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:

http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j3...psadagihrr.jpg
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.

http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j3...psm4yatmjd.jpg http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j3...psp5qlmqsj.jpg http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j3...psbicplu3l.jpg

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:
http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j3...psybw9nfi0.jpg http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j3...psuuixky6m.jpg
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.

Will read this all later, got to go now, but I will add just because a bait looks just like another of same brand and color and size, there are some that just catch fish a lot more than others. You may go out and buy lets say 5 crank baits and one of them is just maybe set a tiny bit different, not even that you can notice, but it catches fish and the other 4 don't. This is not a new thing either as the bass guys have know this for many years so if he's a crank bait guy I bet he never buys just one!

Skip

Quote:

---

just because a bait looks just like another of same brand and color and size, there are some that just catch fish a lot more than others.

---

True for baits within a soft bait or hard bait category ... up to a point.
Rapala's I've found to be consistent and they work better for me than the same design in a Rebel. Hair jigs and soft plastics have more wiggle room. As long as the hair or feather isn't too plentiful, most catch fish. In fact, I've started tying a minimum of hair or Mylar fiber on my jigs and do just as well.

I agree when it comes to curl tail grubs. Gander Mountain brand for whatever reason don't hold a candle to Kalin wide curl tail grubs. As far as hand pour plastics, there is a lot of leeway within the same design when it comes to appearance, yet they all catch fish depending on design. Straight tails, even non-uniform in appearance, in my experience, have outperformed curl tail and Sassy Shad tail grubs (that are always uniform in quality and action).

The point I was trying to convey is that if a lurecrafter finds a design that works after catching many fish on it, soon or later the reason why becomes evident when looking at how it acts in the water with different retrieves. Different lure actions and body combinations that are most successful can be categorized for future reference and outings. If all one does is use only one lure and does okay with it, no reason to figure out why. The challenge of making my own is to keep discovering what fish bite and why and the variety of lures I can cycle through I know will get struck.

In my response to this post some of the plastic baits are made to catch fishermen mostly because they have bright colors and are very attractive to the human eye. I tried to fish with something that looks natural not pleasing my eye but trying to please the fisheye is I'm more apt to use different shades of brown and gray and of course black is probably the number one choice. we talk about presentation it is a key to each and every one either plastic baits or crank baits or jigs it is how you present to the fish whether they strike or not. most of us bass fishermen know how to modify our crank baits so they may swim true. will tell you a little story about when I was about 15 years old I decided to carve me out a flat fish can I painted it black I just threw on some trouble hook did not pay any attention to what size or anything else but this homemade crank bait caught me lots of bass. somehow I ruined a trouble hook and put on a other well it killed the action in the end of the story here is that the careful on the way that you change your crank baits. how many of you guys have used jigs and know that they sure there but you are not catching them . and how many of you are carrying a wide variety of different materials on your jigs . this is another little short story when I was about 13 years old I was casting marabou jig I was not catching one blessed fish a guy standing beside me was catching crappie one after another it was driving me crazy so I asked him what he was using or what type of jig he showed me something to look like a broom it had stiff nylon hair and they were clear so I'm assuming that the fish did not want any action they wanted something that was more or less no action at all did the trick so you definitely do carry a wide variety of jigs when you are fishing especially when it comes to material. back to Bass fishing a little bit I usually carry about 100 crank baits but I'm only using one or two of my favorite every time I go out kind of ironic that you would carry all those crank baits but you're only using one or two that you know that will definitely catch fish time after time shows you how much money as guys waste but it is the curiosity of his fisherman we are more apt to look at something that looks good and that may not be good so I guess I'll a lot of this has to do with trial and error when you were out fishing we learn from experience over the years the best way the best techniques on how to catch fish.

bob.

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.