“When I’m choosing the lure I will use for the day, I think not what the lure can do for me, but what I can do for the lure. The lightest flicker of my pinkie on my rod sends almost imperceptible vibrations through the rod, down the line and into the bait. ”
I think most competent anglers do what the OP suggests: think action, color, speed, etc, and not imitation.
Personally, I think fish strike because they are dumb.
Excellent!
Just a good link to check out on the topic I think you guys might find some interesting things about said new member
http://www.crappie.com/crappie/main-crappie-fishing-forum/319705-theory-fish-bite-lures-pretty-long-winded-open-topic/
If you’ve read Immitators replies, you might find them a bit over the top with BS facts supporting his claim that an angler must match the current forage in order to catch fish.
My post was intended to leave the door wide open for any angler of any age to able to catch most fish species based on 1. fish can be provoked even if inactive, 2. finesse lures and presentations at times are more effective than flashy large-action lures and faster lure speeds.(An example would be crankbaits or Beetle-Spins) and 3. it’s fun to be able to catch fish on a greater selection of lures that you have confidence in and eliminate those that don’t cut it.
As a lure maker, the challenge for me is finding soft plastic designs and modifications that I can always count on to catch most species of freshwater fish. Any of you can modify some of the soft plastics you own and in some cases make them better. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist mentality to understand that little things count:
smaller line diameter
smaller lure length
less lure speed/ intermittent pauses in retrieve
less flash (though a bit of flash can get and hold a fish’s attention)
no action tail (Sassy Shad and curly tails) at times really gets them to react far better
To summarize the original post: fish don’t think, they react or don’t react and finding that which provokes them (like poking a dog with a stick) is key to getting more bites – which is quite simple when you think about it.
<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>mplspug wrote:</div>
I’m still trying to figure out what he is saying. He didn’t even ask a question, so not sure what type of responses he was expecting.I think he is saying he uses lures that stimulate the lateral line of fish. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lateral_line
So basically if something catches their attention, will fit in their mouth and they are hungry enough they may try and eat it.
“researchers demonstrated that the lateral line system was necessary to detect vibrations made by prey and to orient fish towards the source to begin predatory action”
Started getting cross eyed reading the wiki article, but the above illustrates the connection between lure action and detection. After feeling a lures presence – even when held still – the visual component of a lure adds to it’s vibration value.
(I don’t believe fish usually strike lures because of hunger.)
Thanks for the source.
Examples of lure modification/ all will catch fish once fish fish are found. Used most of them to catch yellow perch last December in 40 degree water. They were rigged on a 1/32 oz ball head jig tied to 6 lb test mono.
The lures pictured are especially good for pan fish and at times work better than lures that must be moved at a certain speed for an action tail to move. These even work suspended beneath a float or when used with a drop shot rig, with the weight used a jig head and lure.
core-shot_minnow_-and-one-laminate-dipped.jpg
The Snook AKA Sideliner AKA Chuckie Norris of the Sea is the most BA fish that swims. It openly flaunts its lateral line before it kills its prey.
I fished for snook in Florida – never caught one. That aside, here’s why I started the post.
Before I went into the service in ’69, my only experience with lures was live bait. While stationed in Texas, I started reading about lures in various magazines and watched fishing shows on TV. Pretty much everything mentioned strongly suggested using lures that fish thought were a prey species. Little did I know was that most of the information was manufacturer hype which has continued until the present. Sure, Bill Dance was entertaining, but instructive?
Funny though it took me over forty years to understand one simple thing: nothing you or I cast has to represent any forage species whether it be color, shape or action. And after I got into making lures with a friend of mine and trying them locally did I wake up to the previous statement of fact.
I’ve caught freshwater fish on every type of lure you can think of, always searching for lures that would work all the time or at least on the majority of outings. I started to experiment with colors – especially unnatural colors – caught fish and once and for all came to the conclusion that lure color is secondary to lure action and angler presentation.
As a lure maker, the challenge is ongoing: find as many lures as I can that provoke fish to bite. To be sure, I’ll always carry and use classic lures such as topwater baits, bass jigs and trailers in different designs, crankbaits, spinnerbaits, etc., but much of the time I’ll cast my own creations.
When I can’t fish (as in the last few winter months), I make lures, experiment with different designs in different colors – a hobby that parallels fishing and uses just as much creative energy as on the water. Fished tournaments and won some, but the excitement wore off and was replaced by a more purist goal. What’s more, I’ve shared my lures and presentations with other anglers and gotten the satisfaction of hearing how well they did. (BTW, I don’t sell anything.)
I guess that’s what was missing all these years – people to fish with to compare notes. Too often they would just move away (like when I was in the service) or as in the case of clubs, a majority usually only fished with certain buddies except in tournaments when they didn’t have a choice due to luck of the partner draw.
Don’t read the above if there’s too many words; believe it or not there is a big difference between showing off and sharing.
Personally I like to read articles written by pro anglers or writers I respect (like Rich Zaleski). Their tips come in handy and you can never know too much when it comes to fishing.
Frank
BTW – some great catches posed by many of the members on this site!
I think most competent anglers do what the OP suggests: think action, color, speed, etc, and not imitation. Nobody thinks walleyes eat crawler harnesses because they “look like” anything.
“To be completely forthright, I don’t like the word lure. Acknowledging that this object is being used to ‘trick’ a fish into biting is giving the fish the upper hand psychologically from the beginning. It is essential to believe that you are NOT fooling the fish, much to the contrary.”
Since this post a few years ago, I’ve been making and testing a wide range of soft plastic shapes and actions and caught hundreds of fish and 6 species. It’s nice to know that to know that fish prefer certain lures most of the time and so many at that.
The proof is in the catching.
Why and what fish bite?
Why=natural instinct to survive. HungryWhat = anything in the ecosystem within their habitat that they can consume that requires the least amount of energy expended.
Being rude in opening posts to fellow IDO members that frequently contribute to a vast array of topics = asinine
Agree! 100%
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Batman.jpg
You are dating yourself by referencing Adam West and Burt Ward. lol 
You are dating yourself by referencing Adam West and Burt Ward. lol
You are dating yourself by knowing who those actors are.
No denying it – I’m getting old. lol
Out of the two parties involved in fishing, the one under the water is vastly more intelligent. No matter how much thought we put into it.
Lure selection is much simpler. Lures are designed to catch fishermen and separate them from their money. I don’t need to think about it any harder than that.
From the three post admitted after the the op I decided to skip the rest.
Lately we have been downright mean and unsupportive.
Waiting for open water can drive us crazy.
Fish eat because it’s their nature. I believe if a musky is hungry, you could throw a floating turd with hooks and catch one . I have seen 4 rods with store bought suckers, and one with a good chub, the tips going nuts, the flat took the chub. It was hungry and the chub was the right bait. DK.
What is this? My birthday week?
Lets bash this hoser back to his production shop / spare bedroom!!
Formulating and articulating original thoughts is for IDIOTS!!
This guy, am i right?
Dragging up a post from 2016 must be having a bad day.
As my uncle Dave says:
“When the fish are biting, it really doesn’t matter what you use. When the fish aren’t biting, it really doesn’t matter what you use”.
As my uncle Dave says:
“When the fish are biting, it really doesn’t matter what you use. When the fish aren’t biting, it really doesn’t matter what you use”.
Location, location, location
Surface water temperature has been around 85 and a lot of rain has fallen in the northeast. Some would say fish are stressed in hot water and less likely to hit lures, but I’ve caught fish in water as low as 37 degrees and as high as 87 degrees with the strikes easily detected.
When it comes to the last excuse anglers insist the reason they haven’t caught fish, wrong location is #1, wrong lure and presentation aren’t far behind for few fish or no fish. I fish for any species that bites because I’m addicted to the strike regardless what strikes. Ultralight and small lures pretty much guarantee bites once I find fish and lure designs are many that I can count on. That’s not to say larger fish can’t be caught on small lures, but that any size fish may strike them for whatever reasons including those that have been mentioned previously (most of which I don’t buy).
Assumptions for the strike may make some anglers feel more confident knowing for sure why fish bite lures, but it ultimately comes down to the big 3 reasons anglers catch fish or not: location, lure design and presentation.
Modifying lures and pouring my own as well as testing them, has given me insights about lure design characteristics that can be counted on. If the presentation is slow, which is one I use 99% of the time, it matters big time! In fact fish IMO are not actively feeding a majority of time and lures irritate fish via their senses and provoke aggression. In one outing I used a dozen different body and tail designs and caught over 70 fish/ 5 species including a 2.75 lb bass.
Most days I catch over 50 fish and usually most are found in only 3-5 areas of a lake. Sonar is essential as well as knowing the bottom and the depths and I usually catch fish in water 3-9′. The deeper the water, the greater the necessity to try different depths from near the surface to the bottom. Thank God for braid and a sensitive rod for the long distance strikes and hook sets that I’m able to get using jig heads as light at 1/32 oz with lures that provide weight.
I’m getting back into to trying wacky rigged sticks and Ned rig stick halves. I tested a few in my pond and got many powerful strikes from bass. What I found most significant was using a 1/8 or 1/4 oz ball head jig in both rigs. The speed of the drop to the bottom I believe got their attention and held it until the lure was moved just a bit. There are at least three waters I will further test these rigs along with stick modifications I’m sure will cause bass to tempt fate.
Lure design and presentation matter for whatever reason. All I know is that many designs sold don’t work and hook more angler wallets than fish. The ones below I’m confident will work along with others.
It is a technical matter. The average dumb SOB does not know what he talking about.
And I might add neither do you.
Let me put these question out there:
After deciding which lures to cast and one or only a few catches the most fish on that particular day, what could be the reasons? Here are a few specific question:
You might do better on a spinnerbait with a certain blade size and shape, skirt fullness, lead weight, etc. than other spinnerbaits that are different in one or more options. Why? Same for skirted jigs that are different and have different trailers. Why does one excel?
Are all plastic worms or soft sticks (Senkos for example) equal in your opinion? If not, what makes one superior?
The list is large of lures you’ve found to do better whether surface or subsurface, in the same or different category and maybe the why is not as important as the result – simply stated, catching more and larger fish by randomly changing lures.
Here’s a question for you….
Is it really that hard for you to realize that 95% of the readers here can figure out what works and what doesn’t without you over-thinking something that even you have no control over?
Fair enough. Have a nice day!
Like this statement:
This bait or ‘lure’ in question IS real. To be completely forthright, I don’t like the word lure. Acknowledging that this object is being used to ‘trick’ a fish into biting is giving the fish the upper hand psychologically from the beginning. It is essential to believe that you are NOT fooling the fish, much to the contrary. You are providing exactly what the fish wants and needs, there are no tricks or cunning deceptions, this is life and this is a necessity of survival to the fish, nothing more or less.
Superb!
I think most competent anglers do what the OP suggests: think action, color, speed, etc, and not imitation. Nobody thinks walleyes eat crawler harnesses because they “look like” anything.
And I agree, being super-intellectual is a real burden.
The synopsis of the initial post is that we, as lure makers and/ or designers, know how subtle differences in lure shape and action can affect a lure’s success. It’s mind-boggling the variety of lures – especially soft plastics – that can catch most fish species on a single outing. By the same token, you and I know the lures that don’t cut it, many that get discontinued.
So when I post photo examples of lures stuck in fish’s mouths, the emphasis is on lure action-by-design – something some may find interesting enough to ask questions such as, where can I find the mold, or from which lures did you make the hybrid?
Lurecraft to me is a hobby and a quest to discover superior lure designs almost anyone can catch fish casting. Nothing against live bait and a float, but it’s cool when fish blast something made of hard and soft plastic, metal, hair, silicone strands (skirts) and wire/swivels/blades/hooks.
Oh, fun. It’s baaaaack.
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