Using unnatural baits.. Do they work?

[Catt]

Nah too spicy  

[Raul]

We all have pretty much the same baits in our T-boxes, we all have cranks, spinnerbaits, soft plastics, jigs and such, we all have the same tools.

The principle here is: as long as the bait moves like if it 's alive and an easy prey a predatory fish will attack it, it doesn 't matter if it looks or mimics something natural, it only matters if it behaves like if it 's alive and an easy prey.

So think of fishing like cooking, you have the ingredients of the recipe ( your lures ), you have the recipe, you may follow the recipe step by step but that doesn 't mean you 'll make a great dish, what makes a great dish and what differentiates a regular cook from a great chef are not the ingredients nor the recipe, it 's how those ingredientes are mixed together.

Will you catch fish with "unnatural" baits ?

Absolutely !

So where 's the catch ?

Where it has always been ----> it 's in the chef where the magic is, behind the rod handle.

Don 't overthink it, keep it simple !

[iClass]

What hasn't yet been mentioned is why a fish will strike a lure.  There are times when a bass is actively feeding because of hunger, then there are the reaction strikes (kinda like waking my wife and getting punched because I scared her  ;D) and of course protective strikes, such as when a male is on the nest guarding fry.

Matching the hatch is a good idea when fish are actively feeding, approx 20% of the day.  Staying with a color that matches the hatch can help when looking for a reaction strike as well, but not as important.  Protection strikes can occur on anything a bass feels as threatening, that is why bubble gum or mertholate works during the spawn.  

Never be afraid of trying something different.   The way we see a lure is not how a fish sees it, and I guarentee that is a good thing...

TightLines

[iClass]

Gee I wonder if this would work in Salt Water up here for Tiger Sharks , let's say Throwing a Cajun overboard off the Long Island Blight  

Wouldn't work...Sharks know a cajun would just make a nice set of boots and a Fine Gumbo!!    

[BassinBoy]

I used to ask myself this question, but now I know that if a lure imitates a lizard in water that there are no lizards, they still seem to work.

Often times in ponds that I know there are no craws, I won't throw one because they don't work as well.

The best way to figure out this theory is to try it for yourself.

[J Francho]

I'd rather start with matching the primary forage, which is usually fish, not bugs.  :

Although "minnows" and "bugs" sometimes work at the same time,

often one or the other is a significantly better choice. In the fall

for example, minnow type baits rule. In the summer, it's soft plastics

and jigs (bugs). Now that we have an explosion of choices in the

swimbait category, that may change things a bit.

BTW, I'm not suggesting that topwater or spinnerbaits aren't in

the mix, but conditions or time of day may dictate their most

appropriate selection. My comments in the first paragraph are

simply generalizations. Right now I don't seem to have a clue

at local ponds, I need to be on the Tennessee River!

8-)  

I meant bugs, as in terrestrial bugs, in reference to matching the hatch.  I never liked applying that flyfishing term to bass angling.  I guess it probably stems from my locale, and the sheer number of trout fisherman here.  The fly anglers are some of most stubborn, stuck up, elitists on the water.  But then again, some of my best friends use a fly .

To me, jigs and creature baits are critters    I know many say a jig is a crayfish, but I'm not really so sure that's what the bass thinks.