Thread: Instinct - a fish's best friend or worst enemy

I respectfully disagree that fish don't think "lures" are resembling something they normally eat. With all the different species of fish in a given body of water, that are small enough for a Crappie to eat & with multiple hues of coloration (or just a simple blk/wht contrast), they learn by watching others in the school. If they don't, they'll eventually perish.

I'm also not convinced that Crappie attack a lure out of pure "meanness". Just doesn't play out in my mind that's why they bite a lure, in most cases. Now, during the Spawn, the Male "may" be trying to force the intruding lure out of his nest, either by chasing it away (if it flees) or "biting" at it (if it doesn't flee fast enough). I've seen, firsthand, male Crappie and Bass pick a lure out of their nesting spot and swim outside that perimeter & spit it out. I've also seen them inhale the lure & not move from the spot they were occupying at that time. That's "protection", not "meanness" or "aggravation".

And when I'm watching them on Livescope ... and put it right in their face & have them turn & hurriedly swim away from a lure not much bigger than their eyeball, thinking of them as "bullies" just don't fit, IMHO. And when those fish follow the lure for several feet, up and away from their cover, and then grab that lure .... to me that's "feeding", not bullying.

Now, I'm not saying that "all" fish react that way for the same reasons, and some of them may well be "bullies" and are aggravated by the presence of an intruding lure. But, I'm less concerned about what other "fish" think & do, and concentrate on how I know & can see how Crappie react to the lures I present to them.

As far as Bluegills racing to the surface after bread bits ... they occasionally do the same for my line where it breaks the water's surface. That's just "instinct" ... a reaction to the vibrations & smell created by the bread bits entering the water (& maybe a false imitation of a "bug" landing in the water). Heck, I've even had them suck in ashes from my ciggy (& immediately spit it out, of course)

Both

I respectfully disagree that fish don't think "lures" are resembling something they normally eat

Creative imagination is a wonderful thing but it requires the mental ability to have one - something fish don't possess IMO. Their brains are simple, incapable of imagining that a Mepps spinner is a fish or any other animal they might attack because of its shape or action. The list is huge of lures fish attack that look nor act like anything in nature. For all fish know, the moving object is an alien that doesn't quite belong but might be worth the effort to see what's what.

Chosing a lure based on what a fish thinks it might be is an unnecesarry step using one's imagination, not the fish's. There are lures that do resemble prey that fish normally eat, but because of technical issues such as poor action or the way a lure is retrieved, ignores it every time like a leaf in the water. In fact, most lures I've caught fish on do have specific qualities I've noticed that set them apart from other lure designs. The Rat L Trap is one.

Been around for decades and catch fish most of the year. Anyone that's caught fish on them notice the noisey BBs, the tight fast shimmy with clanking hooks and the strobe-like, flashing chrome body that one can't help but see the poor fished hooked as dumber than a rock!

As I said, the list of lure shapes and actions, not to mention weird colors such a flourescent pink, orange and chartreuse that don't deter aggression, is massive. In fact you or I can catch fish on the same lure in the same color - anytime fish can be provoked into striking.

If I had to choose only one lure to catch most fish that attack lures, it would be the one shown in pearl or white - no other colors necessary. Intermittent tail quiver is key when the lure is worked slow that could very well tickle-the-lateral line for all I know vs thumping it like the Rat L Trap. You think minnow; I think - itty bitty tail that po's fish. It will outfish 95% of the huge number of lures I own - period!

But lure variety is the spice of fishing examplified by the large number of lure modifications I've posted on this and many other forums. So cool to be able to catch fish on surface lures and then mid-depth lures and then bottom jigged lures on the same or different outings using many lure shapes, actions and colors. To just simply catch fish, one would only need a worm and a float. To catch fish by using my imagination when it comes to lure design, blows me away every time a fish is hooked!

Fish are born into a world where competition rules. If there is a dumb bug thrashing on the surface, a fish will scream up and grab it before his litter mates beat him to it. If it isn’t a bug at all, but rather something inedible, he will simply spit it out. Maybe his buddy will grab it next, and he will spit it out. Fish grab things all the time that are inedible, and they simply spit them back out. Fish in an aquarium can be seen doing this with gravels and such. In fact, they are very adapt at spitting. Happens all the time.

Last week, I was feeding pizza bones to some sunfish and watching them thrash at it. They would grab a piece and try to swim off with it before the others could try to claim it. Then here comes a bass to see what’s up. Then some wading birds, then turtles, and finally a baby alligator showed up. After a few days, the fish would swarm when they saw me step onto the dock. Competition.

If a lure is close enough……well it’s close enough to work.

a possible food source is a possible food source is the word
if it looks even remotely like a possible food source it is likely to get the taste test
fish don't think , they see things differently than we do ...
typically it is similar in all the lower level brain function critters ....
you are food , you are a friend or your are an enemy ....pretty simple
instinctively speaking lets' eat , let's run or let's do the wild monkey dance ....

Good read. Enjoyed the opinions.
Bob

Fish eat for a for several reasons and it's not always hunger. If they'll hit they weight on my line they'll hit anything!

As a side note bread is not good for fish or turtles, might try fish food or even cheap dog food.