Anglers listen to the most clueless sources when it comes to lure selection, ignoring the simple fact that lures are tools chosen for specific reasons of which there are many. Too many believe the myths started by the likes of Uncle Homer and Bill Dance, why bass and fish in general strike lures and are then repeated by those on many fishing forums who attack anyone who disagrees.
Basically the reason we use many lure types is to cover water in order to locate fish and discover one or more location patterns. They could be weed lines, humps, points or docks and lures, coupled with the most effective presentation, have more of a chance of locating more vulnerable fish on a given day. Lures are a big part of that pattern which brings me to why fish bite lures - my theory, educated guess, superstition, ...)
A big deal is made of fish activity levels when it comes to fish striking lures. As a lure maker, modifier and designer (mostly soft plastics) and a tester of many lure actions and in many colors, I've come to the conclusion that:
1. fish feel/sense the real thing from the fake which is if anything to a fish, an annoyance.
2. unless seen busting minnows on the surface, fish should be considered inactive, suspending, waiting lazily for some dumb forage to swim by or crawl near.
3. a lure, on the other hand, is an unknown object trespassing into its space that doesn't feel, sound or look right to a fish and deserves a chomp'n. Other than realistic lure designs, most lures sold don't look like or act like prey and could never be considered food.
4. the concept of presentation is lure specific; and a big part of presentation is the specific retrieve of a specific lure type most likely to provoke/ entice/ irritate a fish to strike. In other words presenting a lure the right way at the right depth is key getting and holding a fish's attention and then provoking it to strike.
When I browse the latest fish catalogs of Bass Pro or Cabelas and read the many supporting reasons to pay outrageous prices for many lures, I shake my head and don't wonder the challenge to many, not to mention having to chose at least five colors that one must have. It's also no wonder many tackle boxes weigh 30 lbs or more, with only a small percentage of lures ever seeing the light of day.
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Over the years under my fishing belt, I couldn't agree with you more on your analogy of the lures and successful fishing.
It does boil down to "Being an invader of space", "Pissing them off" or "Matching the Hatch". [cool]
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My tackle box weighs a ton and a half and runs about 60 mph.
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Tube, I see you're also a salt water angler. Many of the lures used for marlin, tuna, dolphin and wahoo are out of this world in appearance such as the brightly colored squid skirts attached to slanted resin heads for trolling.
Some would say I would need different lures for different habitats but that would be like saying salt water species are different, forgetting that the American Shad that swims up from the Atlantic into the Hudson River hits the same lures in freshwater. The only difference for large salt water species is the size and shapes of the lures - no different for bass vs pan fish.
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Saltwater fishing is a whole different ball game yet there are similarities. The size of the lure changes with some species, as you pointed out while others use the color scheme game.
Some fish ignore the color scheme and take the action, vibration or presentation of the lure or other offering to them.
In the color scheme, we are reminded that it ties in the depths and the rainbow as your guide to which color to use for best results. We start with RED in the shallower depths of up to 70 feet and then work all the way to the other end of the color scale of VIOLET which is the last color of the spectrum and is still visible up to 100 fathoms or 600 feet.
There is another factor that we use in the salty pond aka: Ocean.
The fish rely upon the currents to be what drives their food to them. That works on a minor to major scale. As the currents move plankton and other micro organisms around, the next size fish is feeding on them. In turn, bigger fish eat smaller fish and it continues to escalate.
Keeping that in mind, you can fish different size baits and expect correlating sized fish.
I will often fish a small hook and a big hook on the same line. Small hook catches my fresh bait fish that I will use to catch the target species with.
Then comes the wierd factor. I asked a marine biologist that I was fishing with about the ocean currents and fish feeding. The biologist told me that they are so closely tied together that they have not much to do with each other. In other words, fish feed as often and untimely as they please.
Ocean currents move certain types of food for easy pickings. Lack of current allows other types of low energy baits to come out from hiding.
This opened up a whole new outlook on fishing for me. Something that still puzzles others yet is now part of my everyday lifestyle.
I can elaborate more on this if you would like. It could make a difference on how you make your plastics as it has for a few other manufacturers that I have shared with. [cool]
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Clarifies a lot.
This I find shared by freshwater and saltwater fish:
Quote: fish feed as often and untimely as they please.
Too often freshwater anglers insist fish bite lures because they were actively feeding, sometime on some schedule involving sun and moon tables. I've caught fish at all times of day as long as the lures were within a distance that could provoke them, worked at the right speed and had the right action.
IMO all the reasons many of the quoted
experts insist fish bite, discount the simple aggression behind most strikes of lures that were in the right place and time regardless of whether or not schools of fish or other prey were present. My view will always be: get and hold their attention and see what happens.
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IN MY TIME ON THE WATER Steve is correct. I use both systems to catch fish. just have to figure out what they use that day. Thats our love of fishing, just what do they want today. [crazy]
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I'm sure you've heard this before, and there is so much truth to it, but presentation is everything. Hungry or not, a fish may bite just because you piss it off.
16 people can fish the exact same lure in 16 different ways. A couple of them are going to get bit because of the mood of the fish.
Many of the new lures are designed to get the reaction strike of even the most finicky fish. They are also designed to empty the most ambitious wallet. Some new lures may cost upwards of 10 to 12 dollars and even more while others are selling in Wallmart for $3.99.
I have used thousands of lure given to me by some of my sponsors. When I have thrown everything in the book at a school of fish and nothing gets their attention, regardless of color and presentation, I will go back to the basics.
I go with something that looks like real food to them.
Then you play the waiting game. Cast out. Twitch the bait and wait 30 seconds. Twitch and wait another 30 seconds. It may take up to 10 minutes to get the strike but so be it. You got the fish and got rid of your "Skunk" lol
There will be some days where you catch nothing at all and others when you catch everything that comes your way.
Being able to adapt is what will be your method for success. [cool]
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You and I are always on the same page and our mutual experiences/ successes support that! Amazing the number of closed minds that argue differently, quoting decades old hollow wisdom that rarely equates to catching more fish.
The main reasons I catch less fish on any given day I believe applies to many anglers:
1. unwillingness to move to and survey more areas or staying in one part of the lake, ignoring other areas
2. moving too much and not staying long enough in an area to use different lures and presentations ( I know of a few anglers that never carry or use anchors)
3. in regards to #2, not casting 360 degrees around the boat or 180 degrees from shore. Many fish I've caught were in shallow and adjacent deeper water and many times schooled in deeper water vs shallow.
4. staying with the same lures and presentations that haven't caught much or any fish which includes fishing lures too dang fast!
5. not adjusting to a higher wind velocity usually usually means always casting with the wind and missing out on surveying water behind me, windward
On any day a closed mind = fewer fish. The use of the term tunnel vision seems to apply to anglers that aren't versatile on any given day or ever. Claiming fish bite for any reason is sheer conjecture but consistently catching fish is supportive of any opinion regardless of one's bias.
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