Just Thinking...

[Jdeee]

That's what I heard, but I am a fisherman not a Hockey Fan LOL

[crankbaits]

Nova,

I;m glad to hear I'm not the only one to think of that.I've told many

people that if I fished with a stick with hooks on it long enough i 

would catch a bass sooner or later.

I've even caught bass while testing my un painted crankbaits.

Life like paint/photo finish catch fishermen,confidence and skill catch fish.

[Tracy G]

I always throw my handmade baits before painting them. I often catch fish on test runs, in different bodies of water.

[mark poulson]

To me, artificial lure work for a simple reason.

Bass eat living things.  To them, something that moves is alive, until they've had a chance to check it out.  They don't have hands, so they use their mouths to check out what's edible and what's not.  If it doesn't taste bad, they'll eat it.  How else can you explain eating a small bird, covered in feathers with no meaty/bloody smell or taste?  Or insects on the surface, like mayflies?  What made them try one in the first place?

To get bigger and stronger, so they can reproduce, they eat everything they can, and as much as they can.  That's genetic, and why bass instinctively eat a lure that changes direction like a prey animal trying to flee.  Miss a meal, and maybe they don't survive to reproduce.  There's also an instinct to eat something before the other guy eats it.  Smallies are great for that.

If a lure moves in a pattern a bass is familiar with, like a crank's action, then they'll hone in on it and eat it.

If a lure is lying still on the surface, and then darts away, they'll think it's escaping and eat it.

What a lure looks like is really only important to a bass when they've already eaten and been hooked by a lure with a similar shape and action.   Then, particularly in clear water, what a lure looks like can get a bass comfortable enough to get close enough to fall prey to their reaction instinct when the lure is twitched.   And why speed and flash are so critical in clear water, to disguise what would clearly look like something to avoid otherwise.

I've caught fish on ugly lures that I made, because I drew a reaction strike.   Not sticks, but swimbaits with clearly rudimentary paint jobs and finishes.

I've caught fish on lures that are flashy, because I fished them too fast for the bass to get a really good look at them, like burning a spinnerbait.

All of that is to say we exploit the bass' built-in weakness, their need to eat to survive and reproduce.

In general, at least to me, a lure's paint job catches fishermen, and a lure's action catches fish.

[sonoman]

We need to have a bass tournament, we could have a group using small dry sticks vs a group with lures....wonder what the confidence level of both sides would be and obviously the outcome?....My buddy has a small lake on his property that the bass come running at the mere sight/sound of a person, they eat wieners from his hand...must be good wieners idk...lol

[Hughesy]

My paint jobs do catch fisherman. Fisherman like Larry Nixson, George Cochran, Stacy King, Randy Blaukat, Tommy Martin, Gary Klien, John Sappington, Brent Chapman, Robbie Dodson, KVD, Mike McClelland,  plus many, many more.Thanks to everyone who has purchased my lures over the past 30 years.
Color does matter. At least these pros think so.

[nova]

To me, artificial lure work for a simple reason.

Bass eat living things.  To them, something that moves is alive, until they've had a chance to check it out.  They don't have hands, so they use their mouths to check out what's edible and what's not.  If it doesn't taste bad, they'll eat it.  How else can you explain eating a small bird, covered in feathers with no meaty/bloody smell or taste?  Or insects on the surface, like mayflies?  What made them try one in the first place?

To get bigger and stronger, so they can reproduce, they eat everything they can, and as much as they can.  That's genetic, and why bass instinctively eat a lure that changes direction like a prey animal trying to flee.  Miss a meal, and maybe they don't survive to reproduce.  There's also an instinct to eat something before the other guy eats it.  Smallies are great for that.

If a lure moves in a pattern a bass is familiar with, like a crank's action, then they'll hone in on it and eat it.

If a lure is lying still on the surface, and then darts away, they'll think it's escaping and eat it.

What a lure looks like is really only important to a bass when they've already eaten and been hooked by a lure with a similar shape and action.   Then, particularly in clear water, what a lure looks like can get a bass comfortable enough to get close enough to fall prey to their reaction instinct when the lure is twitched.   And why speed and flash are so critical in clear water, to disguise what would clearly look like something to avoid otherwise.

I've caught fish on ugly lures that I made, because I drew a reaction strike.   Not sticks, but swimbaits with clearly rudimentary paint jobs and finishes.

I've caught fish on lures that are flashy, because I fished them too fast for the bass to get a really good look at them, like burning a spinnerbait.

All of that is to say we exploit the bass' built-in weakness, their need to eat to survive and reproduce.

In general, at least to me, a lure's paint job catches fishermen, and a lure's action catches fish.

Couldn't have said it better Mark.

[mark poulson]

My paint jobs do catch fisherman. Fisherman like Larry Nixson, George Cochran, Stacy King, Randy Blaukat, Tommy Martin, Gary Klien, John Sappington, Brent Chapman, Robbie Dodson, KVD, Mike McClelland,  plus many, many more.Thanks to everyone who has purchased my lures over the past 30 years.

Color does matter. At least these pros think so.

 

You only say that because YOUR PAINT JOBS RULE!!!  Hahaha

I don't look at your paint jobs anymore.  It's too expensive.

The last time I did, I went out and burned down my garage.

 

Seriously, I can see why the Pros love your stuff.  Your paint jobs make the baits stand out from all the others, and that can be critical when everyone is throwing the same type of lure.

Plus, having confidence in a lure will help someone fish it more, and better, because they aren't worried that they're wasting valuable tournament time on something unproductive.

I think most of us here at TU aren't on the same competitive level as your customers.  Fortunately for us, the fish we're after aren't subjected to the same level of angling expertise, either, so we still have a chance!

[FrogAddict]

I used to try lots of different and complex color schemes and it was difficult as well as frustrating. Now I try to match the hatch and up north where I fish that's mostly bluegill perch and minnows. For me I am trying to keep it simple. But then again I dont sell and I just fish for fun.

I don't care about what anyone but the bass thinks about my paint jobs.

[BobP]

I think color pattern is a tertiary attractor, after (and less critical than) depth and action.  That doesn't mean it's unimportant though.  I think EVERYTHING is important when fishing a crankbait.  Any little thing I can do to up my chances - I'm gonna do.

[TheSilverFox]

My paint jobs do catch fisherman. Fisherman like Larry Nixson, George Cochran, Stacy King, Randy Blaukat, Tommy Martin, Gary Klien, John Sappington, Brent Chapman, Robbie Dodson, KVD, Mike McClelland,  plus many, many more.Thanks to everyone who has purchased my lures over the past 30 years.

Color does matter. At least these pros think so.

yeah but your paint jobs are basic.... stuff everyone does. I'm talking about the guys who spend hours on one bait making them as realistic as they can.

[spoonpluggergino]

I am a spoonplugger for over 20 years and color does not matter. Mr.Buck Perry summed this way   Size, Color, Action, Depth and Speed. the only things that really important is Depth and Speed. The fish will react to a lure due to depth and speed, the other three are irrelevant

 

I build lures and paint so I can say I can do it, gives me great satisfaction, the fish do not care, how pretty the bait looks

 

Gino

 

The only thing that Buck would say about color is that if you catching fish on certain color by all means use it

[Seeking 56]

"  the only things that really important is Depth and Speed. The fish will react to a lure due to depth and speed, the other three are irrelevant "

 

X2

[rhersh]

If you do it for a living you have to catch the fisherman first and the fish second, but important so you can keep catching the fisherman its just a circle of life.lol

Edited January 3, 2015 by rhersh

[RayburnGuy]

I've seen it work both ways. There are times when you can throw anything you can tie onto the end of your line and it will catch fish. And I've seen times when if you don't have a specific bait in a specific color your going to get your butt whupped. I'm only talking about LMB and can't say how other species react.

 

I have one question for those who think color doesn't matter. If you don't think color matters then why bother even painting them? Just build them, seal them and fish them.

 

Ben

[Seeking 56]

Getting there Ben, getting there

[SLT785]

Most articles I've read on the internet about fish and colors

say most baits are painted for the fishermen and not the

fish. As said above, most are reactive strikes and not because the fish says "that looks yummy".

"Build, paint and cast"

[joelhains]

Didn't offend me. Got to do a lot more than that. It would be something like Montreal Canadians suck.lol (I'm a Canadian like you)

Habs Suck!!

GO LEAFS GO!!

[RayburnGuy]

Getting there Ben, getting there

 

That looks way cool Seeking. That one would probably do it.

 

Ben

[Vodkaman]

Firstly Ben, I really don't fish that much. But that is exactly what I do. When I fish, I seal, protect and fish. I personally don't believe color matters, my lure design and building has always been about the action. Yes, I do catch lots of fish - plus, I don't like painting

 

Dave

[Vodkaman]

Seeking 56 - that is a gorgeous piece of wood. A shame to cover it up!

 

Dave

[rhersh]

Seeking 56 - that is a gorgeous piece of wood. A shame to cover it up!

 

Dave

x2

[RayburnGuy]

We will never be able to share each others experiences in real time without being there so all we can do is rely on what we have seen and done in person. Like I said earlier I've seen both sides of this discussion prove true. And there are hundreds, if not thousands, of fisherman that were fishing Sam Rayburn back in the early 90's who can testify to what I am saying. I believe it was in the early spring of 1990 when the rattle trap bite was on. If you weren't throwing a pumpkin seed rattle trap you weren't catching fish. It got to where you couldn't buy that trap within 100 miles of the lake. Several of us told our wives that anytime they were out shopping to be sure to check if there were any available in the sporting goods department and if there were to buy every one of them. I don't know why the fish were so locked in on that color, but myself and several others that I know personally have never had another bite on that color trap. If someone can explain it to me I will be more than happy to listen, but you'll be hard pressed to convince me that color does not play a role in how successful a lure is at least part of the time.

 

I've also had bass follow a lure back to the boat without even trying to eat it. It's been my experience numerous times that all it takes to make that fish bite is a color change. Not changing to a different lure or size, but just changing to a different color of the exact bait.

 

Thankfully there's enough room in the bait building world for members of both camps and I'm sure there's plenty of "evidence" to prove both sides true.

 

Ben

[Vodkaman]

Ben - that is powerful evidence to the color supporters.

 

Dave

[RayburnGuy]

Like I said Dave, I can only speak about personal experiences and largemouth bass. I also know that depth and action play a huge role in how successful a lure is. There have been numerous times that a particular bait outperforms a dozen more just like it. There was one particular DD22 that was among several purchased at the same time. As far as the eye could tell there was no difference in any of them and this bait caught fish like you were dragging a magnet through a pile of paper clips. I measured it, weighed it and stared at it for hours trying to see if there was any difference between it and the others and there was nothing noticeable between it and a half dozen more just like it. That tells me there was some little something in the action of this bait that was different from the others. My final consensus is that everything plays a part in how well an artificial bait catches fish and if you delete any one of them the bait will not perform at it's maximum level.

 

just my ,

 

Ben