Thread: Something for a newbie to consider lurewise

A dental hygienist working on my teeth knew me from previous visits as a fishing fanatic. She told me she takes her 4 yr old fishing but that he doesn't have much luck with crap tackle she got at Walmart. This is what I printed suggesting what she thinks about when using some of my handcrafted lures that I'll be giving her.

A bit about fish and what they attack

1. No one knows for sure why fish attack man-made objects.
Fish don't know anything and may be incapable of knowing anything. Thus, lures do not fool fish.
If something catches a fish's attention, it does one of three things: ignores it, swims over to watch it and/or attacks it. Predicting what fish do is a crap shoot at best; predicting what fish strike more often is discovered by experience.


2. The words natural and unnatural are not in a fish's vocabulary.
Examples: a. I throw bits of bread to sunfish and turtles that eat them with gusto daily;
b.Recently I threw a piece of surloin to a bass that got close to it on the bottom, which was picked up by a sunfish which the bass chased to grab the meat out of the sunnies mouth.


Lures are attacked regardless of what is claimed as to their natural appearance. None of the above are natural in any way. What we cast either provokes an attack or not. (Bass watch sunfish go nuts on the surface for bits of bread but will only fight sunfish for bits of real meat not found in the water they live in.)


3. When it comes to lures, lure action speaks loudest to fish. A thrown stick or pebble has no action and gets no response. Many lures made of hair, feather, silicone rubber, shiny metal and other materials have a proven track record when it comes to thier ability to provoke strikes. Tease is a more accurate word when it takes longer to get fish to attack something worked in one spot. (i.e. under a float)


4. Presentation involves lure motion as imparted by the angler anywhere from the surface to the bottom. Lure motion includes lure speed, action horizontally or vertically whether constant or intermittent along with where in the water column a lure is used. No lure will work if any of those variables aren't considered.


5. Keep it simple, meaning: find what catches fish and count on it to catch fish in the future. Many lures sold are not consistent when it comes to getting fish to bite. Of course a fish could strike any lure instantly in what is called a reaction strike, but generally speaking, fish will attack something. even after seeing other fish caught on it year after year. Stay with what works.


Just some thoughts before going out today.

Originally Posted by DockShootinJack

Hard to beat a bobber, weight, hook and a chunk of earth worm for a 4 yo

That’s very good advice. Took me through my boyhood just fine!
Bob