I was sitting here at work thinking about fishing and found myself looking at the new Dawia lures, Lipless crankbaits specificly. It got me thinking. The way these lures are presented, vibrating many times per second, does it really matter to a bass whether it looks like a work of art or a very utilitarian Rat-l-trap? My thinking is that if it has the right flash & rattle you've got yourself a fish on. What do ya think?

The way these lures are presented, vibrating many times per second, does it really matter to a bass whether it looks like a work of art or a very utilitarian Rat-l-trap? My thinking is that if it has the right flash & rattle you've got yourself a fish on. What do ya think?

Most lures are made to catch the fisherman and if they catch fish that is a plus.  The different lure makers use different types of materisl for the rattles and different shape rattle chambers thus one bait will out catch another on a given day.  I think that subtle color changes do make a difference at times.  I have been fishing a Rayburn Red Rat-L-Trap and not catching any fish while my pardner is fishing the same lure in Red Craw and killing them.  I change to a Red Craw and start catching as many if not more than he is.

Kelley

Does it matter the ultra detailed, ultra realistic finish ? -----> nope and in a lipless crank it matters less, but still, I 'm a sucker for ultra detailed finishes.   8-)

In some patterns the finish is meant to perform a certain task, for ex, the American Shad finish in LC baits is meant to add glitter to the bait by reflective surfaces that mimic scales, guanim coats are also meant for that purpose, but it doesn 't have to be ultra realistic, bass don 't have that extra keen eyesight so they can 't count the "scales" on your baits.  

does it really matter to a bass whether it looks like a work of art

Well...it's abundantly obvious that you're not a tackle salesman ;D

If you believe that you fish more diligently with a spiffy lure, then by all means it matters.

Beyond that, I believe that a rusted 40-year old spoon will slaughter bass, if it's well-delivered in the right location.

By the way, when I say "spoon" I'm referring to the eating utensil :-? :-/

Roger

I have always thought about this. Many years ago when I was a kid I used to fish various Rapalas 80% of the time. The plain black and silver ones were a million times better than the ones with a fish pattern on them. I am mainly talking about the shad raps. I believe that with detail you give the bass a chance to find something wrong. A negative cue. I have always thought that a plain spinnerbait, buzzbait, crankbait, or jigs should have a simple pattern. With the exception to jigs, bass dont have a lot of time to decide if they are going to eat those baits or not. I dont like jigs with eyes or scales or a detailed head.  I like them simple. Now keep in mind NONE of these baits are realistic to begin with. They have bills or hanging trebles or splitrings etc. To me cranks get bit becuase of the illusion they create. Not on the detail. Now as a swimbait maker I feel this is completly diferent becuase the most common method is to fish the baits as slowly as possible and LET the fish get a good look at them. If you realy want to get a bite on a swimbait cut off all the hooks and use 4lb Fluorocarbon in a clear lake. You wont catch a fish and you will get your bait bit off but you will see that the little details help. Think about a plastic worm being worked along the bottom. There realy isnt much a bass can find that looks wrong except the line.

One more thing I always here that lures are made to catch fisherman instaed of fish. I disagree. If a company invests the time and money they want a bait that will continue to sell. One that does not produce will quickly die off. However I do believe that lure companies do make many diferent sizes and colors of a good product to capitalize on sales. I myself have done this. The ones that our out to catch the fisherman and not the fish are the knock off companies. They will copy good designs to make a quick buck. This is the main reason that originals are almost always better than copies. Not always but most of the time.

Matt your answer is one of the reasons I night fish; here's a little quote from Mr. Hannon which I think fits right in with your answer.

Sloppy technique is much more likely to show up in the bright light of day. These fish can be hard to catch in daylight, not so much because they are shy and spooky, but rather because they are bold enough and curious enough to swim right up and see what you are.

Darkness covers up an angler's presence and most of all his mistakes. Fish don't feed as regularly at night as they do in the day but when they are feeding, it's far less of a problem to catch them.

I was sitting here at work thinking about fishing and found myself looking at the new Dawia lures, Lipless crankbaits specificly. It got me thinking. The way these lures are presented, vibrating many times per second, does it really matter to a bass whether it looks like a work of art or a very utilitarian Rat-l-trap? My thinking is that if it has the right flash & rattle you've got yourself a fish on. What do ya think?

Reflex strikes like with spinnerbaits,lipless vibs, buzzbaits ,Slashbaits, etc catch bass by sound color and speed IMO i think more then not they catch fisherman and make them feel secure fishing it which to me is part of the game

diawa does make some good looking lures

this one isnt diawa but it has a quality inish that gives me confidence

My opinion is that it does not make much if any difference. I make and paint crankbaits, so about any color or paint scheme is possible for my customers but if you were to look through my personal tackle you would find a lot of plain patterns. Have never been convinced that a bass swims up and makes a scale count on a potential meal to make sure its the real deal.