I will again (as usual) stick my head in a hornets nest !
This is one of the reasons I have limited my involvement in artificial angling ...
ALL soft plastics, bio degradable or not, work, PERIOD.
If you do your bit, give the lure the right action, and there are actually fish around they WILL take it without asking who made it.
BUT
you will catch more fish on some lures due to many reasons.
Colours
colours are important, that's why EVERY manufacturer has a few different colours, it's not just about trial and error in finding the right colour, it also has a lot to do with what you're targetting and what the conditions are like. Ever fished the same spot twice, first time catching fish after fish on a specific colour lure and then the next time not even one bump ? You didn't do anything wrong, THE CONDITIONS WERE DIFFERENT.
Action
By that I don't just mean "vary retrieve", I mean you get different types of "soft lures", some with paddle tails, some with straight tails, some called flukes and so the list goes on, they work in DIFFERENT CONDITIONS. A paddle is much better OVERALL, simple reason being that is easier to use (you don't have to put much action into it), it sends out pulses with the swimming action of it's tail, attracting fish that can't see it, can swim by itself if the current is strong enough and definately works better in dirtier water.
Smell and taste,
now this definately is important and is one of the reasons Berkley Gulp products work. In dirty (and also clean water) fish will come and check when they smell "a rat" (same as with the vibrations caused by a paddle tail). If the fish can't see your lure but feels vibrations from it and can also smell it they will come and investigate, if they grab it and it actually tastes like something they will also hold on longer, maybe just for a second longer, but that second is important when setting a hook.
Sight
if a fish actually sees your lure THEY WILL attack it, that is EXACTLY what VERTICAL JIGGING is based on. And believe me Vertical Jigging also works. But again, for anything to work there must actually be fish there for it to work.
I got MacCarthy products to test, and by looking at them I can tell you one thing, they are very well made. I do however also "marinate" them in the Berkley secret sauce.
My aim is to "irritate" or "excite" as many senses in fish as possible.
Fishing with them over the December period has been very very poor, with very little results, but that is understandable, cause everybody battled to get fish, including the people using every possible combination of bait.
I am so sick of this Berkley argument that I choose to try and avoid any and all Berkley arguments.
Berkley works, Berkley is good, Berkley looks good, but that still doesn't make Berkley the ONLY product that works.
In the right hands, UNDER THE RIGHT CONDITIONS, they ALL WORK.
This is one of the reasons I have limited my involvement in artificial angling ...
ALL soft plastics, bio degradable or not, work, PERIOD.
If you do your bit, give the lure the right action, and there are actually fish around they WILL take it without asking who made it.
BUT
you will catch more fish on some lures due to many reasons.
Colours
colours are important, that's why EVERY manufacturer has a few different colours, it's not just about trial and error in finding the right colour, it also has a lot to do with what you're targetting and what the conditions are like. Ever fished the same spot twice, first time catching fish after fish on a specific colour lure and then the next time not even one bump ? You didn't do anything wrong, THE CONDITIONS WERE DIFFERENT.
Action
By that I don't just mean "vary retrieve", I mean you get different types of "soft lures", some with paddle tails, some with straight tails, some called flukes and so the list goes on, they work in DIFFERENT CONDITIONS. A paddle is much better OVERALL, simple reason being that is easier to use (you don't have to put much action into it), it sends out pulses with the swimming action of it's tail, attracting fish that can't see it, can swim by itself if the current is strong enough and definately works better in dirtier water.
Smell and taste,
now this definately is important and is one of the reasons Berkley Gulp products work. In dirty (and also clean water) fish will come and check when they smell "a rat" (same as with the vibrations caused by a paddle tail). If the fish can't see your lure but feels vibrations from it and can also smell it they will come and investigate, if they grab it and it actually tastes like something they will also hold on longer, maybe just for a second longer, but that second is important when setting a hook.
Sight
if a fish actually sees your lure THEY WILL attack it, that is EXACTLY what VERTICAL JIGGING is based on. And believe me Vertical Jigging also works. But again, for anything to work there must actually be fish there for it to work.
I got MacCarthy products to test, and by looking at them I can tell you one thing, they are very well made. I do however also "marinate" them in the Berkley secret sauce.
My aim is to "irritate" or "excite" as many senses in fish as possible.
Fishing with them over the December period has been very very poor, with very little results, but that is understandable, cause everybody battled to get fish, including the people using every possible combination of bait.
I am so sick of this Berkley argument that I choose to try and avoid any and all Berkley arguments.
Berkley works, Berkley is good, Berkley looks good, but that still doesn't make Berkley the ONLY product that works.
In the right hands, UNDER THE RIGHT CONDITIONS, they ALL WORK.
