What Makes Them Hit The Lure

1) largemouth bass
2) smallmouth bass
3) muskellunge
4) northern pike
5) trout
6) bluegill
7) crappie
8) gar

No matter how smart or how stupid the fish, however, Ciampi noted that certain lures were definitely more appealing than others and that the effectiveness of the lure depended upon three factors: color, action and the sound it made in the water. All the fish showed a preference for lures that closely resembled their normal food. But similarity of color to natural food was more important than similarity of shape. For example, the muskellunge at Shedd Aquarium, which are regularly fed goldfish (see page 32), responded best to bright, gold-colored lures even when the shape and size of these lures were totally dissimilar to actual goldfish. Less discriminatory feeders, such as trout and crappie, while they often struck anything presented to them, showed greatest interest in light-colored, shiny lures, such as small spinners and beaded feathers. The least effective colors for al' fish were black and dark red, both of which failed, particularly in murky water, to reflect or pick up light.

As to the action of the lure, rarely did any of the fish go after a lure that was simply dragged through the water. But as soon as the movement was altered by sharp sporadic jerks on the line, interest increased, reaching a peak when combined with regular side-to-side action.

"Muskellunge," says Ciampi, "could actually be induced to strike a lure in which they showed no previous interest—specifically, I believe, because of its movement. This fish is predominantly a sight feeder. Even with a full belly, a bright, shining object flashed across its sight path will arouse it to such a degree that it will strike almost by reflex. It will not strike a second time, but that first strike often seemed the product of a reaction so overpowering that the fish was unable to control it."

The other enticing characteristic, the sound a lure makes, is the result of its design and its action on the surface and in the water. Some lures, such as the so-called poppers, have concave "mouths" to trap air bubbles, and when the lure is jerked through the water the bubbles escape and burst to produce a popping noise. Others revolve, dip or dive, and in so doing create an audible disturbance.

"One of the reasons a bright, noisy lure with sharp action attracts attention," Ciampi says, "is because it is foreign to the fish's environment. By creating a disturbance unusual to the area it may be interpreted by a fish not only as a possible meal but also as an annoyance, a threat or an injured inferior. Any one of the latter may provoke a fish into striking even when it is not interested in food."

This applies especially to large-and smallmouth bass, which are pugnacious and highly protective of their own specific territories. While bass were hardest to fool into mistaking a lure for food, Ciampi noted that they were easiest to irritate into striking when a lure trespassed into their particular domain.

Assuming that the fisherman does everything else properly, he still must pick the right time of day and the right weather. Using his lights to simulate sunrise, cloudy weather and other conditions, Ciampi learned that from dawn to midmorning, from midafternoon to dusk and generally in light conditions approximating those of a cloudy, overcast day all fish were most active and showed greatest response to baits.

"They were least responsive," says Ciampi, "to both natural food and artificial lures under direct, bright sunlight and after dark, when there was a marked reduction in feeding activity. This is a fact fishermen have known for years, but what they may not have known is that even during the times of maximum activity all of the fish underwent dormant periods in which they neither moved nor fed.

"These periods were especially interesting because they followed no definable pattern. One moment a bass or a pike might be feeding, and in the next its activity would stop. Its fins would barely move, and it would hang as though asleep near the bottom. Sometimes these 'rest' periods lasted two minutes, and sometimes they lasted as long as two hours."