Instnct is a grand reason fish attack lures!

[Spoonminnow]

Definitions of
instinct:
1. inborn pattern of behavior often responsive to specific stimuli
2.the ability to know - without thinking - how to behave or respond in certain circumstances

and

Lures - unnatural looking and moving manmade objects that provide the stimuli fish at times can not resist attacking.

I fished with a buddy yesterday casting different lure shapes and actions. Before it got too hot (85 degrees), we caught 63 fish. Caught were:
decent size crappie, sunfish and yellow perch as well as a few small bass. Lure shapes ranged from spike tails to curl tails to no-tail soft plastics. A feather jig also caught fish.

I had a thought which I shared with him:
Two lures worked in an area are sometimes better than one when more than one fish is present. It seems that once one fish is caught, more get excited and strike. This happens when fish are schooled and more than a dozen are caught.

The other thing is that: specific lure actions coupled with lure size have a higher probability of getting bit than many lures that don't cut it. Finesse fishing is one way to fish using small lures worked slowly at different depths. When fish aren't super active, finesse is the way to go! Now, do I think fish strike to eat a lure or any other of the many reasons touted over decades of using lures? I'm not a fish and can not prove why they bite lures but only that lure shape, size and action - always in combination, can be counted on when chosing lures that provide the right stimulis that fish strike. Various combinations can work on the same day but not all.

Sunday was a disaster with me only catching 6 fish. But when we fished yesterday, I immediately caught 5 fish in 7' and many more thereafter. Important was finding fish (bait fish and larger schools) via sonar and using lures that caught fish. Once active fish were caught I anchored. Any fish was caught, we noted the direction. and then we cast in that direction, many times catching more fish but only in that direction. Once the bite stopped, I moved the boat 20-30 and did the same once found more active fish were caught. It was the only way we caught that many fish and if it wasn't for the heat, many more.

Theory: the major front moving in from Florida, got fish irritated and more active which I've found true many times in the past.

All fish were caught over a very large flat in 7' or a bit shallower, with no vegetation or any thing else fish relate to. The banks and shallows were bare of fish. Large schools were seen on the screen but not necessarily active fish. Fish were caught mid-depth - not on the bottom. Will fish still bite in the next five days of bad weather? Too bad I'm not finding out.

[skeetbum]

Very different here. My Saturday was spent “ picking pockets” until we both connected in short order. I then stopped and put the nose into the wind and hit spot lock. Didn’t move for 2 1/2 hrs. I didn’t get on top of them or have my electronics on but I’m sure they were bedding fish. Here they go back onto or relate close to their bedding through the hot months. The spot lock turning on and off and powering up and down no doubt bothered them to some extent but we had an absolute blast regardless. My daughter threw a black hand tied beetle spin and I threw a hand tied tiny jig, both were effective. Never used a plastic.