I recently was wondering why skirtless tubes worked but unfortunately from a
human POV and not a fish's. Not being able to do much in the cold weather, I was in the basement workshop looking at lure composites I recently made and it came to me certain
lure characteristics that increase strike potential - and of which there are a million combinations. We would like to think that certain lures are far superior because they've loaded the boat without questioning why or at least applying design characteristics fish are prone to turn fish aggressive from a suspended state. Here are a few just off the top of my head:
1.
lure contrast a. This includes color brightness such as fluorescent colors that stand out like a neon sign.
b. Laminate color contrast such as a darker color on one surface/ bright color on the other; bright tail color/dark body
c. Flash to include flakes in the plastic or on it's surface; spinning flashing blades (IE in-line)
2.
shape and size combos that match the potential of a fish striking
a. Sometimes less is better IE under a float; at other times increased body bulk plus length challenge a fish's territory regardless the size fish.
b. certain lure profiles are programmed into a fish's DNA - depending on the fish in a specific water, keeping in mind that there are no guarantees of universal appeal.
c. a fish's current aggressiveness that falls into a range from 1-5 determines what shapes and size fish will attack -IE pre-spawn fish in the shallow and school fish are very aggressive.
3.
lure actiona. there are many that do better retrieved slowly with pauses; other do fine trolled at a medium speed but that have a bill-induced wobble (crankbaits).
b. vibration-type picked up by sonic detection merits a close inspection of what a lure looks and acts like on various retrieves which matters more than we know. The waddle of a skirtless tube or my cone tails is a perfect example of a unique action that works most of the time. My 2-2.5" wacky grub-stick is another where tip & body twitch/quiver is another that I swear by.
c. horizontal action vs vertical action are key considerations for choosing lure design and presentation. This coupled with lure speed in either direction determine a lure's success.
I've seen many lures that were outstanding in certain waters, some that were more universal in appeal. But I can only look at them from a why-did-they-work point of view and not the numbers caught. The
why they caught fish is the combination of factors mentioned above which I take into consideration and consider applying to lures I choose to fish with - either premade or homemade. It's like picking a lock and being able to open a safe - one lock per different safe and discovering key components of that combination.
Theoretical combination-by-design examples:
Spoon minnow grub : subtle thin, straight tail shimmy that
tickles the lateral line slowly and in place
minnow shape profile built in to a fish's DNA
dart & pause retrieve that fits the profile or suspended under a float
Wacky mini-stick grub: caterpillar / slug design/ profile,
also a DNA stored profile
body and tail quiver with or without rod tip induced action
slim profile easy to eat
action that also tickles the lateral line at any depth we choose to fish it slowly and in one part of the water column.
Crankbait:
vibration: clacking hooks, maybe rattles inside the lure, major wobble (large bill) or quick tight wobble (Rat L Trap) that smack the lateral line and induce ambush-type strikes
Fish aggression range matters as does various DNA-lure combination potentials. Not all fish hit crankbaits as often as others - the window may be much narrower. Fish caught in waters without much pressure are more apt to hit more lures having different combinations of factors. So to think that a lure is universally successful may misleading when 50 or more fish are caught in one outing. This ignores all other lures that could have done just as well.
So in conclusion, my quest is to discover specific lure combination factors-by-design that fish respond to more often than not, and not just a lure that did well without investigating the combination that induced many species and size fish to strike it.