Live bait vs. Artificial experiment - Need some input

So I have going through some comments on a video where a filmed a "live" (dead) minnow vs. a plastic minnow sprayed with scent (slab sauce). There seem to be quite a few comments saying that the challenge/ experiment was stacked in favor of the plastic minnow because I used a dead "live" minnow, instead of keeping the minnow alive. My argument is that as long as both baits are placed at the same depth under a slip bobber setup, then I should use a dead minnow because a live minnow would have an unfair advantage of movement. Also I should note that I did not move or jig the either rod. I'd like to here some thoughts on this because to me the logic is sound, unless I am completely missing something.

Thanks for all input.

-Flopping Crappie

I guess I could see where some might not take that as a true live bait vs. artificial challenge if the "live" bait isn't really alive.Now if your comparing the results of the scent of a real minnow vs. the scent of slab sauce on plastic then I think your right that the added movement of a live minnow would throw off the results.

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Originally Posted by ad1974

I guess I could see where some might not take that as a true live bait vs. artificial challenge if the "live" bait isn't really alive.Now if your comparing the results of the scent of a real minnow vs. the scent of slab sauce on plastic then I think your right that the added movement of a live minnow would throw off the results.

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Maybe I should have clarified that in the video. (scent vs. no scent). Thanks for the input

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Originally Posted by floppingcrappie

... I should use a dead minnow because a live minnow would have an unfair advantage of movement.

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Maybe the plastic and scent has an unfair advantage of smell. Maybe dead minnows give off a bad smell to fish.

In shark repellant experiments, they found nothing turns off a shark like the smell of a dead shark. (I know this from watching "Shark Week" on Discovery. ;) )

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Originally Posted by deathb4disco

Maybe the plastic and scent has an unfair advantage of smell. Maybe dead minnows give off a bad smell to fish.

In shark repellant experiments, they found nothing turns off a shark like the smell of a dead shark. (I know this from watching "Shark Week" on Discovery. ;) )

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Haha, shark week is always fun to watch...and educational. I will have to do more research on the scent a dead minnow gives versus a live one. Although, I think how long the minnow had been dead (in my case a matter of minutes) would determine the smell. a minnow that was day for a day would probably smell pretty bad.

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Originally Posted by floppingcrappie

Although, I think how long the minnow had been dead (in my case a matter of minutes) would determine the smell. a minnow that was day for a day would probably smell pretty bad.

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In one case, a great white shark was killed near the Farallon Islands off San Francisco. That same day, every great white shark in the vicinity (around 100) disappeared. :yikes

IMHO ...
The challenge, as it was conducted, was more or less fair. Or at least as fair as it can be using those two baits in a stationary position.

I think the rub comes because most people don't use dead minnows, as a rule ... and only under certain circumstances use plastics w/o moving them.

Challenges like that can only be as fair as the person doing them dictates, and even then the results can vary from day to day (if not hour to hour). People will usually accept the winner in these challenges, when it's what they normally use to start with. A few may give the "other" bait a try, if they're convinced that the challenge was fair.

Also, it's almost impossible to be absolutely fair in these kinds of challenges, because where you place each bait can make a difference. It's like trying to determine which color jig to use when trolling a spread of jigs of different colors : does catching a few more on one particular color mean that's the best color, or did that color happen to be presented closest to the fish that bit it, or was it the most visible color "at that moment & under the prevailing conditions", or was that fish the most actively feeding one in the bunch ?? One has to wonder, since the other colors are also catching fish .... just maybe not as many ?? And what about the last time ... did that same color produce more fish, or was it a totally different one ?? See what I mean ??!! A fish will rarely pass by one bait to go bite on another one that's a few feet away, and if those baits are in a school of fish ... the more aggressively feeding fish in the school will usually hit the closest one to "them", not pick out their favorite color, shape, size, smell, or its movement when it's several feet away.

Just my :twocents opinion, anyway.

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Originally Posted by CrappiePappy

IMHO ...
The challenge, as it was conducted, was more or less fair. Or at least as fair as it can be using those two baits in a stationary position.

I think the rub comes because most people don't use dead minnows, as a rule ... and only under certain circumstances use plastics w/o moving them.

Challenges like that can only be as fair as the person doing them dictates, and even then the results can vary from day to day (if not hour to hour). People will usually accept the winner in these challenges, when it's what they normally use to start with. A few may give the "other" bait a try, if they're convinced that the challenge was fair.

Also, it's almost impossible to be absolutely fair in these kinds of challenges, because where you place each bait can make a difference. It's like trying to determine which color jig to use when trolling a spread of jigs of different colors : does catching a few more on one particular color mean that's the best color, or did that color happen to be presented closest to the fish that bit it, or was it the most visible color "at that moment & under the prevailing conditions", or was that fish the most actively feeding one in the bunch ?? One has to wonder, since the other colors are also catching fish .... just maybe not as many ?? And what about the last time ... did that same color produce more fish, or was it a totally different one ?? See what I mean ??!! A fish will rarely pass by one bait to go bite on another one that's a few feet away, and if those baits are in a school of fish ... the more aggressively feeding fish in the school will usually hit the closest one to "them", not pick out their favorite color, shape, size, smell, or its movement when it's several feet away.

Just my :twocents opinion, anyway.

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CrappiePappy,

Thank you for the input. I guess there is no real way to make this challenge absolutely fair since the baits are not in the same spot like you said. I would like to do this challenge again to see if the results vary, which is why I wanted input. Thanks again.

It seems like you are trying to see if you can trick a crappie into thinking the plastic jig with slab sauce is as good a bait as a minnow. For me I would fish with the real deal [minnow] that jig makers are trying to copy. By the time you pay for the jigs, and the sauce you can buy the real minnow that already has the smell built in. Interesting study though ...:fish

Maybe you could try a jig with slab sauce vs a jig tipped with a minnow, artificial scent vs live or dead minnows. Either way i think you do a great job on the video's. Keep em coming!