# Artificial lure - that mean the lure is not a real lure ?



## senkosam (Aug 30, 2019)

With all the misinformation fishing media has hyped over the decades, I read or hear about the use of _artificial_ lures. Here's a quote:
_



artificial baits or lures are made to *imitate* prey or prey characteristics such as color, flash, or shape, that fish find *attractive*.

Click to expand...

_ (note words in bold) 



> prey or prey characteristics



Guess it means the attempt to copy a live animal hoping to fool a fish that is too dumb to be fooled.


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## -CN- (Sep 10, 2019)

Insightful.
But is a bait and a lure the same thing?

Bait can be live. I'd say a lure is artificial - always.


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## senkosam (Sep 10, 2019)

> Bait can be live. I'd say a lure is artificial - always.



Most definitely except _a lure *is* a lure_ and the real thing to the angler - unlike _artificial_ turf, teeth or fruit.


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## LDUBS (Sep 15, 2019)

I guess whatever is used is intended to entice or "lure" the fish to bite. But in context of fishing, I have to agree a lure would be defined as an artificial bait. I suppose saying artificial lure is kind of redundant, but nonetheless seems to be a commonly used term. 

So, would trolling a brined shad minnow be considered a lure or a bait? Maybe an "organic" lure. Haha


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## senkosam (Sep 15, 2019)

> So, would trolling a brined shad minnow be considered a lure or a bait? Maybe an "organic" lure. Haha



...more like a dead fish with a hook in it. LOL


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## LDUBS (Sep 16, 2019)

senkosam said:


> > So, would trolling a brined shad minnow be considered a lure or a bait? Maybe an "organic" lure. Haha
> 
> 
> 
> ...more like a dead fish with a hook in it. LOL



:LOL2: :LOL2: :LOL2:


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## Buzzbait (Nov 3, 2019)

Bait catches fish. 
Lures catch fishermen!!....


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## senkosam (Nov 3, 2019)

> I suppose saying artificial lure is kind of redundant, but nonetheless seems to be a commonly used term.



So many things passed down through the generations of anglers have been ingrained over many decades. Nothing wrong with that except when it reduces the catch potential such as _mimicking prey_. 



> Bait catches fish. Lures catch fishermen!!


Many lures advertised as the next big thing to the barbed hook do catch fishermen. Every time I open a new B.A.S.S. magazine, all I see are less-than-subtle advertisements within articles - especially when big money tournaments are written about or when certain techniques are explained. Different forums also mention specific lures that are supposedly new and better than same-type lures.
PT Barnum had it right.


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## senkosam (Nov 17, 2019)

An article I found on Berkley's website is the best I've ever read that explains my view of why fish strike lures and believe it opens the door to how and why to use different lures. Having tested many lure types and caught fish on many has given some insight on _lure choice reality_. The ultimate test of the ideas in the article is casting lures that look nor move like anything fish might ever see and which I'm sure many of you have done.

http://www.berkley-fishing.com/Berk...-thinking.html?q=why fish strike&fdid=Berkley

These hybrid lures catch fish: some panfish and larger species, some bass or pickerel only.


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## senkosam (Dec 27, 2019)

Here are some ideas to consider.

When fish see red, does it _think_ blood and a wounded animal? When it sees pink is it thinking _gay prey_?
When a bass strikes something out-of-this-world, do you wonder, _what was it thinking?_ Just maybe it struck the lure because it didn't think or better yet _CAN'T THINK_. One angler I know made a good argument for not going nuts over what hue to use because unless working a lure in clear water, how does one know what _hue_ a bass is seeing? A prime example is low light cloudy days and muddy water and colors that disappear fast below a certain depth. Crawfish change colors depending on the season. How does one know which color to _match_?

In my mind the emphasis for using lures is based on *lure characteristics-in-combination* regardless the season.
Simply put, we like a certain lure because it catches fish. *BUT WHY?* Here are a few things I take into consideration:

*1. lure contrast *
a. This includes color _brightness_ such as fluorescent colors that stand out like a neon sign.
b._ Laminate color contrast_ such as a darker color on one surface/ bright color on the other; bright tail color/dark body
c. Flash to include flakes in the plastic or on it's surface; spinning flashing blades (IE in-line)
In my mind, I want the color to _contrast_ against where a fish is looking - the bottom, the surface or to the side. If the lure is black, I expect the lure's action will be primary (IE a skirted jig and action trailer). Color can be a trigger, but not for any reason except color emphasizes lure shape and action which bring me to:.

*2. shape and size in combination* that _match the potential_ of a fish striking striking it
a. Sometimes less is better, smaller/finesse; at other times increased body bulk and maybe also length _challenges_ a fish's territory regardless the size fish.
b. IMO certain lure profiles are programmed into a fish's DNA - depending on the fish in a specific water, keeping in mind that there are no guarantees of a universal shape appeal.
c. a fish's current aggressiveness that falls into a range from 1-5 determines what shapes and size fish will attack -IE pre-spawn fish in the shallows and school fish are very aggressive - activity range 5.

*3. lure action/ vibration / lateral line stimulation/ lure speed*
a. there are many that do better retrieved slowly with pauses; other do fine trolled at a medium speed but that have a bill-induced wobble (crankbaits, chatterbait). 
b. a particular vibration-type picked up by sonic detection merits a close inspection of what a lure looks and acts like on various retrieves - which matters more than we know. 
c. horizontal action vs vertical action are key considerations for choosing lure design and presentation. This coupled with lure speed in either direction determine a lure's success.

I'll bet every one of you who has caught bass or any other species over the years, inadvertently or intentionally has taken the above into consideration. Granted, you may use a color you think a fish thinks is a shad, but as was stated above, fish bite lures for different reason, the least of which is to chow down on only one prey species at a time.

When it comes to colors, I have a limited range of say 5-10 colors I use depending on the lure and they are a secondary consideration when it comes to lure shape, size and action - *IN COMBINATION. * Please consider watching how a favorite lure acts as compared to similar lures. There's got to be something that sets it apart. Example: not all soft sticks like the Senko do well. Why? *Lure action speaks the LOUDEST !!!*

Finally, LURES IN GENERAL  CONTRAST WITH ANYTHING THAT SWIMS, CRAWLS OR SCURRIES WHERE FISH LIVE. A buzzbait going a steady 1'/second is like nothing a fish has ever seen or heard. A spinnerbait with a huge willow leaf blade emitting super-bright strobe-like flashes is like nothing bass have ever seen yet they strike. Nothing swims like a skirted jig with Rage Tail trailer, yet bass attack it either swimming the lure or working it on the bottom. Examples of _unnatural _ lure _contrasts_ that catch fish of any species are unlimited ! 

I've come to believe that based on the hypersensitivity of fish senses such as vibration and odor detection as well as amazing underwater vision, what I want to _match_ when choosing lures are those characteristics that 1. get and hold a fish's attention long enough to 2. start the biological strike sequence. Label it _match-the-hatch_, feeding, curiosity or anything else, but *lure action-by-design is key.*

*Note:* *Angler input* is a big part of the _combination_. Used incorrectly, no lure will work on average no matter how great its design.

One last point about color. I'm superstitious when it comes to color choices in that if I find a few that work for certain lures, that's all I use - anytime; there being a different set for another lure type. There's no reason to go nuts with colors as long as I have confidence in colors that allow _lure contrast components_ that define lure shape and size and visually enhance lure action.


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## LDUBS (Jan 23, 2020)

The thing that always has me scratching my head is why red seems to be the most popular lure color, and it has been that was for over 100 years. Red is the first color that gets washed out as the lure goes deeper. If I recall what I've read, the color red will appear to be black in low light underwater conditions. Maybe it is more about contrast than about color. On the other hand, while I suppose scientists can dissect fish eyes and determine how they function based on the rods & cones, how do we really know how fish brains, as tiny as they are, process the information.


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## senkosam (Jan 23, 2020)

> while I suppose scientists can dissect fish eyes and determine how they function based on the rods & cones, how do we really know how fish brains, as tiny as they are, process the information.


*like your reasoning! *

Wish there were more like you that _process_ better than a fish. :lol: 
Superstition rules much of modern day fishing whereas anglers of yore knew what to use, when and where without all the bells & whistles tackle companies promote. American Indians for example. 

Does red = gills or blood to a predator fish as insisted upon by the gurus of forums and video? Like you said, red is the first color that turns black under low light, but more than that, it's a dark opaque color that simply contrasts with a brighter background whether as lines or polka dots.


> _Elementary, my dear Watson_


. (note: Sherlock never said that in any book.)

If there's anything that _contrasts_ with a fish's environment, it's the object (lure) that moves a certain way or even the _wiggle_ of an earthworm - (which most fish have never laid eyes on much less have a clue what it is). Could it be an instinctual response to what may be food? Could be.

I go with the _wiggle_.


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## senkosam (Jan 23, 2020)

After re-reading the Berkley article, I found it contains a few things I don't agree with:



> If bass *senses are tuned for specific prey* like small fish, why do they attack *artificial* lures like hardbaits and softbaits? Simply, because to a feeding bass these *lures emulate food*. When a bass sees a minnow-shaped crankbait *it thinks* of a minnow. When it hears a jig sliding across the bottom, the bass *imagines* a crayfish.



The words in bold are contrary to why I believe fish strike _man-made moving objects_ and are speculative at most.


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## senkosam (Jan 23, 2020)

Lurecraft is a hobby all by itself.


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