ok......here is my penny's worth...I think there are times that fish will hit most anything that looks remotely like a food item to them. There are many factors that influence this...you guys know them as well as I do..water temp., seasonal patterns(pre spawn spawn post spawn etc.) As for the eye question... I think the more clear the water the more important the details on the jig are. In muddy water either vibration( paddle tails curly tails etc) or contrasting colors are more important. I think a predator fish in more stained water uses non visual cues for feeding more than eyes. Now in very clear water I think the more realistic a bait looks the better it works unless you are working a bait fast for a reaction type strike. If you are soaking a jig around a brush pile and a crappie has all the time in the world to look at it I think those big boys are going to be very picky. Again somedays the fish are super agressive and it seems they will bite alot of different things...how many times did that happen to you last year....I bet not many....So I like to play the odds in my favor. I have plain jigs and very detailed jigs. I put them both out there and let the fish tell me which one they want and that is what I try to use. Is it worth the extra effort? For me it is...I fish with a guide some and he uses red jig heads with no eyes and thats the only color he uses. He loads the boat every year. The only thing he changes is the plastic body: and he only uses plastic, no hair no feathers. When the water is clear he uses lil fishies by cream bait co. . The rest of the time he is using southern pro triple color jig bodies. I have had 100+ days with him several trips. Plain heads work for him on his lake but the water is stained pretty good...less than a foot vis on a bright colored jig...most of the crappie season. I think this will always be a personal opinion and the more confidence you have in whatever you fish with that bait will work better for you....you will just fish it longer and harder than something you don't believe in....oh well thats a big ole penny's worth.....take it as you will...brim