The difference in getting bit 2025
riverbasser reply :
How big a deal do you believe it is to show the bass different lures/presentations than what's common in your area?
Do bass remember being caught on certain lures?
Is it more important to be as natural as possible or unique?
Just thinking about the most common lures we all throw and how many fish are caught and released all year, not to mention all the bass that don't get caught and see similar lures everyday. I know this is an issue on smaller bodies of water that are highly pressured. So how much importance do you put on standing out or do you only focus on presenting your bait better than anyone else?
papajoe222 reply :
I'm a strong believer in 'showing them something different, but I put more emphasis on on other things. As an example, my favorite body of water is less than 100 acres and the two most often used lures are plastic worms and lip less cranks. To be more specific, green pumpkin worms and chrome Rat-L-Traps. I use those two baits over 50% of the time, but I'm still showing them something different. The difference is my presentation and differences in the bait itself.
By going larger,or smaller, offering something with a different action (Red Eye Shad, or a paddle tail worm). or just a difference in presentation (different speed, or angle of presentation, swimming vs. dragging, pumping the rod vs. reeling it back steady), I'm showing them something different.
As for natural vs. unique, I opt for natural to start and if I determine that the fish are aggressive (active) I'll switch to something different. That's when I want my offering to stand out the most.
Bass don't have long term memory, but the do, instinctively avoid repeated, negative responses.
A fish that's been caught on a rattling crank a few times in a short period, will avoid one because of the repeated negative experience. Similar to a fish that's inhaled a falling leaf a few times. After that it will ignore them because nothing positive resulted from previous attempts.
Mike L reply :
Excellent!
Mike
scaleface reply :
It seems to me anyhow ,that populations of bass get acclimated to spinnerbaits in the spring rather fast . I've seen that bite shut down over and over but yet they still hit other lures .
Koz reply :
Bass attack prey on instinct and don't have the brains or communication skills to convey "don't eat that". I think time of day, weather, abundance of other things to eat, defending territory, and whether or not they are hungry at that moment determine weather or not they bite a lure or not. I also think that the size of the lure is key as to whether or not a particular fish strikes.
In other words, you've got to throw your lure in the right place at the right time.
riverbasser reply :
On 2/19/2018 at 5:54 PM, papajoe222 said:As an example, my favorite body of water is less than 100 acres and the two most often used lures are plastic worms and lip less cranks
This is what was going through my head when I made the topic. Great response. I just see so many people throwing the same baits including myself I wonder If standing out would change anything.
I really try to look at all lures as tools for certain situations and pick the best tool for the job. Everything I have will catch fish but which one best fits the situation.
papajoe222 reply :
Sorry Koz, but although a bass' brain doesn't have the capability to reason or remember, the instinct you mention also encompasses survival and avoiding a lure that triggers that instinct is a natural reaction on their part. A bass reacts to its environment as it affects their survival. They don't choose to eat an artificial lure, regardless of size, shape, or color. They react to its presence under the current conditions. I've cleaned many a fish with an overfull belly that was obviously not hungry.
Bassguytom reply :
If this was the case senkos would have stopped working years ago. I don’t think the fish care as much as the fisherman. If they are on I don’t think they remember being caught on a specific lure or bait. I think it’s instinct that drives them to eat. I change it up to find a pattern never thinking they saw this lure too much. I could be wrong but this is how I fish.
BCline reply :
On 2/20/2018 at 1:31 AM, Bassguytom said:If this was the case senkos would have stopped working years ago. I don’t think the fish care as much as the fisherman. If they are on I don’t think they remember being caught on a specific lure or bait. I think it’s instinct that drives them to eat. I change it up to find a pattern never thinking they saw this lure too much. I could be wrong but this is how I fish.
I agree completely. In my opinion lure manufactures make different shapes, sizes and colors for fishermen not for fish. I vary my presentation dramatically until I get a clue what is triggering a strike, but almost never change colors or lures. I fish with whatever I happen to pull out of my pocket.
soflabasser reply :
Been bass fishing for well over 2 decades now. Have caught several double digit bass, hundreds of bass over 5 pounds, and had +100 bass days. Also fish for other species( both fresh and saltwater) and I tend to do very well with these fish. What has helped me the most is putting my time on the water and doing my best to learn from each fishing trip. I keep a open mind when it comes to fishing techniques and new areas to fish.
CroakHunter reply :
On 2/19/2018 at 12:48 PM, riverbasser said:How big a deal do you believe it is to show the bass different lures/presentations than what's common in your area?
Do bass remember being caught on certain lures?
Is it more important to be as natural as possible or unique?
Just thinking about the most common lures we all throw and how many fish are caught and released all year, not to mention all the bass that don't get caught and see similar lures everyday. I know this is an issue on smaller bodies of water that are highly pressured. So how much importance do you put on standing out or do you only focus on presenting your bait better than anyone else?
We catch 100's of bass every year on all white spinnerbaits in the early spring. Out of a pit that is 90 acres. Any fish that is over 18 inches has a tag or gets tagged when we catch it. We have caught the same fish multiple times a year on the same baits in the same spots. Dont think we've caught the same fish in the same day but I know we have in the same week. Some fish get caught more than others. Last September I caught a 6+ that when I caught it was the 3rd time it had been caught that year. Twice out of the same cove. But on the opposite end of the spectrum I caught a 7+ that hadn't been caught in 6 years and was a 6lber when it was caught in 2011 (we estimated that fish at nearly 15 years old). When I caught it, it was literally as far away as I could have from the previous catch site. Fish are similar to other animals, some are very aggressive and careless while others are cautious no matter the circumstances. Both of the fish I mentioned were caught on slow moving bottom baits not reaction style baits. So I'd like to think that presentation is the #1 factor, followed by location, action, profile, and color. I don't buy into the 15,00 different colors offered by bait companies. But to sum it up I think what can "condition" fish to baits is the presence of anglers not the baits themselves (bad boat positioning, loud noises on bank or boat, rainbow casts that result in large splashes etc.)
All over 5# and all were tagged. The big one is the 7 I'm talking about
soflabasser reply :
On 2/19/2018 at 12:48 PM, riverbasser said:Do bass remember being caught on certain lures?
Is it more important to be as natural as possible or unique?
So how much importance do you put on standing out or do you only focus on presenting your bait better than anyone else?
1. Yes. Try fishing a highly pressured public pond in South Florida from land and you will quickly learn how smart bass can be, especially +8 pounders.
2. Both have their place and time that they do best.
3. Depends on what mood the bass are in. Sometimes I will use a attention getting technique if the bass are very active (to get reaction bites), other times I use a slower technique or a technique that I know most people are not using in the areas I fish (difficult to catch bass).
papajoe222 reply :
Not disclaiming your findings croakhunter, but wondering just how pressured that pond is?
CroakHunter reply :
On 2/20/2018 at 6:16 AM, papajoe222 said:Not disclaiming your findings croakhunter, but wondering just how pressured that pond is?
Not very, which doesn't validate my point much I know. But if you take my numbers and time them down I think it is more realistic
IndianaFinesse reply :
Here's my 2¢, take it as you want as I do not have as much experience as most of you guys.
I think that they definitely do get acclimated or used to certain lures that they have already seen repeatedly and/or been caught on. You can see this when a new lure is "hot" for a little bit, maybe a year or so, but then is no longer as affective as it once was.
But I believe this happens faster with faster moving baits, such as crankbaits, spinnerbaits and such. A couple studies (although they used very circumstantial evidence) support this. Slower, more natural lures seem to take longer for them to catch on, such as senkos and whatnot. The flipside of this is pure reaction baits (although I strongly believe that most strikes are a reaction of some sort, and not feeding), they probably don't become "immune" to these baits quite as fast. I always try to be a little different than everyone else, even small differences in retrieve/lure sound/action etc can make all the difference.
I think it's been well enough documented that bass tend to avoid lures that they've already been caught on, with some exceptions of course.
Whether its better to be natural or different, there really isn't a good one answer to to that. None of our lures really look like anything they would eat, but sometimes it pays to be closer to the real thing in clearer and more pressured water, but sometimes not. But whether we try to be more natural or less, either way we always end up being something other than natural.
papajoe222 reply :
My advice to anyone is to use what works. CroakHunter offers valuable information as the spinnerbait continued to produce. Why switch? Often times it isn't the fish becoming conditioned to a particular lure or retrieve, the fish are holding tighter to cover, have moved deeper, or their strike window has shrunk. In those instances, changing lures, etc. isn't going to get you bit. If it does, it's likely that what you were throwing was being ignored.
FishDewd reply :
I usually bring 2-3 different setups with me ready to go. I have a carolina rig on one pole to feel out an area, although it doesn't generally catch anything. It does let me know if there are underwater grass lines and like though that I feel might be a place where bass can hide. Another is a dropshot set-up which I will start with a finesse worm rigged wacky since I have had luck with that before in ponds. The last one will be for either texas rigged plastics (like senkos), or setup for moving hard baits like cranks or jigs. If something doesn't produce in about 25 minutes or so, I will change what I am presenting. I tend to change my retrieval first though, just to make sure I am not going too fast/too slow or whatever. Sometimes that can make all the difference before switching baits/lures. I do think bass and fish in general can learn to avoid certain baits that are used often, so I try to see what others are using (if anyone else is there) and try not to repeat what they do. Unless of course, something seems to be working really well.
Bankbeater reply :
Some of the lakes I fish see some very heavy fishing pressure, especially in the summer months. Sometimes I can catch the bass on baits that others are not using, and sometimes I am using the same baits as other people, but I am changing up the presentation. I just have to keep playing around and trying different things until I hit on a pattern that works.
scaleface reply :
I've been lucky enough to fish in a public fishery that received little to no pressure . It was fantastic . Then when word got out about the place and people started fishing it , those bass became edumicated quickly . It went through a drastic change .
So in my experience , bass are affected by fishing pressure and do become lure shy . No doubt .
bowhunter22 reply :
The lake I frequent is incredibly weedy and surrounded by lily pads and sees frogs allllll day. I love to frog fish and caught but pb there on a scum frog, but switched to a spook one morning and killed it
Djamesbond3 reply :
Its a good question and im sure that they get a little more gun shy after being caught a few times but I feel that if they are actively feeding, their instincts will kick in to eat whatever is available and pops right in front of them. I mean after seeing the video of Alton Jones Jr. catching a bass on a wrench, if they are feeding, they are going to eat. Im not saying dogs and fish are similar in any aspect but we usually dump our grease from our fryer in the woods behind my house when we change the oil in the fryer and my dog has gotten into it before and gotten sick from it. But it never fails that every time we dump the grease back there since then the dog still tries to get into it. When it comes to food and eating, idk if animals can help themselves.
scaleface reply :
No matter how much fishing pressure people are still going to catch fish but bass behavior does change with heavy fishing pressure . I had bass following me around like dogs. All I had to do was drop a lure in the water to catch them . With the introduction of anglers , there was a huge negative impact on success rate .
CroakHunter reply :
On 2/21/2018 at 10:14 PM, scaleface said:No matter how much fishing pressure people are still going to catch fish but bass behavior does change with heavy fishing pressure . I had bass following me around like dogs. All I had to do was drop a lure in the water to catch them . With the introduction of anglers , there was a huge negative impact on success rate .
So technically they got angler why not lure shy? Becuaee that's what I've noticed
scaleface reply :
On 2/21/2018 at 10:21 PM, CroakHunter said:So technically they got angler why not lure shy? Becuaee that's what I've noticed
It seems to me , both .
Brown Town reply :
I fish a small pond that gets completely choked up with Lilly pads in the summer and has only one spot in front of a drainage pipe that keeps a small spot open. Everyone fishes from this spot and I watch them throw buzzbaits, spinnerbaits, and rapala minnow baits without a bite for several hours. Usually multiple people casting into that same hole. As soon as they leave I can take a Texas rigged plastic or a jig and catch 2-3 fish in the same hole in 15 minutes. So I believe fish can become accustomed to certain baits in heavy pressured areas especially when they see them all day.
kingmotorboat reply :
River I fish on used to be Dynamite with a spinnerbait, now they won't touch it. Could be pressure or a change in forage I don't know. What I do know is now everyone is throwing squarebills. So if my theory is correct next year they will be ready for spinnerbait
Sam reply :
On 2/19/2018 at 12:48 PM, riverbasser said:How big a deal do you believe it is to show the bass different lures/presentations than what's common in your area?
Do bass remember being caught on certain lures?
Is it more important to be as natural as possible or unique?
Just thinking about the most common lures we all throw and how many fish are caught and released all year, not to mention all the bass that don't get caught and see similar lures everyday. I know this is an issue on smaller bodies of water that are highly pressured. So how much importance do you put on standing out or do you only focus on presenting your bait better than anyone else?
Now that it looks like you have everyone's input, let me add my two cents:
Show different baits? - Yes. All the time. Change out unless they are hitting one specific bait or presentation. When the pattern changes, we go bonkers and start to throw lots of baits until we can figure out the new pattern.
Do bass remember being caught on the same lure? - Older ones are supposed to remember. Uncle Homer Circle says that older bass would back off and hide when they heard a trolling motor. Younger ones seem not to remember anything.
Natural or unique? - Depends on the pattern. Water clarity will also be your guide as to throwing natural looking lures or going for the bright yellows, pinks and blacks. Clear water you throw natural. Stained to muddy you brighten up your baits so the bass can see them after being called by the baits pulses or action.
Presenting your baits. - Confidence. It boils down to confidence in your baits and techniques. I can be hard headed and not want to throw anything other than a shaky head even though I am not getting any bites. I have confidence in shaky head presentations. There are time when I will throw a buzzbait too long. Or think a RICO is the magic pill. And then throwing only a sexy shad colored crankbait and not changing the color or lip style. And I throw a 1/2 ounce jig and pig. Nothing smaller or larger. You throw what you think will work. It boils down to confidence.
The answer to your question lies with the Bait Monkey. He loves you and all of us. That is why we have so many baits that it is mind-blowing. I probably can clear 150 pounds of plastics without any problem. We have no idea what will work until we get on the water but we want to be ready for the pattern of the day and hour.
Now go out there in Bama land where the weather is positive for bass fishing and catch some for us up here in the north. Show us the pictures!!!!!!
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