Joined
·
2,581 Posts
Just putting this out there as a 'thinking out loud' kind of thing, rather than an actual question (its one of those things that nobody can answer with a committed answer), but...
Why are so many fish being caught on the drop? There's lots of talk about fish nipping or slapping baits to disable them, but I don't actually see and comparison in sink rates between a somewhat more neutrally bouyant baitfish and a 3g jighead on a light line. The jighead sinks like a stone.
Could it actually be the sharp change in direction that causes the fish to bite?.... A change in direction towards safety and escape?!...
Downwards is surely the natural direction for a fleeing baitfish to want to run(?) - since that's where the cover generally is. Any baitfish that swims upwards in to open, clear water is dead meat. That's one natural (1) point for a fast sinking baiit in a downwards direction.
Also there's the old (and accurate I believe) coarse fishing theory about fish committing to a previously static bait if it is twitched and looks like its going to get away (2 points). Its the same thing, but this and the above both point towards fish committing to baits that are looking like they're going to get away/escape - so the fish commit!
Downwards sinking baits are also tralling towards the predator (3) - who if he/she had it right would be positioned below the target.
I'm only really bringing this up because I know that I (and probably others) will have long been thinking that the reason any sinking bait is successful is for one reason only and that it looks like it's sinking, injured and unable to continue swimming forwards - making it an easy target.
Of coarse, more lightly weighted baits (or unweighted) will sink slowly and more naturally. They're still sinking obviously but its only once you get to this point I guess that most of us would actually have been right in our understanding of why a sinking bait is attractive.
Sorry if this is sounding like its all over the place a little bit. Just thinking out loud. To be honest, when I have imagined baits being taken on the drop before, I'd pictured the fish following them for at least a short spell (out of interest and looking for a chance to attack), and then pictured the bait stopping and sinking as if it couldn't run any longer - injured stylee. I rarely now think that's the case and suggest that baits are taken on the drop because it looks more like they're actually trying to escape (and may succeed), rather than them being injured. Its a much more natural explanation.
Feel free to throw stones. :x
Why are so many fish being caught on the drop? There's lots of talk about fish nipping or slapping baits to disable them, but I don't actually see and comparison in sink rates between a somewhat more neutrally bouyant baitfish and a 3g jighead on a light line. The jighead sinks like a stone.
Could it actually be the sharp change in direction that causes the fish to bite?.... A change in direction towards safety and escape?!...
Downwards is surely the natural direction for a fleeing baitfish to want to run(?) - since that's where the cover generally is. Any baitfish that swims upwards in to open, clear water is dead meat. That's one natural (1) point for a fast sinking baiit in a downwards direction.
Also there's the old (and accurate I believe) coarse fishing theory about fish committing to a previously static bait if it is twitched and looks like its going to get away (2 points). Its the same thing, but this and the above both point towards fish committing to baits that are looking like they're going to get away/escape - so the fish commit!
Downwards sinking baits are also tralling towards the predator (3) - who if he/she had it right would be positioned below the target.
I'm only really bringing this up because I know that I (and probably others) will have long been thinking that the reason any sinking bait is successful is for one reason only and that it looks like it's sinking, injured and unable to continue swimming forwards - making it an easy target.
Of coarse, more lightly weighted baits (or unweighted) will sink slowly and more naturally. They're still sinking obviously but its only once you get to this point I guess that most of us would actually have been right in our understanding of why a sinking bait is attractive.
Sorry if this is sounding like its all over the place a little bit. Just thinking out loud. To be honest, when I have imagined baits being taken on the drop before, I'd pictured the fish following them for at least a short spell (out of interest and looking for a chance to attack), and then pictured the bait stopping and sinking as if it couldn't run any longer - injured stylee. I rarely now think that's the case and suggest that baits are taken on the drop because it looks more like they're actually trying to escape (and may succeed), rather than them being injured. Its a much more natural explanation.
Feel free to throw stones. :x