What is 'lurology' (if there ever was such a term) and why does it matter?

[Spoonminnow]

For all of you starting out using lures (unnatural-looking and -moving manmade objects) for the first time, details ALWAYS matter when it comes to a lure's design. The first lures made hundreds of years ago were handmade by lure crafters that found out the best combination of materials to attached to a hook (or even no-hook used to get fish into a net). Lures have been made from many materials and which materials used should matter to the angler as well as a bunch of other things.

For example: balsa crankbaits differ from plastic crankbaits. Buoyancy and action are different. Does it make a difference? Probably not when used the same way. But, plastic moves differently than balsa and maybe one is superior at times depending on how the lure is worked and where - whether under the water or on the surface.

Example 2: metal spoon size and shape matter when it comes to how a spoon moves and whether used vertically or horizontally. One size/shape does not fit all and that's what lureology addresses.

A newbie checking out lures in a tackle store must wonder which lures to buy never having caught fish on lures. Seeing anglers catch fish on certain lures on TV is not instructive nor informative because details about the lure used is lacking. Saying something like: the lure mimicked this or that animal or that fishwere fooled into biting a particular lure is pure fiction. In fact, fly fisherman for over a century have sworn that various fly patterns duplicate the hatch - a particular bug species. Problem is, the same color(s) and tied material can be used on a jighead and catch just as many, if not more fish. One is a surface lure, the other subsurface and way more versatile.

Lure action matters because it disrupts the water it moves in, which is instantly noticed by fish. I guess you could say it piques their interest via senses fine-tuned to motion no matter how slight. Does curiosity kill the fish? In a sense it does and it has nothing to do with survival as far as lures go. To eat or not to eat - that is not the question. p.o.ing a fish via its senses IS! You could say that one reason a fish attacks a lure as - practice makes perfect (not that a fish needs to practice). Fish are seek & destroy machines that tell lures and small animals who's boss! To swallow or spit out - THAT is the question!

Back to the study of lures - lurology. If you ever get into lure craft, you'll be amazed at the assortment of lure craft options when it comes to colors and body materials of which all lures consist of.

Take bass jigs for example. Skirted, weedless bass jigs have caught bass for decades - including by yours truly. I decided to tie my own using a skirt material call living rubber. It did fine except it melts if it touches soft plastic lures for too long. L.R only came in solid colors and once silicone skirt material came on the market, I and found silicone skirts had the advantages of 1. did not melt or deform, 2. silicone came in textured-color bands plus glitter as well as solid colors. 3. Skirt action is actually better - meaning - it flairs better when hoped on bottom.

The next requirement that enhances a skirted jigs action are trailers - usually soft plastic shapes and actions that hang of the hook. Trailers add to a skirted jig's p.o. potential BIG TIME and NOT because fish are fooled into thinking the lure is a crawfish. (There's those words again - fooled and thinking; words not relevant to why fish strike.)

One thing discovered by making my own jigs and trailers (via molds) it that 1. color (even textured color with flakes) doesn't matter; 2. paint on a jig head matters not at all; 3. various trailer shapes provide various actions - that's it. Which to use is optional. (I close my eyes and pick one.)
4. Jig weight, like for all jigs, is very important such that light skirted jigs & trailers can be retrieved like a spinnerbait minus the metal blade.

A change to any of the above may or may not matter as far as how many fish caught. Most of the time I found it didn't, which lure craft/ lurology teaches you. Most important whether you make or modify your own lures is keeping track of what caught fish consistently and notice the lure's action in the water. How & where a lure is used is equally important.

Lure-action speaks louder than words - BIG TIME!

Note: This opinion may be of help, take it or leave it.

[NIMROD]

I been saying for years colors are no big deal like many want you to believe. Weight of jig and rate of fall can make a difference. Over 90% of the equation is presentation. Livescope has proved Crappie would rather have a slow or static bait held close to them most of the time. You over jig a bait can actually spook Crappie.

[Spoonminnow]

Weight of jig and rate of fall can make a difference

In all the years of catching fish, most of my fish were caught on slow presentations. Some fish chase or ambush faster moving lures such as crankbaits and spinnerbaits - even crappie. But generally speaking, lures that show their stuff moved slowly with pauses, have more time to provoke fish to strike. Maybe that's part of why live bait is a no-brainer: it wiggles around in in one spot - nature's subtle-action at its best.

Of course, loud flashy lures have a place such a crankbaits with rattles and flashy chrome blade-blades, but they must be moved faster to work. It should be interesting this year with me casting and trolling both of those.

[DWILL]

While I agree at time colors don't matter, there will be a time when it does. This is just my experience. Some colors seem to be good most of the time (white, chartreuse, or yellow) There are some videos on YouTube about the studies done on how fish see colors. I have also learned size matters at different times of the year. These are just my opinions and if I'm wrong I guess I'm just lucky. Keep ketchin em fellas.

[DWILL]

Sorry those studies were about the way bass see colors. I'm not sure if all fish see the same way.

[Spoonminnow]

Uhh, fish eyes regardless the species are all the same as are all fish senses. I could never understand why, as some believe, that fish would prefer one color over another. The only use color has IMO is to outline a lure's shape and emphasize a lure's action. Water quality (green, clear, turbid) affects hue as does the amount of sunlight reflected and depth fished. Size, action, speed, shape, texture and how a lure is worked are far more important.

No one can target a fish species when casting finesse lure nor know for certain that color mattered whether fish are caught or not. Some examples of colors or clear plastic that are capable of catching fish on the same day.

[DWILL]

Uhh, fish eyes regardless the species are all the same as are all fish senses. Are we sure? I hope you are right.
The only use color has IMO is to outline a lure's shape and emphasize a lure's action. So color does matter. You and I agree on that and we agree on presentation being as important.
Keep ketchin a bunch.

[Spoonminnow]

The biology of fish only defines which senses target prey or lures. I have to believe that the lateral line #1 in sensing motion no matter how slight.

"The lateral line system allows the detection of movement, vibration, and pressure gradients in the water surrounding an animal. It plays an essential role in orientation, predation, and schooling by providing spatial awareness and the ability to navigate in a fish's environment."
A motion sensitive ability is achieved via hair cells (like in the human ear), which respond to displacement caused by motion and transduce these signals into electrical impulses. (Real time fish finder transducers function the same way.) The lateral line allows fish to navigate and hunt in water with poor visibility and at night. Blinded predatory fishes are able to hunt." (So much for color's importance.)

The biology of the lateral line is extensive and way beyond my pay grade but whose function far outweighs that of vision.
To continue"

Objects in water will only appear as their real colors near the surface where all wavelengths of light are still available

The deeper the water, the fewer colors that are observable. Object brightness/ light reflection is key versus hue when it comes to what fish see. I make clear plastic lures with and without fine glitter and catch as many fish in 15' as I do in 3'. Though clear, the lure is silhouetted against any background including that of open water.

IMO The importance of biology - especially when it comes to motion reception - and the properties of light in water matter when it comes to getting fish to strike my lures. Facts and details matter; I leave my imagination at home.

[BuckeyeCrappie]

Interesting observations……