Why do we "mimic" fish

[Luke Barnes]

I'll start off saying I dont do this, but it made me think. If we are mimicking a fish profile or a feeding fish, why dont we throw nothing but swimbaits? Spinners, jigs, spoons, ned rig, whatever. If ita supposed to mimic a fish, why not throw the most realistic swimbaits you can? 

 

Caveat: i dont throw swimbaits much. Soft or hard. It just popped into my head and I'm curious. 

[soflabasser]

Bass are opportunistic predators and will hit any lure that triggers them. For example spinnerbaits are one of the best bass lures ever made and look nothing like a baitfish.

[jbsoonerfan]

I've been having luck with a 2.75 finesse TRD because I am trying to mimic goose turds.

[Luke Barnes]

1 hour ago, jbsoonerfan said:

I've been having luck with a 2.75 finesse TRD because I am trying to mimic goose turds.

You and me both. Ive caught more fish on TRDs than anything lately. So that made me think, why do we try to look like catfish when my thumb in a random color catches fish??

[jimmyjoe]

   If "realism" were high on Nature's scale, why would men go after women with push-up bras and lots of makeup?  Creatures in general aren't motivated by "it is what it is", they're motivated by "it is what I think it is". If that weren't true, you couldn't lure geese with colored rags in a field or corral horses with cardboard.        jj

[CrankFate]

1 hour ago, jimmyjoe said:

   If "realism" were high on Nature's scale, why would men go after women with push-up bras and lots of makeup?  Creatures in general aren't motivated by "it is what it is", they're motivated by "it is what I think it is". If that weren't true, you couldn't lure geese with colored rags in a field or corral horses with cardboard.        jj

Thats why I am not always the biggest fan of “match the hatch” - because the fish might be eating the hatch every day, but if there’s something rare, that they like better than the hatch, they might attack something they like better more aggressively than the hatch. It definitely works when fishing with bait, so it has to work with artificials, too.

[Smokinal]

When fish are actively feeding, or in cleaner water, yes, a natural bait may be the best choice.  But when the bite gets tough, they are not actively feeding or in dirty/stained water, there are baits that can make fish bite.

This is called a reaction bite. Bass don't do much other than eat and make more bass. They are programmed to eat so when they are alarmed or curious, (and because they don't have fingers to examine a bait) they just eat it.

 

Now, there are tons of vids showing bass hitting a bait, and then spitting it out.  This could be because they were curious, ate it, figured it out and a non-food source, then spit it.  We don't care about that because we want to set a hook before they spit it out; as long as we can trick them into biting in the first place.

 

This is where scents on baits can be useful too; to make a fish hold a bait just a split second longer so we can set a hook.

[Luke Barnes]

2 hours ago, Smokinal said:

When fish are actively feeding, or in cleaner water, yes, a natural bait may be the best choice.  But when the bite gets tough, they are not actively feeding or in dirty/stained water, there are baits that can make fish bite.

This is called a reaction bite. Bass don't do much other than eat and make more bass. They are programmed to eat so when they are alarmed or curious, (and because they don't have fingers to examine a bait) they just eat it.

 

Now, there are tons of vids showing bass hitting a bait, and then spitting it out.  This could be because they were curious, ate it, figured it out and a non-food source, then spit it.  We don't care about that because we want to set a hook before they spit it out; as long as we can trick them into biting in the first place.

 

This is where scents on baits can be useful too; to make a fish hold a bait just a split second longer so we can set a hook.

Ive read alot about the texture of the bait comes into play with this too. Obviously a crank bait isn't going to feel real, but you usually know when you have a bite and can set the hook. Ive noticed the TRD stuff, fish seem to hold onto. No scents just the stick and had one on and didnt realize it for a good few seconds and it tried to swallow it and got gut hooked. I got it out and the fish was unharmed btw. But ive also realized scented baits are for when they bite, not to make the water smell like bait. 

2 hours ago, CrankFate said:

Thats why I am not always the biggest fan of “match the hatch” - because the fish might be eating the hatch every day, but if there’s something rare, that they like better than the hatch, they might attack something they like better more aggressively than the hatch. It definitely works when fishing with bait, so it has to work with artificials, too.

I like this statement. It made me think what if they are sick of shad and really love draws, but there arent many craws around. Very good point you made!

[scaleface]

 I choose lures that are appropriate for  the cover ,structure and conditions I find. All lures work . Soft swimbaits work well in a lot of the places I encounter so I should employ them more often . They just havent been as big a part   of my arsenal as they should be . I'm  stuck on lures that worked in the past and get tunnel vision . 

[Mobasser]

I use mostly 4" and 6" plastic worms. What exactly do they mimic? A minnow, a craw, an eel? I don't know. But I do know the bass love em. That's what matters to me.

 

[king fisher]

 I believe,bass get conditioned to certain food through experience.  They soon find out what they can eat that fills them up and doesn't hurt(large crayfish claws) or make them sick(cigarette butts).  Then they become more efficient at catching the prey they have determined is safe, and tasty.  The more times they are successful with a certain, type of prey, the more they will key in on that prey.  After awhile they recognize a certain movement, color, or other factor that gives them an  edge at finding, and catching what they are hunting.  They recognize what time of year, time of day, light condition, and weather that makes for successful hunting of one type of prey over another.(what time of day insects hatch, or when crayfish move around)  Anglers try to imitate, one or more of the traits of their natural food.

        This does not mean a bass wont try something new.  Just like a kid who is a picky eater, once in awhile will try something different and like it.  A bass may have never eaten a mouse swimming on the surface before, but it looks alive, and easy to catch so why not give it a try?  Most likely wouldn't bother with the mouse, if he was gorging on a school of shad, that are cornered, and has dialed in a method  to catch them efficiently.  Later when the school of shad are gone, it might not be the right time for the mouse to go for a swim. Not that the bass prefers shad over mice, just a matter of timing.  Bass are capable of eating almost anything.  When very hungry, there is a better chance of getting them to try something new, and less likely to be keyed in on a single food source.   Aggression is another factor that can get them to strike.  They are more likely to be aggressive to something they have experienced as a threat to them or their offspring, or is in competition with them for a food source.(If a blue Gill tries to eat a worm a bass wants, might be just as easy to eat the blue gill and get rid of the competition.)    Again they learn certain actions, that can trigger aggression, and the angler tries to replicate that action.

      Just because a lure looks like a certain prey species to an angler, doesn't mean it looks anything like what the bass is used to eating to the bass.  A bass may be used to seeing his prey try to escape in a certain way with a particular action, that a certain realistic looking lure doesn't imitate regardless of paint and shape.  A lure with lots of action may be intimidating to a bass that has been picking slow moving food off of the bottom.  Where one making a huge racket on the surface may perfectly match a fleeing school of bait, even though the color and shape are wrong.  Matching the hatch is not about an exact match to human eyes.  It is about having a lure that exhibits some quality that gives the bass confidence, that what he just saw, heard, or felt has been eaten before, can be easily caught and is worth eating, or (attacking in the case of aggression.)

      I have way to much time on my hands and am way over thinking things.

 In way less words, it doesn't hurt to try to imitate what a bass is accustom to eating, but if that fails, something different can work too or sometimes, they can both work at the same time.

 

     

[Luke Barnes]

@king fisher great post! Im going to really ponder on that and what each lure does and mimics. Like I use the TRD Ticklerz because when I use them in shallow clear water they look like a little fish nose down eating off the bottom. So maybe that's what the bass sees and why those little logs with whiskers have caught me fish. I get the craws, but the worms ive never understood, but they catch the fire out of fish. Maybe they mimic something the bass sees that I don't. 

[DitchPanda]

I've never really caught anything on a swimbait. I know that's blasphemy on here but I just havent. Throw one on the back of a Swim jig and sure but not by itself. Unless you consider a grub a swimbait...doesn't really look like anything...caught thousands on that.

[jtharris3]

Things that make you go hmmmmm... ? ?

[Armtx77]

16 hours ago, Luke Barnes said:

I'll start off saying I dont do this, but it made me think. If we are mimicking a fish profile or a feeding fish, why dont we throw nothing but swimbaits? Spinners, jigs, spoons, ned rig, whatever. If ita supposed to mimic a fish, why not throw the most realistic swimbaits you can? 

 

Caveat: i dont throw swimbaits much. Soft or hard. It just popped into my head and I'm curious. 

Opposable thumbs and the lures look cool to us. The fact that they will eat neon green colored lures, that look like they have been dipped in nuclear waste...amazes me.

 

Toss in snap rings, 2" plastic lips, treble hooks and other various color scheme and I question that any color matters, but as I said in another thread: I go out of my way, to match the hatch.

[waymont]

17 hours ago, Luke Barnes said:

If we are mimicking a fish profile or a feeding fish,

Because bass eat anything that's alive in the water. Crawfish, hellgramites, larvae, birds, snakes, bugs, frogs are all food, and none on them have a fish profile. Of course they eat fish too. Bass are triggered to hit baits, as much as want to eat them. Lots of reasons to throw different baits.

[king fisher]

Bass are very efficient hunters.  Like all good hunters they utilize all of their intelligence, senses, and skills to get their game.  A plains Indian wouldn't even notice a goose flying over head while charging into a herd of buffalo, let alone try to shoot it with his bow.  The Same Indian hunter slowly sneaking up on a flock of geese in a pond, might  shoot a buffalo if one happen to walk by.  If a bass has a food source available that is plentiful, but takes lots of concentration, and skill to catch, he might key in on a certain feature of that prey in order to be more successful.  This can appear to an angler as being selective, when really it is just what the bass has to do in order to be an effective predator.  Like the Indian having to concentrate on his swiftness and riding skills, during the buffalo hunt.            Other times their might not be a large number of one kind of prey around, and the bass is just looking for something to eat.  This happens a lot in rivers when a bass sets up an ambush spot out of the direct current and just waits for anything to float by.  Dragon fly nymph, minnow, mouse, or any number of creatures drifting by will be attacked.  Same bass might move right out in to the current in the evening when crayfish start moving on the bottom.  Probably wont even notice a dragon fly nymph floating by while trying to catch the crayfish, who are quickly hiding under rocks.  The first example almost anything drifted naturally in front of the bass will get hit.  An angler may think the fish hit because his Senko had such great action, or color, when  the truth is, the bass was going to hit anything that drifted naturally to him.  These bass are not expecting any particular prey, and don't have time to get a good look anyway.  The second scenario, it would be best to replicate the speed and action of the crayfish.  Wouldn't hurt to match the size and color too.  Most fish eat smaller fish, so most lures try and represent fish.  Some lures, like an inline spinner don't look like anything a bass would eat sitting still, but retrieved through the water comes alive, looking and sounding like almost any prey.  Others like a plastic worm can look like food just sitting on the bottom.  Bass can eat almost anything, so lucky for the bait monkey their are lures that represent almost anything a bass has eaten, and some that a bass hasn't even dreamed of, but wants to give it a try.  Those days big bass are aggressive, attacking anything they can get their mouths around, are what great fishing stories are made of. 

[RoLo]

19 hours ago, soflabasser said:

Bass are opportunistic predators and will hit any lure that triggers them. For example spinnerbaits are one of the best bass lures ever made and look nothing like a baitfish.

 

In years gone by, someone asked Bill Dance: "What's a spinnerbait supposed to imitate"

Bill answered: "I dunno, maybe a toy airboat"

 

Roger

 

[soflabasser]

33 minutes ago, RoLo said:

 

In years gone by, someone asked Bill Dance: "What's a spinnerbait supposed to imitate"

Bill answered: "I dunno, maybe a toy airboat"

 

Roger

 

Lol! Another lure that does not look like a fish but catches lots of bass is a buzzbait which as we know is one of best lures for bass.

[RoLo]

 

I'd love to see the long list of aquatic creatures that resemble a 'plastic worm'.

 

Water Snake:     Nah, water snakes are less common than plastic worms, and rarely leave the surface

Shoestring Eel:   Eels are anadromous, and require a tributary stream to saltwater.

Earthworm:        As their name suggests, they're land animals that drown when washed into a lake

Plastic Worm:     A-Hah, now we've got a winner.

 

Roger

[CrankFate]

9 hours ago, Luke Barnes said:

 

I like this statement. It made me think what if they are sick of shad and really love draws, but there arent many craws around. Very good point you made!

I like this statement, too. But figuring out what bass prefer to eat is the hard part. If anyone knows, please let me know.

[Hower08]

Alot of guys I fish with go super natural. I like my baits to stand out a little bit. I dont do so well with ultra realistic baits 

[813basstard]

I’ve always had this thought that 90% of the time bass are drunk in the kitchen at 2am looking for anything that resembles food...
The other 10% they know exactly what they want..

 

 

I’m better when their in that 90% tile. The longer I fish the more I want to get whatever I’m using closer to their mouth.