Thread: Why certain lures work everytime!

This is Part 2 of the busting many of the myths/sales promo post. Please consider the ideas presented - or not.

If you subscribe to the idea that fish attack lures because they believe they represent a forage type or species, read no further. But if you've noticed characteristics that set certain lures apart from those in the same class or that have a unique design and compare crankbaits to crankbaits, creature baits to creature baits from different companies, etc. , this may interest you.

I don't know about the rest of you, but when I latch on to a lure that catches fish year after year, I keep it stocked and ready to cast when the need arises. Since making and testing lures or modifying those that I've bought, I've become keenly interested in knowing why they work or if they even work. It has helped limit lure choices (those I stock for an outing) as well as expand lure choices that can be arbitrarily chosen (those similar in characteristics that can be substituted for others). Back to the basics:

What is it about using lures as opposed to live bait that causes fish to strike (again, a theory that may be applied in picking lures for certain situations)?

Anything about a lure thatcontrasts to anything in a fish's environment, is picked up by a fish's senses and is a potential stimulus to attack.

You all know about the lateral line and inner ear that are extremely sensitive to vibration and water movement. Keen eyesight completes the picture of an object placed unexpectedly in a fish's strike zone. I've always believed that fish don't just strike a lure - they react to it.

Lures provide visual and sonic contrasts , allowing fish to detect, track and be provoked into attacking. Here are lure characteristics you may notice about many of the good lures you own:

lure motion
A lure may move a certain way by design. At times all you may have to do to catch fish is just reel it in. At other times you may need to impart a certain action to the a lure to make it move a certain way almost guaranteeing a fish attack. Rod tip and certain turns of the reel handle cause imparted actions to take advantage of a lure's design and at times are crucial. In one angler's inept hands, the lure doesn't work, but in knowing hands, it works like magic!

Lure motion contrasts with a fish's environment and to other species swimming in it. Weird to a fish is good!

Lure Color
Sometimesa factor - sometimes many colors will work within a range of colors; some may in fact work poorly. Fish have good eyesight and send images to the brain that define a lures shape. Colors that contrast don't have to be fluorescent and can in fact be clear as in the case of some surface lures or soft plastics. But for argument's sake, let's consider what makes a lure visually interesting.

Of course bright colors may, but also muted colors with black spots or black flakes in a translucent soft plastic. Bands of different colors and sparkle also add to a lure's visual contrast, making a lure more effective.

Lure shape
Not all grubs have the same shape, nor plastic worms, nor spinnerbaits, etc. and much of the time a particular shape can make or break a lure. There is something about some lure shapes when used with certain presentations that almost always provoke fish. In the case of soft plastics, shape can be generalized or at times unique.

I've noticed that the dimensions of diameter or girth, flat or round, textured or smooth can make all the difference how a lure looks to a fish. Couple that with lure size, and the combination can be deadly!

Along with shape is tail design - shapes that determines lure action or lack of action unless imparted. Curl tails move different than straight tails or shad tails (the boot) and affect lure speed and action. The visual affect is unique for each and at times some are more provocative than others. (I prefer straight tails or no tail, but have been having success with curl tails recently because of a slower lure speed that I needed in a certain situation.)

Lure action and speed
Some lure have a range of speeds that fish seem to react to. At other times one speed is all it takes to make a certain lure work. Most times I believe most will agree that slower is better on average. I mention the lure action because some lures have finesse or slight actions that fish key in on. Dropshot anglers understand this and when fish need time to stare at a lure, that presentation is all she wrote because of a minimum of lure action and forward motion.

For lures to be noticed, generally they must move and move in a certain way. Wide billed crankbaits may work well when a wide wobble is needed, but at times narrow bills allow a tighter wobble and faster speeds or a darting action.
A lure's buoyancy can make all the difference in speed and action - floaters have more, suspending lures less, bottom charging lures none.

Now take the above and note any one or more contrasting lure elements your favorite lures possess and know that many are very alike or slightly different in one or more of the above elements of contrast that get fish to react and end up at your feet.

I've done this with many plastic designs I've come up with and include some of the same characteristic in many more, enhancing a lure's potential. Once tested and found to work day after day, year after year, it becomes a standard lure I can count on and include in productive lures I take along vs lures that clutter my tackle box.

As always, a certain combination of any of the above may do well most days; it takes a bit of observation to decide what it could be that worked so well in a particular body of water or in different waters. A lure's success or limited success is in the details. Here are a few examples:


Note that in the above, the tails of lures are straight and pointed. The action of the three is pretty much the same thought the body shape slightly different. The fit the criteria in the above post in being unusual and unnatural; they wobble and quiver on a slow retrieve and most of all catch fish of different species all day long. Plus, I can count on them most months of the year and on any water I fish. They will always have a place in my tackle box.



The one on the right has the same action as the ones shown and is as successful, the only reason why is that a lure in that shape and made using soft plastic are all one needs cast to catch fish.
Here is another:

The one on the right is fatter and longer but the action is pretty close when retrieved the same way. Curl tail grub action is entirely different and at times not as effective as straight tails. Curl tails of different grubs (comparing Mr Twister to Kalin grubs) flap differently just as crankbaits differ in action depending on bill width and length.

Colors for all lures in the same design category are many, though some may not do as well.

Bob, you touched on the key quality that lures have that are successful - that lure action speaks louder than words. The nice thing is that quite a few have unique fish-catching actions, some more reliable than others even though at times most lures have their day in the sun. I'll bet the lures you sell are bought often because of designs you've found by personal experience are winners.