Instinct - a fish's best friend or worst enemy

[Spoonminnow]

so why do mfg's name their lures .... "minnow", "Shad", "craw", "worm", etc. ?? And why do they make them near spittin images of said creatures, in size, shape, color, and even scent ??

uhhh, could it be so people would buy them? For every "near spittin image" there are 50 that resemble nothing in nature in action, shape or color. If you haven't noticed that in all your decades of fishing lures, I can't help you.

In my last reply, my suggestion when it comes to lure choice, is based on testing and observing a lure in the water that did well and continue using it just in case its success was one time thing. You can name it tiddlywinks and dip it in fish guts for all I care. What's important is to evaluate lures based on their attributes and not on company ads or a fishing guru, which most of the time feed into the flights of fantasy of suckers and newbies alike.

Cast what works - PERIOD! I did today and yesterday which accounted for 152 fish/ 5 species per the two outings. Got pictures if anyone is interested.

Sorry but none are"minnows", "Shads", "craws", "worms", etc. In fact, they have names that describe their shapes like: light bulb, whiskers, rat tail, thin/flat tail, Mo Magic Grub (mold name), Softie Worm (to destingush it from other plastic worms), claw, thumper (boot tail), mini hot dog, cone tail, long taper and the list goes on.

ALL have caught fish at one time or other and still do!
(Of course, if I were to sell any of them I'd have to rename them "minnow", "Shad", "craw", "worm", etc.)

[CrappiePappy]

So the following don't exist, and don't mimic the critter they're named after ??

Berkley Gulp Trout Worm
Berkley Gulp Minnow
BPS Paddle Tail Minnow
Northland Mimic Shad
Southern Pro Crappie Craw
Bobby Garland Baby Shad
Strike King Scizzor Shad
Basstrix Flash Trix Silverside
Slabanator Mud Bugz


And of course they're named that so people will buy them, but that's because they mimic what's normally considered "food" by the fish species the angler is after.

And just exactly what occurs naturally "in Nature" that your creations resemble ??

If I just wanted to catch "fish", I'd tie on a 1/16oz marabou Road Runner in Chartreuse on 4# test line and start flinging it. I've already racked up a 12# Tiger Muskie, 4# Smallmouth, several 3-4# Largemouth, countless Catfish/Drum/Panfish, some SkipJack Shad (Blue Herring), White Bass, and Hybrid Striped Bass on that very bait. But, most of those species were bycatches when targeting Crappie, which is my primary species of interest.

[Ketchn]

Well since I don't think fish can read the names of lures - I highly doubt a lure named Fish Repellant or Fish Deterrent would sell like hotcakes?

The zero bites minnow , yep , sounds ketchy to me …..
With a for sure zero to no kaboom guarantee in the small print ….

[Spoonminnow]

Again, imagination is a wonderful thing until it steers you into making up lies to tell yourself that fits your narrative. Scissor Shad for example.

The lures on top are a combination of grub body and Joker Grub tails.
The one below it has similar tails and a fat shape unlike that of any shad. It neither look nor moves like anything that ever lived - including a shad. Color assortment also looks nothing like that of a fish.



Only you believes the lure gets bit because fish think the lure is some sort of prey fish.
I'm sure all of your examples fall into the category of:
lies I told myself to justify buying more crap I didn't need

and not because fish strike them for the reasons you imagine. 2+2 does not = 7! (I bet you closed your eyes reaching into the tackle box to chose a lure from the assortment you listed. You wouldn't just happen to be a sponsor of any of them - are you?)

BTW - Ya think a lure that looks like the clown fish is a reasonable shad imitation? Bet you would, though the clown fish is a far cry from any north American shad I 've seen though much closer than your Scissor Shad.

[DWILL]

I think for a long time, fishermen have been suckered into new baits. I know I have. But I buy baits also that I have had success with and that I think will make a fish bite. Some do, and some don't. I have the example you wanted. There is a reason we chase bait fish. Whether we are fishing for bass, crappie, or most fish. I'm going to do this post and stop and just say we disagree and agree on certain things. What do the lures in these photos mimic to you? Those "Steel Shad" are a really versatile lure that can catch about anything. They can be fished about any way you want. But what do you think they are imitating? I do think you are right about fish being dumb. But, I think the pressure they have been put under has made them smarter. Maybe instead of smarter, i should say we made them adapt. I hope you have a good day and get to fish and catch a bunch.

Sent from my SM-S908U1 using Crappie.com Fishing mobile app

[Spoonminnow]

What do the lures in these photos mimic ?
Wish I could say they do, but the realist in me says differently. Again, none of those lures are exact copies of anything fish eat - not in shape nor action. Putting a name tag on a pig doesn't change what it is, can or can not do.

Key is that lures do well but for reasons you and many others won't or can't accept having to do with fish senses but no brains to speak of. Lure design specifics set them apart. Lure design is like a recipe: it either passes the taste test or not - taste - figuratively speaking.

As far as fishing pressure and fish adapting to it? No agreement at all. Fish move around for unknown reasons but patterns do happen where fish can be found and caught day after day in the same week.

I caught fish yesterday in the same area as the day before and many bigger fish at that. Hooking fish in a school should be a clue that something with hooks is not to be messed with. But noooo - one after another gets caught because.... ? Kinda goes back to the lack of a thought process.

(BTW : Scent?!!! Kinda like adding perfume to a pig. No one cares except maybe the pig.)

[CrappiePappy]

I'm thinking that "fish" don't always care if the lure looks exactly like something real in Nature. Get it close enough to their strike zone and they're gonna take notice. Your "creations" are a prime example of that. But I still reject the notion that lures "aggravate" fish into biting them (all the time). If their prey species had to aggravate them into eating them, as opposed to stimulating them into feeding upon them, then most of those "fish" would die of starvation within the first year of their lives. Most "fish" are sight feeders, primarily, but also rely on scent & picking up vibrations thru their lateral lines.

I'll continue to "lie" to myself, and continue to catch Crappie (like I've been doing successfully for the past 65yrs), if you don't mind. And you can continue to do your thing & catch "fish".

[Spoonminnow]

I'm thinking that "fish" don't always care if the lure looks exactly like something real in Nature

Good, because most lures don't even come close.

rely on scent

Where's the research that proves it helps? Carp feeding on a rotting animal -maybe.

Common scenario: Fish are surrounded by bait fish but don't feed, yet a lure comes into the strike zone and BAM! I would bet that happens 99% of the time.
I like the name of a company that sells lures: Reaction Innovations
Says it all. Fish react to my or another's innovations that meet the requirements of size, shape and action.
Any one of those wrong - no strikes.

Example: yesterday I was not getting strikes on one design and size. Switched to one smaller with a finesse tail and caught a fish and then another and then another. The school was turned on and bit time!

Moved parallel to shore to the south and same thing - used a small lure - turned on inactive fish and then went larger, as well as testing different lure shapes on 3 other rods.

Natural is in the eye of the beholder. Coincidence happens when a lure moves and looks natural to the angler but maybe not a factor for fish striking it. I caught fish on Mann's Shadow and granted it looks like a minnow, but so what?

Just because a lure looks a certain way doesn't guarantee strikes. I had to reduce jig weight to get it to work slower in less than 4' where fish were schooled. Jig weight can enhance a lure's action or kill it same as hook size. The other thing was the retrieve. It never works on a steady retrieve but does well jigging it off bottom and then a few feet parallel to bottom. Technical considerations matter far more than guessing what fish believes what a lure is supposed to represent!

Again 8 different shapes caught with over 140 fish in two days! Obviously I wasn't trying to match anything!

Note: Other photos in previous reply.

Nice to compare ideas, but for the most part I am putting these out for everyone to consider. Your way may work for some guessing why fish strike; my way works for anyone I've fished with or that have read my posts with photo proof don't have to guess.

[CrappiePappy]

"Your way may work for some guessing why fish strike; my way works for anyone I've fished with or that have read my posts with photo proof don't have to guess."

LOL !! Actually, your lures shown are not all that different than what I'm usually using. And mine don't look "exactly" like a real critter that fish would feed on, in either size, action, or color. They just come close enough to peak the interest of the particular fish I'm looking to catch. I could care less about getting bit by Bluegill, Bass, Perch, or most any of the other species available in my waters. I don't even count them as "catches" when the day is done.

BTW ... if "scent" isn't a factor in fish feeding, why have I (and many others) caught multitudes of Crappie (& other species) on minnows, Shad, or Silversides that were cut in half ??

[Spoonminnow]

And mine don't look "exactly" like a real critter that fish would feed on, in either size, action, or color.

No one said they should. But fish aren't that picky when it comes to details regarding what lures represent prey-wise and more to what is tickling the lateral line, drawing and holding their attention visually and actions that are out of place.

The lure designs DWILL posted are exactly what I'm talking about being the least realistic in motion and shape yet I've caught fish on all of them in my 74 yrs. Premade lures don't do it for me anymore considering the universe of lure shape, action and color combinations. Further astounding me is when fish smaller than your pinky and 10# carp get hooked on something only their senses can relate to. I'm talking about subtle lure motions as well as in-their-face visual affects only fish can appreciate in murky water.

Example 1: My thin flat tail and spike tail lures have the same subtle quiver of a minnow whether in motion or under a float. I believe fish senses recognize that action visually and via the LL. To a fish it feels and looks right even though the lures don't look like a prey animal.

Example 2: The darting action I impart on many different designs, immediately get a fish's attention and hold it because minnows that swim for their lives, don't swim in a straight line but zig zag trying to avoid jaws. Silver sided minnows demonstrate this action as well as body-flashes that predators sense - again visually and with the LL that say, "hey, I want me some of dat!!!"

Example 3. Fish senses get overloaded but not too much so to swim away when something outrageous interrupts their quiet meditation. One example is tandem # 6 silver Colorado or willow leaf blades on a spinerbait. The strobe-like flash is annoying and out-of-place and must be destroyed by the terminator-of-annoying crap! Ambushed lures are many including the Rat L Trap, Zara Spook, buzz baits, wide-lip crankbaits and large boot-tail swimbaits, leaving little time to appreciate shape and color. They are just too much for the senses to bare!

Example 4: Anything else the senses relate to live prey such as when I paint stripes on a chartreuse lure with orange slashes loosely interpreted as a yellow perch - one of the most desired meals fish can easily catch & swallow in one motion. (the bass in my pond convinced me of that Big Time!)

So, we may be apart on some reasons fish strike lures, but my reasons suggest that fish are open to suggestion when it comes to lure actions and some visual qualities nature intended for them to notice and act on.