03-27-2014, 05:45 PM
[#0000FF]Definitely the case with many large predators. If they feed on big food items it does not take long to fill their tummies. Then, depending on water temp and their metabolism, it may take a day or two...or more...for them to digest the meal enough to become hungry again.
That translates to having to have good timing...or luck...to be casting just the right bait or lure at the time the larger fish are in the vicinity and in a feeding mode. Their feeding cycle might be for only a few minutes every other day...or longer...and it may be at night rather than daylight hours. If you ain't in the right place at the right time it will take you more than a thousand casts to catch a biggun.
After all that, how do we explain a big fish with a full gut hitting a small lure we are fishing for some other species? Happens a lot. Flossing after a big meal?
Then there is also the phenomenon of the "reaction bite"...having an otherwise neutral of negative mode fish smack some wild and crazy lure you put in it's face. That also happens with enough frequency that some anglers rely on it...rather than trying to time their fishing to active feeding time. And it is always worth a try...on slow days...to start throwing big, active, colorful lures...and to rip them rather than slow rolling. Whether it is out of instinct, territoriality or competitiveness some fish just can't let a big noisy lure run through their living room unmolested.
It is all speculation and guesswork. But it is a good idea to carry lots of different stuff on any given trip. If you find active fish that readily hit the expected offerings, you are golden. If you suspect the fish are there but not cooperating, then wake them up with something that gets them excited or makes them mad enough to chomp.
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That translates to having to have good timing...or luck...to be casting just the right bait or lure at the time the larger fish are in the vicinity and in a feeding mode. Their feeding cycle might be for only a few minutes every other day...or longer...and it may be at night rather than daylight hours. If you ain't in the right place at the right time it will take you more than a thousand casts to catch a biggun.
After all that, how do we explain a big fish with a full gut hitting a small lure we are fishing for some other species? Happens a lot. Flossing after a big meal?
Then there is also the phenomenon of the "reaction bite"...having an otherwise neutral of negative mode fish smack some wild and crazy lure you put in it's face. That also happens with enough frequency that some anglers rely on it...rather than trying to time their fishing to active feeding time. And it is always worth a try...on slow days...to start throwing big, active, colorful lures...and to rip them rather than slow rolling. Whether it is out of instinct, territoriality or competitiveness some fish just can't let a big noisy lure run through their living room unmolested.
It is all speculation and guesswork. But it is a good idea to carry lots of different stuff on any given trip. If you find active fish that readily hit the expected offerings, you are golden. If you suspect the fish are there but not cooperating, then wake them up with something that gets them excited or makes them mad enough to chomp.
[/#0000FF]
[signature]