Reaction Strike Info

[jacob2000]

So on Tuesday this week I caught my first 3 pounder off of a black and white KVD crank bait. After I had caught it, I wondered if the bass had liked that lure that I threw or if it was a reaction bite that I got him on. Anyone have any info on how to determine if they are biting on reaction strikes or not?

[Senko lover]

Both, probably. 

[F14A-B]

More than likely.. The fish thought the crankbait was a baitfish & the bait did it's job..

[PNWdude]

From my understanding, all bites on a crankbait are from triggering a reaction bite.

[RoLo]

A crankbait heading directly at a passive bass might evoke an impulsive strike, like ducking from a rock.

More likely, a crankbait passing an active bass will be perceived as a living creature (not necessarily a baitfish),

which would elicit a feeding strike. On the angler's end of the line though, I'm not aware of any way

to distinguish a feeding hit from an impulse strike.

 

On the water surface however, some reaction strikes are clearly defensive.

There'll be instances when a bass sees your lure in the air as it's arcing to the surface.

This bass may smack the lure the INSTANT it touches down. I'm not talking about a 1/4 second later,
but the 'instant' it touches down. That's an impulsive reaction and not a feeding strike.

 

Roger

[gobig]

In my opinion the speculation that bass just react is not giving one of the top predators in the food chain its due credit.

[jacob2000]

I was wondering because if it was a reaction strike then I might could have used another bait that produces reaction strikes as well.

[bigturtle]

Anytime you catch a fish, its technically a reaction strike.

[primetime]

I will take any type of strike I can get.....I know that some people use lures to fire up schools and such, I try this at times and usually it is not intentional, I will be throwing cranks and traps, and then will switch to something slow and subtle like a tube or worm, and then will start getting bit, not sure how that works, if it is just something people say to sell more tackle, or if fish get excited and frustrated and then just take something slow and easy to catch....

 

I do like to throw a slow wake after I throw a walker and sometimes it works, I notice that at night I do much better hook up wise with a straight line instead of walking. I like to slow reel a popper like a wake bait and maybe use the reel to get a pop here and there, but one thing I wonder is this.....Why is it some days fish will blow up on a Frog or floating  minnow bait like a Rapala and not get any hooks in them at all. I have had a few days where I get 4-5 solid crashes on a Rapala or bomber floater and never have to swing since they never get it....I will try to downsize, change color, sound, or go subsurface, but it amazes me that they never get a treble stuck or snagged with 3 large #2 Trebles hanging off a 4-5" lure. Hollow frogs drive me nuts, although I now figure they are good for locating the fish and then throwing a soft bait at them, I only swing on maybe 25%....Not sure I like my frog selection, I only seem to do well on the Spro Frogs, but have mostly River2sea and Live Targets since I found deals on them. I actually like the KVD sexy frog because it has rattles.

 

 

[retiredbosn]

....... Why is it some days fish will blow up on a Frog or floating minnow bait like a Rapala and not get any hooks in them at all. I have had a few days where I get 4-5 solid crashes on a Rapala or bomber floater and never have to swing since they never get it....I will try to downsize, change color, sound, or go subsurface, but it amazes me that they never get a treble stuck or snagged with 3 large #2 Trebles hanging off a 4-5" lure.......

This is something allot of fishermen wonder about, and here is my take on it. I am a buzzbait fanatic, I always have one tied on and ready for action. Here is what I've learned after years of fishing top waters. A huge explosion on a topwater is usually a defensive reaction, as such many times the bass is smacking the bait. It's intent is to stun or drive off the intruder, many times it's a tail slap, sometimes it's hitting it with its head. The key here is it's not taking the bait into its mouth, unlike the almost silent strike when the bait just disappears. Pay attention next time you're catching them on the surface, I'm willing to bet that the silent strike has a much higher hook up ratio compared to the violent explosion type, simply because the bait goes in its mouth. How many times have you caught a fish that's hooked outside its mouth? If you're like most ppl the answer is several. Secondly go to youtube and search for some underwater footage of bass strikes. A bass can inhale a crankbait and spit it out so fast that many times the angler doesn't even feel it. The hooks are useless without a hook set of some type, I was astounded at how fast a bass can strike and spit a mouth full of trebles and come away unscathed.

This video shows some being caught and some spitting the lure out.

Bass hit lures (underwater shots): http://youtu.be/N3UG-vuSmG8