Bits of bread sunfish go crazy biting mimics what?

Last year I started throwing bits of bread to sunfish in my pond and soon enough over 2 doz. were at my feet going nuts on the surface as soon as the bread bits landed. We hear all the time that lures should mimic some animal or other, but bread balls? Once they see me walking toward the dock they come running - including 3 painted turtles (these were taken yesterday):
https://i.imgur.com/gPdNSO2.jpg?1https://i.imgur.com/3wQYLbf.jpghttps://i.imgur.com/YSdx5JO.jpg

One pumpkinseed bully also joins the fun:
https://i.imgur.com/VIZO35i.jpg?1

What were they thinking?!!

They have become conditioned to an easy meal. Given the chance most animals will do this. They encourage people not to feed gators because they will associate humans with food. Then it is a matter of time before someone get bit.

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Originally Posted by DockShootinJack

They have become conditioned to an easy meal.

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This ^^^^

Bread is an “instant” bait. Fish love it. Even saltwater fish will take it.

chumming for gills? then you drop that hook with a bread ball and boom, it's on.

That last picture of a pumkinseed? Beautiful color!

Yes they've been conditioned. If you drive to my parents pond on the side by side a huge ripple starts coming across the pond toward you. These are the channel cat my dad feeds and they're expecting it when you pull up. Don't know if it's the sound or the ground vibration but happens everytime.

Whatever they sense it is a trigger for them to mean feeding time. I hunted and area next to a hunting lodge that sold high dollar trips. They had teenage boys driving around to the green fields with truck beds full of corn. Scoop a couple of buckets of corn out on the ground. Beat the bottom of the bucket like a drum and drive to the next one. Before they were out of the field the deer, hogs, and turkey would be headed that way. It was an amazing and sad sight to behold.

Here's a video on the subject...
Easiest way to catch BlueGill - YouTube

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Its food, most fish like grains as most fish are omnivores and will eat plant material as well as meats.

With bluegills, all that needs to happen is for 2-3 of them to feed and then a frenzy starts. That is why I always tell people when bluegill fishing to keep casting to the same spot over and over once you catch a fish. If you can get a frenzy going, fish will come from yards around to join.

Turtles are always looking for fish feeding so they can steal their food, you'll see a lot more start showing up too once they notice the others feeding.

You have these fish trained at this point, fish are pretty stupid.. once they learn where food comes from they will continue to do it until they get hurt or scared. When I had a koi pond, they learned who I was and knew if I walked up to the pond that it was feeding time. If anyone else would walk up, they wouldnt even budge because they knew they werent going to get fed. I dont know how the recognize me, size or actual body/face features but they absolutely did.


We used to do the same thing to get catfish bait when kids. Toss a bunch of bread at the city pond where they were fed every day then drop bare hooks in and grab 20-30 and go home. I remember one day we thought it would be easier to use dip nets since there would be literally thousands of bluegills on the surface feeding. One swipe with the net and those fish wouldnt come up to the surface to eat bread again for the rest of the year... they would wait for it to sink and feed a foot or so down. Only took one time scaring them for them to learn.

I fished the Red Sea for 21 years. One of my most favorite ways to catch fish was to take a very large hamburger bun….bury a big treble hook in it and cast it on top of the reef….then hold on. Would catch tons of red snapper in the 20-30 pound range. They would put a violent hit on that bun.

Regards


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Great replies and so relevant to what I've experienced. Reminds me of when I would return from fishing with fish in the livewell a few years ago. Bass would line up same way waiting for small panfish to be thrown to them after they saw the truck and boat pulled parallel to shore. Had to be over 9 bass competing for a perch and sunfish meal.

Note: gills steal food from the three turtles and even grab bread right from their mouths if it's sticking out. For the turtles to get some I have to thrown bits of bread on top of shallow surface algae, never in open water. Those fish are like colliding rockets once they hear a splash - even in 1" of water! (Never knew they could swim sideways for food.)

I used to stock a small pond behind some apartments back when , put my left over shiners in it ,some sunfish and some bass , there were bullheads already in it too , they would all lose their minds when I showed up with a slice of whitebread .
the water would just boil with fish within a second or so of the bread hitting the water .
white bread was my go to bait when i carp ketched as a kid , chummed in with corn and a doughy ball of white bread on a single hook no sinker , just deadly and fun as heck too :highfive
it is very similar to why in the heck are the fish losing their minds on whole kernel corn , some used to say it resembled fish eggs , but i never bought that excuse , it is more likely the sugar content in the bread and corn and the scent it leaves in the water :dono

The Fish Whisperer - YouTube

Guy built a whole channel around feeding fish and turtles...

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Originally Posted by Ketchn

… it is more likely the sugar content in the bread and corn and the scent it leaves in the water :dono

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This ^^^^

I know some people that act like that around bread. :biggrin

Hard to beat fresh baked bread