|
|
Member
Posts: 2680
Location: Essexville, MI./Saginaw Bay. | Hope nobody minds, but I barrowed this topic from another board. Below is the posters querry and my answer to it. What's your views on the subject?
I read an interesting article on another site (wmi.org/bassfish article 163). In it, David Fritts, a bassfishing crankbait expert, contends that not all crankbaits are made alike. There are special crankbaits, generally 5 or so out of 100 that possess special characteristics (unique actions that catch more fish, such as the ability to dive deeper or more steeply, run straighter and truer, special "hunting" action, or some other distinct movement or sound). He jokingly says that they were made at 11:30 A.M. on a Wednesday, when workers are at their peak efficiency. He also says that when he finds one of these baits, he puts it in a special place, and he claims he would not take $1000 for any one of them.
It would be interesting to have frequent crankbait users weigh in on this-Do you agree, or is this Fishing Voodoo?
Like everybody else who has or will post an answer to this question, I also have a few cranks I call (Old Scar Face) because they continue to outfish their identical twins in the same litter. But my feelings (of why this is so) on this particular subject matter, differs from Mr. Fritts.
It's my feelings, that the lure in question is actually faulty in the most slightest way, and not better made. Let's face it, all lures made are meant to be life like and imitate a healthy/swimming forage baitfish. But predators are conditioned and instinctively programmned to pick out the weak or disfigured as an easy meal. These individuals are (extra) appealing to even neutral or negative feeding mood predators. And even though we ourselves don't perceive it, I say that extra hot lure sends off or imitates a flaw that only predators perceive as an easy meal.
Think about (old scar face) for a moment. Seems the more beat up and the more paint he looses, the more fish he catches. His flaws become bigger, yet his successes better.
Thus, somewhere in that lures construction, even though not plainly visible to us, or major enough to throw off it's true running dynamics and render it useless. That telltale look, vibration or sound equates to an easier meal to the preditors, because they are an easier meal.
Most people put fishing strategies, techniques and thought processes on the same plane as we thinking, rationalizing human beings. Everything a fish does is purely done by instinct and envoronmental conditioning. It's easy to think inside the box. Start thinking outside of it for more likely answers, especially when fishing. |
|
| |
|
Member
Posts: 1656
| Do bass fisherman know how to tune crankbaits? 
I have a relative that swears some fishing rods are lucky and some are just fishing rods. I think we all have that "something" that gives us confidence in our fishing skills/luck. Might make an interesting thread.
As for old faithful.......hmmmm yep, had one of those...but it's stuck to a rock on the bottom of lake Winnebago. Thankfully I found a few replacements this last fall and have yet to try them...I hope they are just as productive. |
|
| |
|
Member
Posts: 378
Location: Omro,Wi. | Dan
I will agree with the statement,that some baits,of the same type,and color do work better,than their counterparts do.If they are made better,or have a flaw,we will probably never know which one it is for sure.The only light I can personally shed on this topic is that I have noticed when a crank bait runs,just a "little" to the right,or left,it seems to catch more fish.This becomes more evident,when the bite slows,and we put on a differant style bait ,with a new action,or just change the trolling speed,and things pick up again.On Bago the walleyes have proved to be opportunistic feeders,over and over again,by hanging under schools of whitebass,picking off the wounded minnows.The trick here is to get thru the bass and get to the eyes.Mostly starting your troll from a distance,and giving your bait time to reach it's depth works fine.So I would conclude that the perfect running bait,is NOT the one they go after,in most cases.I believe a suttle flaw in the action,is the key. |
|
| |
|
Member
Posts: 2393
Location: Waukesha Wisconsin | One could argue that:
If that special crankbait has a little different action and that is why it catches more fish
AND we can not visually detect any difference.
THEN the manufacturer is close at producing a great bait
BUT needs more refinement to get all baits working as good as that "special" lure.
Is it possible that we just do not spend enough time fine tuning other baits to make them track like the productive one? I think yes.
I had more "special" baits when many baits were made out of wood. I always assumed that it was because of the characteristics associated with wood. Wood density changes from lure to lure and is very dificult to control.
It would be interesting to get a perspective from a manufacturer...........Dave Storm you out there?
I will admit that while preparing for a tournament, I put lures that are catching fish in a different Plano 3700 and then start by using those lures. But then again, when I pull out a crank I ALWAYS look for the one with teeth marks on it (that's when I have 6 identical and look for the best)
Edited by Sunshine 1/14/2005 2:11 PM
|
|
| |
|
Member
Posts: 2680
Location: Essexville, MI./Saginaw Bay. | Heres a bone for you guys to chew on.
I had an article published a few years back that was titled "It's what they don't see"
After reading a State wide salmon fishing report, I noticed the salmon on Lake Michigan were hitting on spoons with Raspberry stripes over black. And the Lake Huron fish were hitting on Orange stripes over black. Superior, green over black. All fish were coming in depths up to 80' to 110' deep.
Knowing that all these colors become almost as black as the colors they were over at those depths, I had to assume it was the flat white color on the opposite side of these spoons, that was the trigger. As these spoons fliped back and forth, the flat white underside was the only constant, noticable difference that flased and imitated fleeing baitfish in all three. So it wasn't what the fish were seeing, but what they were not seeing. This back and forth, black to white they were seeing, is what was triggering the strikes. Again, (IMPO) thinking outside the box, made the best sense in this case.
Edited by walleye express 1/14/2005 3:08 PM
|
|
| |
|
Member
Posts: 701
Location: upper michigan | As most game fish fead on bait fish higher in the water than themselfs it has become my belief that the belly color of the bait is more important than the color of the top of the bait.
Edited by butch 1/14/2005 2:58 PM
|
|
| |
|
Member
Posts: 66
Location: Sheboygan,WI | In my opinion the old faithful is true to a point but reproducing that old faithful is possiable if you break the bait in properly. the key is to break a new bait in when the fish are on a tear. Also don't break it in with other hot baits in the spread because I believe the fish may pick the bait of choice. When I break in baits I usualy do so with a whole spread of new or barley used baits to force the fish into choosing one of those. You can also use scent to improve the catch ratio on a new bait. |
|
| |
