cyclops2 Posted January 30, 2022 Posted January 30, 2022 In a hatchery or in lakes & rivers? Both bite ANYTHING splashing on the surface. If they are hungry. I got chummy with a private & state hatchery worker. I made a rigged bet on the outcome. I used a Rapala floater with NO HOOKS on it. I took no bites by the fish. Winner buys dinner & drinks Friday night. I was warned by both guys I would lose. All GROUPS of fish are just like Piranhas. We all laughed at each outcome. I bought more rounds. It is still funny. 1 Quote
Super User bulldog1935 Posted January 30, 2022 Super User Posted January 30, 2022 Gary Borger gives a talk on fishing stealth, summed up as, "big fish aren't smart, big fish are cowards." In the wild, brave and inquisitive fish become food, and by natural selection, only spooky fish breed. He reinforced it with anecdotal data from "fish psychologists" who determined the IQ of a trout is 6, and the smartest fish is carp, with an IQ of 12. So no, hopefully, we never get out-smarted by fish. 1 1 Quote
cyclops2 Posted January 30, 2022 Author Posted January 30, 2022 I have to agree on who bites first in springtime schools of perch. I catch all the small ones first . Sometimes 2 on 1 lure. Then the bites are fewer. But larger fish every so often. Eventually the largest, farthest away, take a chance. 1 Quote
garroyo130 Posted January 30, 2022 Posted January 30, 2022 Who knows. I mean honestly if someone was picking up humans to test their intelligence, do you think the smart ones would get caught? The scientists aren't testing the genius uncatchable fish in my lake because they can't be caught ... trust me I've tried 1 2 Quote
Super User bulldog1935 Posted January 30, 2022 Super User Posted January 30, 2022 they could just be the scared-y-ist. Something you really notice in pounded streams, is that fish feed on a time cycle for defense. They bear it as the food drifts by, then when one starts feeding, the competition causes the others to feed. Then it all shuts down again. 2 Quote
Super User Bird Posted January 30, 2022 Super User Posted January 30, 2022 Big bass are like big whitetail bucks, hide in thick cover and move mainly at night. Along comes a potential mate, they get stupid. This theory is not limited to the animal kingdom though. 2 2 Quote
Boogey Man Posted January 30, 2022 Posted January 30, 2022 Apparently smart enough to cause a 5 page thread with 115 replies and 2.4k views on mono vs fluoro a few weeks ago ? 1 1 Quote
cyclops2 Posted January 30, 2022 Author Posted January 30, 2022 " O K guys. Lets really confuse the beans out of these guys. Split up . 1/2 bite Mono. 1/2 bite Flouro. The other 1/2 of you bite anything else. " 3 Quote
Super User Deleted account Posted January 30, 2022 Super User Posted January 30, 2022 12 hours ago, bulldog1935 said: In the wild, brave and inquisitive fish become food, and by natural selection, only spooky fish breed. Yes, and no. Any variation in physiology, behavior, or disposition may or may not have a positive or negative impact on survival. A large fish has as much chance of being "smart" as "lucky". Given enough biomass, some will survive and most won't. Quote
newapti5 Posted January 30, 2022 Posted January 30, 2022 13 hours ago, bulldog1935 said: He reinforced it with anecdotal data from "fish psychologists" who determined the IQ of a trout is 6, and the smartest fish is carp, with an IQ of 12. I wonder how they get the exact IQ number. Through a test of some sort? I would say a fish that can finish a test is pretty smart, wouldn't you agree? 1 Quote
Super User bulldog1935 Posted January 30, 2022 Super User Posted January 30, 2022 especially people with fly rods have a way of proving Gary's thesis. People making long brave casts with a fly rod rarely catch fish. They reinforce bad casting and worse fishing habits. If you're doing this right, you get a fish every 3rd cast, and most of them are at your feet. 1 1 Quote
Super User Deleted account Posted January 30, 2022 Super User Posted January 30, 2022 5 hours ago, newapti5 said: I wonder how they get the exact IQ number. They have to pick out a Senko from a Yum Dinger and a BPS Stick O... 2 Quote
cyclops2 Posted January 31, 2022 Author Posted January 31, 2022 I am living proof that LUCK always beats skill. Friends rate my intelligence at 2 times that of a doornail. Quote
Global Moderator TnRiver46 Posted January 31, 2022 Global Moderator Posted January 31, 2022 6 hours ago, newapti5 said: I wonder how they get the exact IQ number. Through a test of some sort? I would say a fish that can finish a test is pretty smart, wouldn't you agree? They reached those numbers after sorting through hundreds of pounds of BS and meaningless research papers 1 Quote
BassResource.com Administrator Glenn Posted January 31, 2022 BassResource.com Administrator Posted January 31, 2022 Ok, cabin fever is infecting everyone, it seems. Yet another seemingly benign topic has resulted in multiple forum violations and warnings. Guys, enough with the petty bickering. Go play with your fishing gear or watch my videos or something. Do what you need to do to re-center yourselves. The snow and ice will be gone soon! 1 1 1 Quote
JS8588 Posted January 31, 2022 Posted January 31, 2022 I fish small presentations on light line (nothing heavier than 8lb mono in fresh water). I got skunked maybe 3x last year out of 50+ outings. Do I catch big fish? No. Do I catch fish while the guys around me using heavier gear & bigger lures are cursing about not being able to get a bite? Yes. I don't know that I'm outsmarting the fish, but I'm also not using what everyone else is & it seems to be working out well for me. Quote
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