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Plastic Philosophy
"Hey man, what lures do we need to bring? Let us know if anything's hot 'cause we're ready to shop!"
The answer to that question has created lust since man first tried to fool a fish with a silly piece of inorganic material. So long as we know what's hot, we'll be hotright?
Well, truth is, we depend too much on what's at the end of our line instead of what's behind it. There really are no rules, and certainly no magic bullets, but there is common sense. I'm starting to suspect that, even with overwhelming choices, choosing an effective lure might not be all that difficult after all. It actually depends more on what our goals might be; and goals can go beyond the painfully obvious one of catching fish.
However, before we start suggesting lures and such, let's try to have some fun by reviewing a little scene from several years ago. It may help the illustration and, we all might agree that we are better served to achieve our goals if we truly understand them in the first place.
Yes Everett Johnson, I do remember that nasty rainy, winter day with you and Pam in a backwater area near you. You stole Pam's Frogg Togg bottoms and wrapped them around your head in a "Survivor Man" attempt to stay dry. The visual came across more jihad-like than fisherman, with pant legs flapping off your skull in twenty five knots of sideways-driven misery.
Yes, you impressively cornered a group of quality fish and proceeded to wear them out with one hand while enthusiastically waving me in with the other. However, I stayed way in the back, and yes, I also stayed fishless. I fought the obvious temptation while you fought to understand why I was being so obviously stupid.
After finally accepting defeat and bogging through the blizzard, I attempted a congratulatory gesture hoping to accelerate a boat ride to a hot shower. I asked you what you were throwing and you proudly held up what was once part of a Texas Trout Killer.
I countered with something like, "Man, that's just a rubber croakeranybody can catch them on that."
To this day I'm sure I remain a curiosity, so let's use that episode to better answer the question about what lure to throw.
Again, it depends on what our goals are, and it seems there are two basic philosophies. I define these simply as the utilitarian and the idealist. You sir, are the consummate utilitarian. I probably represent something leaning more artsy-fartsy idealist. Both have the same ultimate goal of catching fish, but with different visions of how.
"How" includes lure selection, and that is why it is not always easy to suggest what's hot. If given a job placement test, the utilitarian would likely score as managerial. The idealist would qualify as research technician. Hey.what would we do without both?
A utilitarian lure will be practical, the simplest tool needed to gain desired result. And, the utilitarian angler does not get hung up on application of a tool, they just use it. Their goal is achieved more through application than through experiment. If they hunt, they rely on shot placement rather than bore size. When given square pegs they stuff them into round holes, not wasting time searching for round ones. A utilitarian views an abstract painting as proof that some babies get dropped and the buyers of such so-called art being proof that lead paint isn't good for you. In other words, they don't let being artistic get in the way of being effective.
Examples of these "utilitarian types" represent some of the best anglers on our coastWatkins, Plagg, Eastman, and others who simply stick to basics. They let the fish dictate the terms and attack. Guess what they will probably throw when push comes to shove? A soft plastic tail; and it probably wouldn't matter what label or color. Why? - Because, it's a no nonsense producer in virtually every situation with a simple change in lead size. Capt. Tricia belongs here too. We'll be cranking our Corkys and topwaters wanting to force a bite, and she'll come along and mop up everything in rod range with a tail. CoolY'all go!
The "idealist" on the other hand would rather dictate terms to the fish and will try to make them eat what they want them to eat, even to the point of sacrificing a proven bite for an experiment. An example would be a topwater addict who would rather fish all day for a couple up top, forsaking the catching many subsurface. If they fail while others are stroking them.so what? Like Thomas Edison told an assistant when trying to invent the light bulb, "We have discovered one hundred ideas that don't work!"
The bottom line is that a lure is just a tool. To rely on "what is hot" is fatalistic unless that information is fewer than three casts old. In reality, the only places we can buy a "pull" is at a catfish farm or a cat house. So, how do we, in this arena of overloaded plastic opinion, choose what to throw for best results?
This unsolicited opinion is that it's more important to find fish and determine their level of activity for the moment. You can then choose what you "need" to get them to bite, or choose what you "want" them to bite. There is a big difference and size, sink rate, and contrast are probably the most critical factors; yet even these considerations pale behind skill.
I'd be willing to bet that both the advanced "utilitarian" and the "idealist" can catch the fish they want on a crayon. That's the beauty of fishing with lures. There are enough options out there for everybody to be uniquely successful so long as we chase the ultimate goal, which should be learning how to fish not trying to learn what we can buy to make it easier.
Yes, different lures and color schemes are fun and can certainly make a difference at times. However, I think picking a lure is sort of like picking our nose. There's no end to how deep we can go to pluck at that final solution, but let's don't go so deep that our brains bleed. We will never be able to buy what we are looking for in a store, and that's not what we are really looking for anyway. What we really want to do is learn how to fish. Let's go do that and do it the way we want to do it. Hey, it's all good, even if you wear panties on your head.
The answer to that question has created lust since man first tried to fool a fish with a silly piece of inorganic material. So long as we know what's hot, we'll be hotright?
Well, truth is, we depend too much on what's at the end of our line instead of what's behind it. There really are no rules, and certainly no magic bullets, but there is common sense. I'm starting to suspect that, even with overwhelming choices, choosing an effective lure might not be all that difficult after all. It actually depends more on what our goals might be; and goals can go beyond the painfully obvious one of catching fish.
However, before we start suggesting lures and such, let's try to have some fun by reviewing a little scene from several years ago. It may help the illustration and, we all might agree that we are better served to achieve our goals if we truly understand them in the first place.
Yes Everett Johnson, I do remember that nasty rainy, winter day with you and Pam in a backwater area near you. You stole Pam's Frogg Togg bottoms and wrapped them around your head in a "Survivor Man" attempt to stay dry. The visual came across more jihad-like than fisherman, with pant legs flapping off your skull in twenty five knots of sideways-driven misery.
Yes, you impressively cornered a group of quality fish and proceeded to wear them out with one hand while enthusiastically waving me in with the other. However, I stayed way in the back, and yes, I also stayed fishless. I fought the obvious temptation while you fought to understand why I was being so obviously stupid.
After finally accepting defeat and bogging through the blizzard, I attempted a congratulatory gesture hoping to accelerate a boat ride to a hot shower. I asked you what you were throwing and you proudly held up what was once part of a Texas Trout Killer.
I countered with something like, "Man, that's just a rubber croakeranybody can catch them on that."
To this day I'm sure I remain a curiosity, so let's use that episode to better answer the question about what lure to throw.
Again, it depends on what our goals are, and it seems there are two basic philosophies. I define these simply as the utilitarian and the idealist. You sir, are the consummate utilitarian. I probably represent something leaning more artsy-fartsy idealist. Both have the same ultimate goal of catching fish, but with different visions of how.
"How" includes lure selection, and that is why it is not always easy to suggest what's hot. If given a job placement test, the utilitarian would likely score as managerial. The idealist would qualify as research technician. Hey.what would we do without both?
A utilitarian lure will be practical, the simplest tool needed to gain desired result. And, the utilitarian angler does not get hung up on application of a tool, they just use it. Their goal is achieved more through application than through experiment. If they hunt, they rely on shot placement rather than bore size. When given square pegs they stuff them into round holes, not wasting time searching for round ones. A utilitarian views an abstract painting as proof that some babies get dropped and the buyers of such so-called art being proof that lead paint isn't good for you. In other words, they don't let being artistic get in the way of being effective.
Examples of these "utilitarian types" represent some of the best anglers on our coastWatkins, Plagg, Eastman, and others who simply stick to basics. They let the fish dictate the terms and attack. Guess what they will probably throw when push comes to shove? A soft plastic tail; and it probably wouldn't matter what label or color. Why? - Because, it's a no nonsense producer in virtually every situation with a simple change in lead size. Capt. Tricia belongs here too. We'll be cranking our Corkys and topwaters wanting to force a bite, and she'll come along and mop up everything in rod range with a tail. CoolY'all go!
The "idealist" on the other hand would rather dictate terms to the fish and will try to make them eat what they want them to eat, even to the point of sacrificing a proven bite for an experiment. An example would be a topwater addict who would rather fish all day for a couple up top, forsaking the catching many subsurface. If they fail while others are stroking them.so what? Like Thomas Edison told an assistant when trying to invent the light bulb, "We have discovered one hundred ideas that don't work!"
The bottom line is that a lure is just a tool. To rely on "what is hot" is fatalistic unless that information is fewer than three casts old. In reality, the only places we can buy a "pull" is at a catfish farm or a cat house. So, how do we, in this arena of overloaded plastic opinion, choose what to throw for best results?
This unsolicited opinion is that it's more important to find fish and determine their level of activity for the moment. You can then choose what you "need" to get them to bite, or choose what you "want" them to bite. There is a big difference and size, sink rate, and contrast are probably the most critical factors; yet even these considerations pale behind skill.
I'd be willing to bet that both the advanced "utilitarian" and the "idealist" can catch the fish they want on a crayon. That's the beauty of fishing with lures. There are enough options out there for everybody to be uniquely successful so long as we chase the ultimate goal, which should be learning how to fish not trying to learn what we can buy to make it easier.
Yes, different lures and color schemes are fun and can certainly make a difference at times. However, I think picking a lure is sort of like picking our nose. There's no end to how deep we can go to pluck at that final solution, but let's don't go so deep that our brains bleed. We will never be able to buy what we are looking for in a store, and that's not what we are really looking for anyway. What we really want to do is learn how to fish. Let's go do that and do it the way we want to do it. Hey, it's all good, even if you wear panties on your head.