Catching - Fisherman Or Fish ?

[CatchingConcepts]

Im pretty old school in my style and paterns I paint on my cranks, but recently played some with photo printing on my baits...

For my first attempt it came off better than I thought, and actually was rather easy method as outlined here in a tutorial.

Just wondering others thoughts, myself, Ive made and fished countless baits, and for me, its all about size, action and basic hue or color.

Photo finishes make for sexi looking baits, but I'm thinking its more a catch the fisherman than fish issue... Thoughts?

[A-Mac]

i completely agree. For cranks, I've done much better throwing a lure that generally mimics the prey rather than looks exactly like it. My exception to this rule is swimbaits. You would think a lure that actually has a picture on it (like a sunfish) would be dynamite, but there always seems to be a better lure in a similar "hue" as you were saying. Like all baits and all colors there is a perfect combination for every lake out there, and I'm sure photo finished lures are the go-to lures on some water bodies (perhaps clearer waters?). For me, action and certain color schemes seem to work better than something that is dead perfect. But you're right, that photo finish lure of yours looks great! cha-ching!

[RayburnGuy]

The photo realistic baits make more of a difference in clear water. And there are times when fish key in on certain colors. Even in water that isn't gin clear. I can remember one spring on Sam Rayburn that if you didn't have a pumpkin seed rattle trap you didn't get bit. I've also had times when they wanted a certain color crank. You could throw the exact same bait in a different color and your catch rate would drop drastically if not shut down altogether. I'm one of the people that thinks color does make a difference a big part of the time.

Ben

[Big Bass Man]

The photofinish baits do catch fisherman's eyes, but they also catch some nice bass. Three of the biggest bass that I have caught, on a bait that I painted, were caught on a photofinish baits. The three came from three different lakes and were three different types of bass and three different types of water.

I caught my biggest smallmouth to date (5 lbs) at Pickwick on a photofinish bluegill rattle bait, The lake has stained water.

I caught my biggest spot to date (6 lbs) on a photofinish shad jerkbait at Bay Springs, The lake has clear water.

I caught an 8lb largemouth on a photofinish shad crankbait in a lake that has muddy water.

I have caught over a hundred bass, this year, on the jerkbait alone. It has caught them in clear and stained water. Not sure if it is the color or the action of the bait, but it definately puts fish in the boat.

Patrick

[toadfrog]

Fish don't see color the same as the human eye. They see light refraction . Certain colors and color blends create the necessary ora . Action and presentation combined with this . Bring home a full live well . The ugliest bait in the world to us might just be the apple of the fishes eye. Wish I knew what bait that would be. Cause I can make some ugly crap .

[woodieb8]

dead on about catching fisherfolks. in my world ugly colors to most other specie fishermen are beautys to musky folks. i am amazed at the beautys guys here produce.

for us its hard to imagine a coachdog, olive frog pattern can outproce fish over works of art.

muskies and water colors on l. st clair tell us. its hero or zero on some days.

[woodenfeather]

90 percent of the paint schemes out there are to catch fisherman. The old saying " If you design it to catch fish, it will eventually catch fisherman. If you design it to catch fisherman, it will eventually catch fish" is more or less true. If you have confidence in a bait, whether it's because it has caught for you in the past, or you heard it was the hot lure on the lake, or 'cause it looks pretty, you are going to use it with confidence and probably do well with it. Now, there is no doubt that color plays a part in getting a fishes attention and provoking it to strike, but how big a part is often thought to be pretty small next to action and size/ profile. For me, if I can "match the hatch" with a realistic paint scheme, I feel like I'm taking the color off the table as far as why I'm NOT getting bit. Painting lures is most of the fun in making them, so have fun even if the fish don't care.

Nice bait Herman.

[BobP]

Ditto Herman. There's no way to scientifically test all crankbait attributes versus catch rates. Some attributes are probably critical, some marginal, others have no effect. My ranking order runs something like: depth first, followed by action, size, and color pattern. You hit the jackpot if your crankbait has ALL the right attributes on a given day. I try to keep a color pattern suggesting the major bass food groups - shad, sunfish, crawfish - in each of the categories of crankbaits that I fish. Photo-realistic? Sure, why not? It can't hurt. I just don't believe it helps, though.

[bassnbrad]

I can for myself say I have seen where the color does make the difference. Long long ago in a land far away, oh shoot different story... No really, 2 of us in the boat, both fishing the same lures on the same test line, one lure I painted was out fishing the other one I painted 4 to 1, my partner and I switched places, and still out fished the other, finally switched poles, and dang if he would give the pole back for the rest of the day. So yes colors do matter at times, but for the most part I really think the patterns or finishes catch more fishers than fish. MHO...

[ravenlures]

First you must catch the fisherman. He is the one that will be throwing that lure out there. Certain lures are a favorite because a lot of fishermen are fishing that particular lure, the longer it is in the water the more fish it will catch. Now for the one that makes lures for himself I bet that he creates a pattern or a type of lure that he always will go back to. Its his choice. Its that old favorite in the box that is always in the water the most.

[bassnbrad]

First you must catch the fisherman. He is the one that will be throwing that lure out there. Certain lures are a favorite because a lot of fishermen are fishing that particular lure, the longer it is in the water the more fish it will catch. Now for the one that makes lures for himself I bet that he creates a pattern or a type of lure that he always will go back to. Its his choice. Its that old favorite in the box that is always in the water the most.

Very well said Crazy!

[gekhang]

ive been making lures for a month now and found that im more interested in how the action is and painting to go with the action. so if theres alot of wobble i find no reason to make it exactly correct colors but pay more attention to spraying golds and silvers to filcker as it wobbles. if there is a tight wobble, i tend to paint it more to accurate colors.

[MR KNOW IT ALL KIND OF]

OK IM ABOUT TO GO OFF!!!!

The guy that came up with the quote " my baits catch fish not fisherman" should be in politics.

Cause basically all he is saying is...." I CAN'T MASTER a BAIT WORTH A CRAP SO HOW AM I GOING TO SELL IT SO I CAN COMPETE WITH Guys THAT CAN DO GOOD WORK!!!!

Wait.....Wait.....I know... I will tell everyone that my baits might look like crap but they catch fish and all the better quality baits...made by better quality builders...well they look great but don't catch fish because they look too good so they had to be made for just the fisherman!

I have heard alot of BULL SH_T! in my day and what cracks me up the most is alot people believe it.

Give me a freakin break! If color or looks don't matter than why the hell are all you guys here making custom baits! BUNCH OF SELLOUTS EVEN HAVING THIS TOPIC go to walmart and buy your fishing baits from CHINA!!! THEY ARE THE BEST DAM UGLY BAITS MAKERS YOU WILL EVER SEE!!!

If your a crap bait maker.. than deep down I know you listen to your little voice inside that tells you!!! "GOD I SUCK! HOW AM I GOING TO SELL THIS JUNK IM MAKING!!! yep, you know what Im taking about..

Here's a new concept..."EVEN UGLY GUYS GET LUCKY WITH DRUNK HOGS BUT DAM GOOD LOOKING BAITS CATCH FISHERMAN AND SMOKIN HOT TROPHY QUEENS"

TATER IS O.....U.....T....OUT!

....honey have you seen my deposit slips I need to go take this money to da bank!"

HUGS AND KISSES XOXOXOOXOX

THE ROOKIE

Edited October 12, 2011 by The_Rookie

[*crankn101*]

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[woodenfeather]

I know this is off topic but...did you just rip on fat chicks AND Walmart in the same post?

[Sonny.Barile]

Now that is what I call a rant......LOL

[CatchingConcepts]

Wow... Here I have been designing and building ugly baits for nearly 30 years... I feel so ashamed of myself...

Opinions are like....

So many ways to go here... but the high road is calling...

[BobP]

Hey, nobody ever accused Rookie of ever understating ANYTHING I understand where he's coming from. I'm OK with it and enjoy his posts - I just don't agree with him this one. The other side of the coin is this - You will never make a bait with crap performance into Wonder Boy with pretty paint. Pretty paint is always nice... maybe it can make a great crankbait even better. But it's never sufficient unless you just want something for your mantlepiece. You can sit it on a little Lucite cradle and stroke it occasionally. No problem with that either. But it's not why I build crankbaits.

My opinion is that bass do not have the same level of art appreciation as crankbait buyers - or top level crankbait artists. Their tiny little frontal lobes just aren't big enough.

[Vodkaman]

I don't even paint baits, but I think Tater makes a good point, he just didn't put a pretty top coat on his comments.

Tater, keep 'em coming. I like all your posts.

Dave

[foxbites]

i have made some ugly crankbaits and they are my fish catchin' baits! I believe the action of the bait catches the attention of the fish not color in most cases. Just my 2 cents worth

[ravenlures]

But have we really answered the question. Catch the fisherman or the fish? A cousin of mine a long time ago, he was in marketing, said 5% into the product 40% into the packaging. If true then put your lure into a package with no printing on it, just the price, and let the lure sell itself......or pretty it up with a colorful package and see what sells. I say we have to catch the fisherman first then let the lure sell itself. If worthy it will sell.

[nova]

The whole deal is called marketing. The idea is to understand your prospective buyer base.

In short and in plain language; people are basically crows. We will be attracted to anything that stands out from the surroundings. If you don't believe me just take your wife into a jewlery store and watch her.(make sure you have the credit card though)

On another level; take yourself to a Hooter's bar and see what you do;lol. There's alot that stands out there.

In major stores, all the products that are at eye level have the greatest profit ratios; trust me on this one.

www.novalures.com

[mark poulson]

i have made some ugly crankbaits and they are my fish catchin' baits! I believe the action of the bait catches the attention of the fish not color in most cases. Just my 2 cents worth

I agree, but being in the ball park with color is important, and critical in clear water.

I use a local pond for lure testing.

I took 5" four walking baits that were only primed white up for testing.

Four casts each, to be sure they walked well.

On the fourth cast with the fourth baits, I caught a 5lb bass, and I wasn't even fishing. Fortunately, I always carry my fishing license.

But I think the bass was attracted to the action, and eventurally got pissed and bit.

I'd never made 16 casts to the same spot with the same lure before, or since, but that's what happened that day.

[CatchingConcepts]

When I go and test lure design models and make tweeks, I often go to a nearby lake with ultra clear water. I stand on a piece of concrete dam structure adjacent to 20 ft of water and make casts to observe the baits.

Most of the bass frequenting this area are a pound to pound and a half range, and there are always good numbers present here. I often test large numbers of baits, 20 or 30 of a given model. When I started doing this years ago I noticed markedly the number of strikes I recieved on the baits that had a "sweet" action, over the average or poor ones. So I decieded to change things up a little, I shot the groups of baits in different colors with basic rattle can paint.

What I observed then was I still had much higher strike ratio on the baits with better action no matter what color they were painted. Though even the poor action ones seemed to increase interest when painted a prefered color, especially basic contrasting colors. Light sides, dark back gave best results in any bait.

In this clear water, a sweet action bait tuned right, painted white on sides, black on back crudely with rattle can paint job, no eyes, no pretty scale netting, just basic hues, gets bit almost every cast from these over anxious juvenile bass.

Though these observations are far from scientific, they do sway my perception of intricate color schemes being necessary in clear water. All the bodies of water I fish are gin clear, and many of the baits I throw are very crude in their paint, either error baits I couldnt sell, or just test baits I so liked the action of I throw them as they are, very basic color schemes with just unreal actions, and they are my go to baits.

Beautiful baits catch the fishermans eye, and give confidence to the person using, in their mind it represents a good match for what they see as what a bass would want to eat. Im just not sure the bass processes information quite the same as us, or requires such fine detail. In many bodies of water that are off color of stained, the bass uses his lateral line and keys on vibration to feed, thus action here is much more critical than color or a pretty bait.

In the late 60's Tennessee bait builders like Fred Young brough us our first modern style crankbaits. If you take a look back at many of these small regional builders who laid the foundation for what is coppied over and over today, their paint schemes were very crude and yet most became legends with their UGLY lures.

Edited October 14, 2011 by CatchingConcepts

[CatchingConcepts]

On an interesting aside, another observation I made in my clear water crankbait tests done over the past 20 years on the same body of water, standing on the same exact spot... My strike percentage went up dramatically on all baits, no matter the color they were painted, when reflective or holorgraphic mylar is affixed to the underside of clear lexan diving lips.

Now I know painted lips on crankbaits went out of vogue in the late 70s and clear bills on baits are the expected standard, anything else seems to be shunned by the general bass buying market. I tried, and couldnt sell the baits with the reflective bills, even when I explained the thought behind. No one wanted them yet consider how many throw a spinner bait or numerous other baits with flashing appendages that increase strike rates.

My observations, any sunlight present is highly reflective off the top surface of the diving lip. Especially on baits with larger deep diving lips and hard swing or wobble it is very noticable in the clear water conditions the added flash this provides. In my ongoing tests it is clear this is a added triggering quality that doesnt seem to deter a bait in the least and in my mind improves my strike rate.

Many of my baitfish color scheme baits in my personal crankbait box have atleast a half inch strip of reflective holorgraphic mylar clear coated on the underside or the lexan lip from the nose of the bait to the leading edge of the diving lip..

The idea doesnt seem to sell to fishermen, but it sure does add to my catch percentage.

In the lure market, its all perception, Whats hot, and what the fishing industrys marketing firms believe fishermen will buy, because you first have to hook them, before they tie it on to catch the fish.

Look no further than a Pros go to box on tournament day, I bet you would see some very unconventional baits, color schemes and modifications, these are the tools of their trade. They know what makes them money, Yet the fishing public rarely sees these mods that give the pros a percieved competitive edge. Most of which in general would not be marketable anyways in todays bass fishing world of trendy highly thought out bait styles... When the pros get off the water they hide their favorite tools and tie on their sponsors baits, and we all run out and buy the hottest flavor of the month... marketing!