successful because they look and move like a minnow. Going one step further, for augments sake, maybe fish believe they are eating a minnow, but I'd rather believe the most important reason for the lure's success is the lure's thin tail action-by-design (and maybe also the sparkle in the plastic).



    Concept: lures irritate fish into striking
    Ever have have a fly buzzing around your head, in your face, near your eyes? After about a minute you're just about ready to explode with an irritation-caused anger. I doubt fish get angry, but they are provoked by lures that move a certain way and that irritate them into striking - like a human striking at an annoying bug. The lure above will even catch fish when attached to a light jig suspended under a float with little or no angler action. The tail flutter of many soft plastic grubs provoke dumb fish to strike regardless what fish thinks a bait is.

    Other examples are: the strobe-like flash of a spinner's blade ; the flapper tails on the craw and creature baits pictured above; the tail and body wobble of a Senko slowly dropping to the bottom; and the glide and flutter of a hair jig. Regardless : A lure's action is key to any lure's success.

    Concept: presentation can make all the difference
    When it comes to lure action, some have none unless imparted by you the angler. A lure doesn't have to have moving parts to attract fish to it, but it always needs some sort of action to provoke fish into striking it. A rod twitch or 1/4 turn of the reel handle may be all it takes. In fact I'd bet most of you prefer a varied speed presentation like I do. ( I've rarely found a steady retrieve to work for most lures except lures with spinner blades). And like the fly buzzing around your head, the lure's start-&-go action has a fish beside itself, especially on a second cast to the same spot the fish hit and missed.

    Something to think about beyond what we've take for granted why fish strike lures. Believe what you will, but never discount what your eyes tell you as you watch that lure moving in the water. Fish don't.
    Last edited by Spoonminnow; 11-19-2015 at 10:35 PM.

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    I'm glad you continually post the same opinions...we could agree to disagree on everything in your post, but that would be just 2 people with different opinions.

    I would rather have my argument substantiated with research and fact, and it is...You continue to balance your opinion against science and fact, and are always voicing an opinion that goes against people who actually get paid to know!

    Crappie don't get irritated, they defend nests until time to leave, big fish move small fish out without fighting....they feed!
    Their brains are big enough and evolved enough, to allow them to follow patterns, breed, stay alive, and Feed!
    Just continue to Match the Hatch and you'll be just fine!

    Good Fishing!
    Keitech USA Pro Staff
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    the one thing that stands out is that in the opinion of the author taste has nothing to do with it . fish have nostrils and if you look at one when you ketch it you can clearly see them . if very turbid waters fish rely heavily on smell to locate prey items and that I know to be a fact . I fish very low visibility waters frequently and have no doubt if I didn't use taste or smell to my advantage I would be in the boat with those that are not quite as "lucky" as my crew .
    sum kawl me tha outlaw ketchn whales
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    Except most lures move too fast for smell to be detected. I've caught many pan fish under the ice and none of the soft plastic worked slowly in place were scented or tasted like anything. A friend of mine uses Berkley Minnows from a jar on a light jig under a float; I use the same size minnow I pour, swimming the jig along bottom. I cover more water and catch more fish. He does okay when a school is present, but who doesn't? In both are cases, presentation and minimal lure movement are key. In my case, the slight flutter of the tail is also a big plus.

    The point I was trying to make clear is that anglers prefer certain lures within a lure type and for reasons that have to do with some unique quality of that lure.
    For example:

    Not all shad lures do well (Mr Twister Sassy Shad is still one of the best);
    Senkos have specific amounts of salt and softener to make them fall at the right speed, causing tip rotation;
    crankbaits such as Lucky Craft are preferred by some over Rebels or Arbogast because of better design;
    certain spinnerbaits may be chosen because anglers know when a single blade works better than tandem blades or when a large willow leaf blade is preferable to a large Colorado blade;
    I prefer my thin straight-tail minnow to Mr Twister curl tail grubs because of its greater versatility and finesse action;
    we chose jig weight depending on speed of retrieve in certain depths

    All of the above may not be accurate reasons certain lures work better than others by consensus, but enough anglers realize there are differences in action and quality, making certain lures preferable - nothing having to do with a prey species except maybe as a side note or rationalization.

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    so lets go into this scent smell taste subject a little more in depth . most of the time when we try to ketch crappie our presentations are moving VERY slowly if at all . that said the scent molecules then disperse from said bait into the water column . they may drift with whatever current is present or just "pool" below the offering like a small cloud . inactive fish or fish that are beyond the "visual" range of the bait quite frequently then move closer to the "smell" .
    I am not trying to be argumentative but I wouldn't want a novice angler to read this and be confused . I have actually seen on more than one occasion people handle things such as the outboard itself and or the hydraulics ...even the trailer items and then go out and handle the bait on the line and NOT get a single bite while others in the boat are slaying the fish .
    in one case we washed his hands and used some fle fly spray on his hands along with fresh baits on fresh line as well ,and the VERY next drop he got his first fish on . I might just go on to mention he was using the same bait as us and fishing the same depth and he is a great fisherman . and we all could not figure out how he couldn't get bit . we were dragging multiple species out like a tv show and he was sitting there like what the heck ?
    so in my closing I would STRONGLY suggest and urge you to try putting scents into your equation sir ....
    sum kawl me tha outlaw ketchn whales
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    Experience has shown me that scent makes a huge difference, especially during a slow bite. In fact, there are times (like last weekend, after a front) that I threw the kitchen sink at 'em. Live minnows,and only live minnows, was the ticket.

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    If it works use it, but like matching lures to a current animal being preyed upon, the believer is not the fish. Between the three of us fishing a lake today with water temp now 46, none used anything but soft plastics - none scented and none that resembled a particular species. Over 70 fish were caught of the following species: yellow perch, crappie and sunfish. The Joker pictured below accounted for many of the perch I caught.

    Why did it work?
    1.Possibly because of the three legged action (design) jigged slowly off bottom (presentation) in 9'.
    2.Possibly also color brightness/ contrast (visual attention getter) with the bottom and sideways against a water background .
    3.Add also: the 1/8 oz jig that dropped fast when jigged on bottom (lure speed factor).
    Name:  mr-crappie-2-inch-joker.jpg
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    But one thing is for sure: the lure looks like and acts like nothing in nature.

    The minnow shaped lure I used 90 % of the time looked (profile-wise top and side view) and moved like a minnow but no particular species of minnow. See the lures in the top storage box below? Chartreuse with black flake and green pumpkin with clear tail/sparkle (next to it) caught the majority of fish. Any of the colors would have worked in that design and have all year long in a dozen different lakes. Why has it worked so well: the thin straight tail and the bodies narrow profile - by design. The coincidence of the lure's similarity to a fish is besides the point.




    In fact Mann's 3" Shadow Minnow catches far few fish because of poor action, regardless of the pretty tail fin added for the angler buying it.
    Name:  Shadow.png
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    For anyone else that gets the importance of lure action-by-design, I'm glad. Lure manufacturers figured it out long ago as did I after making my own and testing them.
    Last edited by Spoonminnow; 11-21-2015 at 08:34 PM.

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    Geez, and all this time I thought the ate cause theys hungry. So much for common sense.
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    Quote Originally Posted by Cane Pole View Post
    Geez, and all this time I thought the ate cause theys hungry. So much for common sense.
    Now that's funny right there!
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    Quote Originally Posted by Spoonminnow View Post
    Except most lures move too fast for smell to be detected. I've caught many pan fish under the ice and none of the soft plastic worked slowly in place were scented or tasted like anything. A friend of mine uses Berkley Minnows from a jar on a light jig under a float; I use the same size minnow I pour, swimming the jig along bottom. I cover more water and catch more fish. He does okay when a school is present, but who doesn't? In both are cases, presentation and minimal lure movement are key. In my case, the slight flutter of the tail is also a big plus.

    The point I was trying to make clear is that anglers prefer certain lures within a lure type and for reasons that have to do with some unique quality of that lure.
    For example:

    Not all shad lures do well (Mr Twister Sassy Shad is still one of the best);
    Senkos have specific amounts of salt and softener to make them fall at the right speed, causing tip rotation;
    crankbaits such as Lucky Craft are preferred by some over Rebels or Arbogast because of better design;
    certain spinnerbaits may be chosen because anglers know when a single blade works better than tandem blades or when a large willow leaf blade is preferable to a large Colorado blade;
    I prefer my thin straight-tail minnow to Mr Twister curl tail grubs because of its greater versatility and finesse action;
    we chose jig weight depending on speed of retrieve in certain depths

    All of the above may not be accurate reasons certain lures work better than others by consensus, but enough anglers realize there are differences in action and quality, making certain lures preferable - nothing having to do with a prey species except maybe as a side note or rationalization.
    OMGosh....All of those lures are made to mimic a prey species and specific actions...the salt in lures is for taste, salt also makes plastics softer if it is in the Plastic!
    As a swimbait person, Sassy Shad's are junk for swimming, they are better as a stationary bait with minimal action, like you use (finesse). An angled paddle tail acts as a spoiler and has little resistance to make it move properly, also the plastic is poor!
    Keitech USA Pro Staff

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