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

[Spoonminnow]

Seriously, a coincidence? The bait that you are using to catch a FISH, just so happens to also look like a FISH, and that's a coincidence? WOW, I'm not smart enuff for this sport!

Included the gist of you statement in my reply, above. Coincidence of shape aside, lure design (thin tail) is key IMO, the rest a selling point for those that believe a lure works only because it mimics something.

[CrappiePappy]

Both "opinions/theories" have valid points, IMHO.

But, I will take exception to the notion that nest guarding males won't "EAT" an intruder. I've site fished nesting Bass & Crappie (in clear water) ... and had them attack my lure, hooking them deep in their throats. They didn't just bump it with a closed mouth, to drive it away, or nip at it to send it fleeing. They had every intention of removing the threat, by the most logical method at their disposal ... eating it.

And salt may not have much of an "odor" ... but, it does have a "taste", and salt impregnated plastics do have salt grains that are exposed to the water, so it is feasible that the fish can "smell" it at close distance or taste it when inhaled.

(ever hear of a guy known on the web as "Senko Sam" ?? )

... cp

[Trapper]

Lures have caught more fishermen than fish . If you don't believe that look in your tackle bag or room.

Speed and Depth (along with size of what a certain fish is used to eating ) has more to do with catching fish than anything as far as lure design goes . A special fast or slow wiggle would fall under the speed of a lure and if you don't have it at the right depth where the fish are ,well he can't bite it . A lot of factors like weather , water conditions ,time of year and more should determine what speed and depth you should be fishing . A special wiggle , size or shape would fall under speed for the most part . Seasons and water temps along with water color would fall under depth for the most part .

This is just a small part of the big picture but if you consider Speed and Depth first and what you do with your lures or bait and how it impacts these 2 important aspects , well I think your catch will improve .

I want to stroll over Heaven with you some glad day

[Cane Pole]

Just consider the title disclaimer : "theory" .... and consider it IS his "theory" (opinion) as it were ... and follow the unwritten rule of "Agree to disagree, with civility".

All we have are "theories" and "opinions", as NONE of us can think like a fish (since fish don't actually "think" , just instinctively react)

... cp

Ima stickin' with my story.

[NIMROD]

With pea sized brains I think they just see it as food not a certain thing .

[wannabe fisherman]

all of this is giving me a headache, I think I'll forget it and go fishing.

["G"]

all of this is giving me a headache, I think I'll forget it and go fishing.

I am with you on this

[Ketchn]

it is a rather long winded version of why did they bite that for sure ......LOL

[Spoonminnow]

Lures have caught more fishermen than fish . If you don't believe that look in your tackle bag or room.

Speed and Depth (along with size of what a certain fish is used to eating ) has more to do with catching fish than anything as far as lure design goes . A special fast or slow wiggle would fall under the speed of a lure and if you don't have it at the right depth where the fish are ,well he can't bite it . A lot of factors like weather , water conditions ,time of year and more should determine what speed and depth you should be fishing . A special wiggle , size or shape would fall under speed for the most part . Seasons and water temps along with water color would fall under depth for the most part .

This is just a small part of the big picture but if you consider Speed and Depth first and what you do with your lures or bait and how it impacts these 2 important aspects , well I think your catch will improve .

Excellent!!!!

I will take exception to the notion that nest guarding males won't "EAT" an intruder. I've site fished nesting Bass & Crappie (in clear water) ... and had them attack my lure, hooking them deep in their throats.

I own the five, video cassette, Homer Circle/ Glen Lau series about bass which includes underwater videos of males guarding the nest and their response to intruders. None of the footage shows a bass eating a fish or the small turtle that just happened by.
And yes, I have caught bass guarding nests that have inhaled my bait and then tried to eject it to the side of the nest. Not sure if that qualifies as consumption in order to kill an intruder. I've read also that male bass during the spawn process eats nothing, concentrating on procreation and egg hatch protection.

Please include a YouTube link to a video of a bass eating an egg eater. I'm am always open to correction by visual proof.

On the subject of negative/ positive scent, I've had scented sun tan lotion on my hands and handled baits just before they caught fish. Lotions like that do not come off lures, being water insoluble, and their odor/ taste is distinct to my nose (I won't taste it/ no way!). But in water, molecules have to disperse for a certain time period from a motionless lure to be detected by a fish's senses and then mouthed before it ejects it. Once the strike is felt, there is no time for the fish to reject the lure based on YUK! - it's hooked! Another factor that disproves odor/taste rejection are the repeated attacks on the same or on the second retrieve to the same fish that struck a smelly soft plastic. 25% of the fish I catch fall into that category.

Off course one could say that a different fish in the group hit, but too many times the fish will have hit from a distance, follow the lure to the boat and then caught vertical jigging just to the side of the boat. (Maybe sun tan lotions are acceptable to fish, but I wouldn't gum them.)

The proof will always be in the catching and anyone who fishes with me are witness to any theory I propose. We can't see atoms with the naked eye, but know the devastation when split and used in a bomb. Thank You for pointing that out about theories and certain rejection types of them. Theories fall into the category of what if ? and most can be proven by personal experience and testing. Quoting old ideas stated as fact limits one to a dogma that limits one reading them. IMO

(Yes, I do go by SS on bass sites and rarely visit them because of unfair moderation that allow bashing of some by favorites. I've found this site fair and balanced and enjoy sharing ideas.)

[CrappiePappy]

Spoon ... I can no more prove via video that the nest guarding Bass & Crappie I caught were "eating" the baits, than you can prove by theory that you're provoking strikes by irritating the fish.

My bedding Bass fishing days are many decades behind me, and pre-internet. My bedding Crappie fishing experiences, on the other hand, are not that long ago. I reported on one of those trips, sighting the fact that the bedding fish showed no preference to color/shape of jig body, regardless of age or condition. They did not inhale the jig, then move away from their position & eject it ... even when given ample opportunity to do so. They merely inhaled the jig and maintained their position, even when an attempt was made to pull the jig away from them.

I do agree, however, that "presentation" methods used are a key factor ... but they don't always have to be a "finesse" presentation. I've seen too many people catch fish while acting a fool, to think that.
And lure "design" kudos, coming from a lure designer, are as suspect as commercial mfg's hype. I've actually increased my normal catch rate, since going to stinger shad style bodies from tubes & paddletail bodies ... and I slow swim them on semi-slack line, imparting no added action to their return. I seriously doubt a 1.5" piece of colored plastic falling/gliding through the water is intimidating or irritating or provoking to a Crappie that's 10-100 times it's size. I do believe, however, that the fish see it as a potential food item & non-threatening "easy meal". Were it anything else, in the mind of those fish, I'd expect them to avoid it, ignore it, try to chase it away by bumping it with a closed mouth, or nip at it to drive it away.

Your sales pitch would do well to not limit itself to being a "provoking/irritating" reason for a strike, but also include the fact that fish want to "eat" the bait, regardless of whether they're hungry or not. (then you'd have both sides of the "reason spectrum" covered)

... cp