Fish Becoming Conditioned

[DelfiBoyz_One_and_Only]

What do you think? Can LMB really become conditioned to a particular bait? IMO I think no! I always hear people saying that bass become conditioned to a bait and they won't bite it. I wondered how is that possible with the little brain that they do have. It seems more possible that maybe they are not feeding no longer on the food you are imitating. Meaning you are throwing a blue gill bait but now there are more shad in the area and that is what they are feeding on at that time.

Hope that made since. What is your opinion?

[wademaster1]

I think if the fish see the exact same thing 1000 times every few days, yes, they may learn that it's not an actual natural food item. This is why lots of guys preach about using something different than most folks.

[DelfiBoyz_One_and_Only]

Being that there memory is so poor you think it's possible for them to remember a specific bait?

[slonezp]

Old and wise? Yes. Conditioned to a bait? Not so much. 

[yoyoman]

there are studies of goldfish being trained to do certain things like swimming threw holes to get food. i assume bass to be smarter. i think the constant daily barrage of the same lures for sure makes them smarten up. i also believe when they are in th feeding mode, they will almost take any bait because of the reaction bite. just look at new ponds being fished. at first u can catch the on a gum wrapper but they will wise up. so when fishing is slow try something no one else throws.

[DelfiBoyz_One_and_Only]

I believe the older bigger bass are pickier and settle for bigger easier (targets) meals. Every year monsters are caught on spinnerbaits and those have been around for a bunch of years. If you have a imitation of what they are eating when they are eating it then you can catch them regardless of how many times they have seen it. IMO of course.

[slonezp]

The thing people overlook is bass don't eat food just because it's put in front of their face. What's the difference between seeing the same bluegill all the time and seeing the same KVD 1.5? 

[DelfiBoyz_One_and_Only]

If the bass sees a blue gill but it is feeding on shad then it will ignore the blue gill. I believe bass have different preferences at different times of the year.

[slonezp]

Fish don't only attack bait beacuse they are hungry. When they are hungry they will attack anything that looks tasty. How many times have you caught a bass that is spitting up multiple types of bait? Happens all the time. Spitting up crawfish and baitfish. A bass will also strike because it's territorial, because it's startled, because its curious, etc. 

[DelfiBoyz_One_and_Only]

I agreed!

[slonezp]

I believe the older bigger bass are pickier and settle for bigger easier (targets) meals. Every year monsters are caught on spinnerbaits and those have been around for a bunch of years. If you have a imitation of what they are eating when they are eating it then you can catch them regardless of how many times they have seen it. IMO of course.

Fish Chris is the one you need to talk to about large bass because that is what he targets. My opinion, for what it's worth, the larger the fish, the more energy it loses chasing bait. This is why they prefer fewer larger meals if it's feasible.

[WRB]

The bass that learn from their mistakes grow old, the bass that don't.....don't!

Tom

[yoyoman]

x2

[Fishes in trees]

We have all had the experience of a lure working great one year and then not as good the next.  Freshman Logic - Occam's Razor - More often than not the easy answer is the right answer.  This leads me to believe that fish in any specific body of water can get conditioned to any specific bait.

 

As I consider this question in depth, considering multiple possibilities, my answer is "beats me, maybe probably, I dunno."  

 

If you believe that fish in one body of water can communicate with other fish in other bodies of water through space and time through some unknown means, then that would completely explain my overall mediocre fishing success.

 

I think that the moment I hit the water, fish see me and say (think?), "That d**n blue boat is here now, don't bite his baits."  Some fish don't get the message and those are the ones that strike my baits.

 

Of course, that isn't any reason not to go fishing.

[OkobojiEagle]

I believe bass have the ability to learn simple behavior changes... bass fishermen, not so much.

 

oe

[The Rooster]

People say fish can become conditioned by just seeing a bait multiple times, and I used to think so too, but if this isn't the case, then surely they can at least become conditioned by being caught multiple times on the same bait. Hmm....well, that can't be true either because they have such poor memories and wouldn't even remember it. What about back to back catches within a few minutes? Surely their memory isn't so bad they'd have already forgotten it? I really do doubt that one, but my brother once caught the same small bass so many times within a few minutes time that he was actually worried he'd perforated its mouth to the point of being unable to prey effectively for a while. Either it had a very poor memory or it was just stupid, but regardless of which, it definitely wasn't conditioned after that many times hitting the same bait.

[yoyoman]

there are alot of people that keep going to jail for stealing but keep doing it anyway. lmfao

[BassinB]

there are studies of goldfish being trained to do certain things like swimming threw holes to get food. i assume bass to be smarter. i think the constant daily barrage of the same lures for sure makes them smarten up. i also believe when they are in th feeding mode, they will almost take any bait because of the reaction bite. just look at new ponds being fished. at first u can catch the on a gum wrapper but they will wise up. so when fishing is slow try something no one else throws.

Its nice to think that bass are a "smart " fish but in a relative manner they arent. In all actuality carp have a much more sensitive nerve system and a larger brain size relative to body size. You cant measure fish intelligence, but if you use a ratio to compare brain size bass are FAR down the list.

[DelfiBoyz_One_and_Only]

I had a experience the catching if the same fish 3 times in a row on a crankbait. It was a 16in fish with black marking on it and was very skinny. After the 3rd time we left the area

Jay

[yoyoman]

Its nice to think that bass are a "smart " fish but in a relative manner they arent. In all actuality carp have a much more sensitive nerve system and a larger brain size relative to body size. You cant measure fish intelligence, but if you use a ratio to compare brain size bass are FAR down the list.

i dont believe i said "smart". I meant that I ASSUMED that bass were smarter than goldfish but in no way did i mean to imply that a fish of any sort were smart. It was relative statement. all i meant was that fish ARE without a doubt able to learn and that this was and is proven. I wouldnt even consider a dog as smart. only humans but that could be debatable with some. lol

[NEjitterbugger]

There is a seafood restaurant that is along the intercoastal, you can eat on a dock where you can feed stripers French fries and what not... I have tried to fish across the river and they wouldn't hit anything...

 

These fish were conditioned to French fries lol!

[DelfiBoyz_One_and_Only]

Lol awesome. Throw a French fry with a hook in it and see if they stop eating French fries!

[yoyoman]

Lol awesome. Throw a French fry with a hook in it and see if they stop eating French fries!

lol now that would be interesting.

[Bladesmith,]

I have a small pond on my place which I have stocked with 4 bass. Pond is about 30 feet in diameter with big shiners, crawfish, and perch as forage. These bass have been in this pond for 4 years. I can go out (it's in the front yard) at any time and drag a lure. These fish certainly become accustomed to what not to bite. I am careful not to give them too much pressure (they are my lure testers). They will hit almost anything the first time they see it. After being caught on it, I might as well throw it away. They will not hit the same lure a second time even the following year. This is strange because I have caught the same bass on the same lure on the same day on Eufaula Lake. Go figure. Maybe environment has something to do with it.

[Felix77]

IMO bass get conditioned in the moment. After seeing the first lure for numerous catches on a lure the bite will die. Sometimes changing colors or add scent and the bite will generally come back on.

If you then leave and come back in an hour sometimes its like fishing it brand new.

Of course there are exceptions but that's been my experience.