A Day of This

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Comment by David, aka, "McScruff" on October 27, 2014 at 12:30pm

 Carl -

my own theory is;;  can it be a scent thing??  I have noticed; all kinds of fish; will be attracted to a lure;; only to usually turn away if it’s not tipped.  Maybe get nipped at ;; but nothing really serious. 

Add a bit of cricket; or worm;  once they get the scent;  they hammer the bait. 

Not to say the lure won’t get a bite by itself;;  but to consistently get fish;; so far as I have seen posted on here at BBG;; tipping works best. 

It is surely the scent, by default. There can be a bit of movement if the worm is big enough to squirm. In your case, you’re using mostly chunks of nightcrawler, so squirming is out. Ergo, scent is the de facto attractant.

And I have tried a lot of Gulp! products; to no avail.  Right now I have well over a dozen different types which I doubt I’ll try again. They just have not worked for me here.

That’s all I can say, too. With Ken doing so well  at it, we must be too quick to dismiss the Gulp! products, but my thinking is there are other circumstances that either make it work, or not.

Tony -

The disappearance of color after a certain depth is a popular theory, but for every article I read that proclaims it's veracity I read another that says just the opposite. I simply don't know.

Looking purely at the science of light refraction and dissipation, it is certain that color is affected by water depth. In gin clear water it isn’t going to be as severe, naturally, while turbid, occluded or stained water will see a pronounced change. Color is, of course, a function of the light which strikes an object. Vary the amount of light or, more importantly, dissipate certain frequencies due to turbidity, particulates or staining and the reflected light must follow suit.

What I have discovered however, is that certain colors produce better at times than others. Perhaps fish can discern color, or maybe as David suggests a different shade of grey is enough to make a difference....either way, the color tied on at the surface often impacts the bite, for me at least.

Science tells us that the ‘warm’ colors fade first; red, yellow, orange in that order. They each rely on short wavelength light which is the first to succumb to buffering in stained or cloudy water. After ten feet or so red starts to turn brown, yellow to grey, etc. The greens and finally blue are seen the deepest because they rely on long wave light, which penetrates furthest.

Interestingly, both greens and blues and the red/yellow/orange range are colors bluegill see well, but only in shallower, fairly clear water. This is based on the number of rods in their retina’s which - and this is fun - is about the same as ours!

So at ten feet or less you can bet they see your colored bait, and probably the color. Deeper and its anybodys guess. Better in the deeps to go with blue, purple and black and add fluorescent paint if you want to create visual attraction. Whether they are interested in ANYTHING you put in front of them, well, that’s another matter altogether.

I will share what I find important, especially on finicky fish: Movement. A little added protein that has a slight wiggle to it is hard to resist, especially when fishing vertically. I don't think it takes much, just something that moves in a lifelike manner. If the fish are aggressive, and willing to pursue a bait, then I don't think it has as much impact. But float fishing, or tight lining.....give me some wiggle.

Did you say marabou? Movement seems to be the key, along with the ability to push water. The pressure wave of pushing and sonic vibration caused by the various ways to induce movement seem to be the keys when color is taken out of the equation...

Comment by Tony Livingston on October 27, 2014 at 6:25am

The disappearance of color after a certain depth is a popular theory, but for every article I read that proclaims it's veracity I read another that says just the opposite. I simply don't know.

What I have discovered however, is that certain colors produce better at times than others. Perhaps fish can discern color, or maybe as David suggests a different shade of grey is enough to make a difference....either way, the color tied on at the surface often impacts the bite, for me at least.

Carl may be on to something with that whole scent thing. I will share what I find important, especially on finicky fish: Movement. A little added protein that has a slight wiggle to it is hard to resist, especially when fishing vertically. I don't think it takes much, just something that moves in a lifelike manner. If the fish are aggressive, and willing to pursue a bait, then I don't think it has as much impact. But float fishing, or tight lining.....give me some wiggle.

Comment by Slip Sinker on October 27, 2014 at 5:51am

i really have to be attentive when fishing under a float because they swallow it so quickly...

Comment by Slip Sinker on October 27, 2014 at 5:46am

there is a connection between a gulp maggot presentation and bluegill favorite foods ... crustaceans especially daphnia

.

Comment by carl hendrix on October 27, 2014 at 5:16am

my own theory is;;  can it be a scent thing??  I have noticed; all kinds of fish; will be attracted to a lure;; only to usually turn away if its not tipped.  mabe get nipped at ;; but nothing really serious.  add a bit of cricket; or worm;  once they get the scent;  they hammer the bait.  not to say the lure wont get a bite by itself;;  but to consistently get fish;; so far as I have seen posted on here at bbg;; tipping works best.  and I have tried a lot of gulp products;to no avail.  right now I have well over a dozen different types of gulp products I doubt I try again.  they just have not worked for me here.

Comment by David, aka, "McScruff" on October 27, 2014 at 5:10am

Tony:
I seriously wonder if the attention paid to specific materials and details really matters to the fish, or just the creator of the jig....I think it's the splash of color that does the trick.

- - I'm Not even sure of that. After 10 feet or so, most colors to shades of grey.

I think there will always be times that certain jig combinations produce untipped, but a jig that catches fish ALL the time without adding protein......that has thus far eluded me. And I think it will continue to do so.

- - I gotta agree.

Comment by David, aka, "McScruff" on October 27, 2014 at 4:46am

I've tried the Gulp! minnows and asticots, with marginal success.
Maybe it's a South vs. North thing, I dunno, but the fish round here seem not to have read the Berkley label.
Maybe once the water temps have slipped into the 50-60 range, and there is little to eat - maybe then they'll work. But our temps are still at 70-71; heck, the frogs are still breeding!

Comment by David, aka, "McScruff" on October 27, 2014 at 4:41am

Carl, I haven't given that a test yet. I've buggered up my knee and can't get in or out of the Blue Beast. This means fly casting is limited, possibly for the rest of the dwindling season. I could probably tie on a regular popper, frog, surface bait, etc., the heavy kind, and use spin tackle. Add a nymph to that.
Hmmmm...

Comment by Tony Livingston on October 27, 2014 at 4:41am

This has been my suspicion for a long time. Not to take anything away from the many talented bug makers here on the site, but as I have voiced in the past....I seriously wonder if the attention paid to specific materials and details really matters to the fish, or just the creator of the jig. Back when I was experimenting in this regard, I caught fish on jigs made from round plugs of colored flip-flops, cut with a hole punch. Just thread the plug on a factory jighead, add some protein, and go to town. I think it's the splash of color that does the trick.

I've said it before.....if someone figures out a way to produce colored crickets, will we need jigs anymore?

I think there will always be times that certain jig combinations produce well untipped, but a jig that catches fish ALL the time without adding protein......that has thus far eluded me. And I think it will continue to do so.

Comment by Slip Sinker on October 27, 2014 at 4:37am

i started out the season on this nightcrawler kick... found an outlet that sold a dozen at a buck... the beginning of the month i would buy 10 dozen and would last me about 4 weeks. July rolled around and i ran out halfway through the month. i was tipping ice jigs and dropshot hooks with 1 or 1/2 pieces of crawler. halfway through a fishing session with a cousin we ran out of worms. he volunteered to go to town and pick some up while i waited. at the car i remembered the slogan "outfishes live bait". i had history ice fishing and late fishing season the season previous. stopped him from leaving to town and i said lets give these a shot... pink maggots and 1" minnows. .... haven't bought a live bait since.

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