Debunked Fishing Myths

[Raul]

.I say color doesn't matter, yet have the rainbow of colors at my disposal. I'm pretty much an idiot.

 

 

Count me in brotha, but:

 

1.- I like pretty colored baits

 

2.- More pretty colored baits ----> better

 

3.- I have my personal favorite colors

 

4.- Extreme satisfaction from seeing my T-boxes full of crap that I don´t use but that maybe, and I repeat maybe, one day I will use them, better have and not need than need and not have.

[roadwarrior]

Count me in brotha, but:

 

1.- I like pretty colored baits

 

2.- More pretty colored baits ----> better

 

3.- I have my personal favorite colors

 

4.- Extreme satisfaction from seeing my T-boxes full of crap that I don´t use but that maybe, and I repeat maybe, one day I will use them, better have and not need than need and not have.

 

I am in the same boat. The majority of my stuff is stored/ displayed in the Man Cave. I carry maybe 25% in the "big bag" and use about 5% of that!

As an example, my collection of jerkbaits is impressive, but I think I only use three regularly and maybe a total of 8 over the past 10 years or so.

Still, I'll probably pick up a couple more this year!

 

Back on topic, I fish my favorite color or something that is specifically working for my compdres. I have a pretty large network of retired

guys and semi-pros that fish Pickwick almost everyday. They are "in touch". Last spring the Magic Lure was a small tube, BPS 3 1/2"

Tender Tube, Green Pumpkin Pepper #71. You might think something else would be just fine...WRONG!

 

So, I agree with ww2farmer that most of the time color isn't all that important, but sometimes it's critical.

 

 

 

 

[Raul]

!

 

So, I agree with ww2farmer that most of the time color isn't all that important, but sometimes it's critical.

 

 

 

 

 

That´s exactly what I mean when I say: Better have and not need than need and not have.

 

However the problem rises when you have to go through a really big bunch of stuff in search of that "critical for today" color/pattern when the things you normally use are not working.

[corn-on-the-rob]

Depends on the water.  If it's a river, probably not a problem.  If it's Erie, uh.....

 

Lol it actually was erie but we were fishing right out side a harbor AND had southwest winds AND the area is wave protected from the islands. You could see the monster waves on the horizon, buffalo runnin'

[J Francho]

Yep, we got pushed off the lake in a tournament a couple years ago, but not after we'd put a few pounds in the livewell.  This was what it was like inside the break walls near Buffalo.

 

 

We did win that one, lol.  So there goes the myth that smallies are smaller than largies.  We beat the next best bag of harbor rat LMB by 5 lbs.

 

[*Hootie]

However the problem rises when you have to go through a really big bunch of stuff in search of that "critical for today" color/pattern when the things you normally use are not working.

And that's always the color I left at home in another box.

Hootie

[bassindon]

Scent is not needed to better your big bass catching ; )  

[geo g]

1). (Banana in the boat kills the bite.)  I don't believe it, but I don't take Bananas, ever !

 

2). (Cows lying down, just go home.)   I don't believe it, but would rather go tomorrow.

 

3).(Sudden extreme cold fronts in Florida kill the Florida bite.)  Definitely believe this, but still fish.  That's how I know its true.

 

4).(Speeding boats close, kill the bite.)  I fish canals allot.  Wave action stirs up the water, bait fish activity goes up chasing bugs, and little stuff in the water.  Bass bite goes up attacking the bait fish.  Don't get upset, wave action can help the bite.

[Catch 22]

Ha Ha ,fun topic

 

Two things that are not a myth for me.

The bite of the day is usually on what I have only one of==or only a critical few of.

 

Once I get plenty of a color ,bass quit eating it.

 

No bananas for me.I won`t even throw yellow lures..

 

I heard of divers refusing to go back in the water around my local d**n because of what they saw.

 

C22

[papajoe222]

I know one that I read on here awhile ago and I thought it was true until I tried to debunk it and did.

 

All bass in a river are going to be on the bank. I read that word for word in this message board one time and bought into it for some reason. Finally I learned about current breaks in the middle of the river and found the fish lol.

See Matt's post

[papajoe222]

Here's one I proved wrong right after I first heard it; Your crankbait will run deeper with fluorocarbon than it will with mono because it sinks. 

[Comfortably Numb]

Controvercial one here but i dont believe salt in a plastic makes fish hold on longer. Just makes baits weaker so they sell more.

 

Jig/craw wont wrk well in lakes with little to no craws.

 

Color is not as important as we think it is

 

Certain bodies of water you have to use a certain color.

 

Tungsten weights are silly to me.

 

I can feel a fish breathe on my lure with a $50 rod, why do I need a $300 one? Same with reels.

[Jaheff]

Fluoro does stretch but not quite as much as mono. It sinks much quicker and it is definitely less visable. Ask anybody who fishes saltwater. When the fish get line shy, Fluoro can save the day.

I proved that on the Clemente this year. I caught 4, nobody else caught more than 1. On long soaks, braid makes a huge difference.

[blackmax135]

how about when the cows are laying down the fish aren't biting?  anyone else ever hear of this one?

My dad lived by this.  There were even a few times he turned around because all of the cows were laying down.  To be honest I think it was an excuse to go back home and go back to bed. lol  I don't know if is right but I know almost every time I go fishing and have a good day I see a lot of wildlife roaming around, running across the roads and fields.  Maybe theres a connection

[Wayne P.]

My dad lived by this.  There were even a few times he turned around because all of the cows were laying down.  To be honest I think it was an excuse to go back home and go back to bed. lol  I don't know if is right but I know almost every time I go fishing and have a good day I see a lot of wildlife roaming around, running across the roads and fields.  Maybe theres a connection

That relationship is promoted by users of the Solunar Charts which predict the active and inactive times of the day for all llife.

[buzzed bait]

That relationship is promoted by users of the Solunar Charts which predict the active and inactive times of the day for all llife.

 

i heard this from my grandad and uncle and they wouldn't even know what a solunar chart was if they had all day and the internet at their disposal.....  i fish a lake that has quite a few cows around the place and from time to time i do see them laying down.  however, i've never noticed enough of a difference in the catch rate to validate or de-bunk it.....

just a funny old wives tale type fishing scenario i suppose

[RSM789]

I have never bought into the phrase "A bass is a bass no matter where you find them", implying that all bass will act the same when it comes to their movements and how to catch them.  IMO, factors such as regional differences, habitat differences & forage differences radically change how bass live in a lake.

 

Think about two landlocked lakes, one in Texas & one in Minnesota, with the variances you would expect in those two areas.  If those lakes are 50 years old, that means there have been over 20 generations of fish growing up in a different environment.  Generation after generation of that Texas environment will create habits that differ from the cousins in the Minnesota waters.  Unless a body of water is part of a river system where the bass can migrate to new territory, the bass in that lake or pond will never be influenced by genetics from fish outside of that finite territory. 

[ColdSVT]

Controvercial one here but i dont believe salt in a plastic makes fish hold on longer. Just makes baits weaker so they sell more.

Jig/craw wont wrk well in lakes with little to no craws.

Color is not as important as we think it is

Certain bodies of water you have to use a certain color.

Tungsten weights are silly to me.

I can feel a fish breathe on my lure with a $50 rod, why do I need a $300 one? Same with reels.

Salt actually helps the bait sink

And for the record...tungsten weights rock! Lol

[Snakehead Whisperer]

I have never bought into the phrase "A bass is a bass no matter where you find them", implying that all bass will act the same when it comes to their movements and how to catch them.  IMO, factors such as regional differences, habitat differences & forage differences radically change how bass live in a lake.

 

Think about two landlocked lakes, one in Texas & one in Minnesota, with the variances you would expect in those two areas.  If those lakes are 50 years old, that means there have been over 20 generations of fish growing up in a different environment.  Generation after generation of that Texas environment will create habits that differ from the cousins in the Minnesota waters.  Unless a body of water is part of a river system where the bass can migrate to new territory, the bass in that lake or pond will never be influenced by genetics from fish outside of that finite territory. 

I agree. In my area I have close access to free flowing rivers, tidal rivers and several different types of reservoirs. Bass patterns can vary greatly between 2 spots a few miles apart on the tidal Potomac, let alone between the tidal Potomac and Occoquan Res. 

 

With that said, most lakes in Minnesota are far older than 50 years.

[senile1]

Beware of absolutes.  Not just in fishing....

 

This hits the nail on the head. 

[RSM789]

...With that said, most lakes in Minnesota are far older than 50 years.

 

So are most Minnesotans...