Crappie Brother posted:


Couldn't agree more ! Anglers have wondered for decades what makes fish bite lures. When it comes to live bait or lures, vulnerability is number one. If a fish can't easily clobber either bait it suspends at a certain depth until something comes along that's fits - and I'm not just talking mouth size.

Gamblinman posted this:


The above says a lot! Adding to what Gamblinman posted I would include lure action, size, shape and the type of retrieve(s) used.

I spent a good part of Sat. with a buddy educating him on my theory why fish strike lures, emphasizing triggers that provoke fish into striking. The biggest trigger is the combination (like that of a combination lock) of lure elements that cause fish to strike almost uncontrollably.

Premise #1 : fish don't think a lure is something or other simply because they can't and don't think. A fish's brain is tiny - no room for speculation. Somewhere in it it receives signals from its senses - the lateral line being the first crucial sensing organ. We may never know the extent the lateral line plays when it comes to fish locating objects, sensing their size, motions and speed of travel - even in total darkness. (Crappie and bass do feed at night BTW.) But what is crucial is this fact :every single element plays a role in giving a lure its full profile and unique action - mess that up and a perfect looking body means squat.

Talk about variety of design, I keep photos of fish caught in these folders labeled according to each design that has caught fish consistently - especially panfish:

The combination I mentioned of which there are many are those that press the right buttons. I one part of the combination is wrong (say the wrong action or lure profile - even slightly off) and fish won't be provoked to strike and isn't that what bait does - provoke fish to strike?

Osbornfishing posted a shot of a monster crappie and this:

Bigger fish strike different size lures but also larger lures. Territorial responses could account for many fish strikes and maybe fish need to teach a lure a lesson - stay out of my space OR ELSE ! Smaller fish will have nothing to do with a larger lure but larger fish at times are triggered by a larger size lure that trespasses.

Suggesting that fish strike lures because they want to eat them is IMO human logic that labels a fish's motive/ motivation for striking. It's possible, but I would never chose a lure based on anything except the combination that gets it done. BTW, a lure that has one element wrong can sometimes be tweaked to get it to work great. (i.e. shortening a lure)

In a fish's simple brain, 1+1 = 2. Simple as that.