Fish shaped spinner

[Steve Walker]

If I want realistic, I go for soft plastics.

[Phone]

Cannibal

 

Are those decals on precast blanks? Problem is (at least in the US) that configuration is so cheap and yet so much work has to go into them when producing on a small scale it isn't economically feasible for you. Of course you personally will receive the satisfaction and I admire that. Can you trick them out in some fashion? For example (althought not necessarily a suggestion) how about hologram eyes are very cheap. The "hot" thing now is cut in the middle and beveled to make them wiggle. I like feathers although I'm not sure about the fish. Stuff like that.

 

If they are a fishing success you still have the problem of making them a business success. Fishing lures are like beef steak. You sell the sizzle not the meat.

 

Again, if I didn't say so, they are cool looking.

[corydoras]

Well, I'd say that most good lures bear little resemblance to fish whatsoever.

 

Look at Mepps, Sliders, Mantas, spinnerbaits etc. They don't look like anything alive and as for colours, it seems red/white/gold spinners do a fair amount of damage and black surface baits are difficult to beat, which is why I often repaint a perfectly good, realistic, trout pattern plug. Chartreuse skirts on bucktails, spinnerbaits etc. rate highly and my favourite shad colour is fluoro pink.

 

What have a learned?

 

This all tells me that 'realistic' is last on the agenda when it comes to successful lures.

I caught loads of pollack up in Norway on 4 inch nails. Cut the head off, swivel on one end, treble on the other and a bend in the middle. Edited September 13, 2012 by corydoras

[Andy Macfarlane]

I think sliders are quite realistic bud?

 

Some do come with decals on them but they work just as well in black, sunburst red, firetiger and plain white. They certainly don't move like a fish, being a walk-the-dog jerkbait, they have huge trebles hanging off them and on my gear, a heavy single wire jerkbait trace, attached to 80lb braid.

 

I don't think realism is the key to the sliders' success. The point I was making was the fish-like decals on lures are not the reason they work.

 

Sliders aside then, how do you explain the success of the other lures I've mentioned??

[Steve Burke]

There's a lot in lure fishing literature showing that realistic finishes catch no more fish. Indeed, in many cases they actually catch less than finishes that over-emphasise certain features, stripes being one example. These also show up when the lure is on the move, when it looks very different to when it's stationary. This would especially apply to spinners.

 

You may well score with these spinners, but I doubt that it would be because of the finish.

 

But I agree - they certainly look great!

[Phone]

All

 

Andy and Steve's comments remind me of a three day summer session while two semi-drunk pals cussed and discussed the finer points of which is best, the Dardevle red and white 3 stripe spoon or the 5 of diamonds red and yellow spoon. All whilst I was carp fishing.

 

Phone

[Andy Macfarlane]

Now those are some proper spoons.