Joe, don't make the mistake of overestimating my level of angling
sophistication. Of course I don't tie on whatever lure happens to be closest
to me. And of course I'll change lures if my partner is doing significantly
better than me, more so than what could be attributed to random
distribution.

I only catch a few hundred bass per season, spread over a number of trips,
both from shore and boats. It's impossible for me to make any meaningful
tests because it's not a big enough sample and there are so many variables
in fishing. So I rely on my unscientific personal experiences and what makes
sense, what my gut tells me.

I take everything with a grain of salt, including such respected sources as
top-level pros. They certainly know HOW to catch fish, but they don't
necessarily know WHY they catch fish, as evidenced by many things they say.
When I hear a guy say blah, blah, blah, he ate it because he thought it was
a crawfish in a defensive posture, the bull**** meter goes off the dial in
my mind. Now that guy might be an ace and know that he can catch good bass
at such-and-such time of year on a jig, but when he starts telling me why,
I'm not such a believer.

The #1 ranked angler says he (under certain circumstances) retrieves as fast
as he can because he doesn't want the bass to get a good look at the lure.
The biologist tells me how on countless occasions fish have been observed
swimming alongside a moving lure. I knew that already, but who am I to
believe? As far as I'm concerned, KVD knows that a fast-moving lure will
draw strikes at times, but I don't think it has anything to do with how good
or poor a look the fish has gotten.

My personal experience and observations and reading tells me that bass are
caught in good numbers and size on every conceivable type, style, shape,
color, size, weight of lure that exists, and that fact has shaped much of my
thinking. I don't know how right or wrong I might be but I do have my
opinions. Too much of what I read just doesn't add up.

(End of rant #2).


"Joe Haubenreich" wrote in
message . ..
Are you saying that you don't analyze data you collect as you fish? Surely
you don't just tie on whatever lure happens to be closest to you and fling
it in the water, hoping for the best? And as you fish and observe the
conditions and the responses you get, does none of that register with you
and suggest ways to refine your strategy?

If you throw a lure for eight hours straight without getting a bite while
the person in the back of the boat is throwing another lure all day and
has
caught 60 in the same time, does the thought not occur to you that maybe,
just maybe, the lure is making a difference?

If so, then you are being analytical... slow, but analytical.

Some anglers are definitely analytical. They observe carefully and become
adept at pattern recognition. As patterns become apparent, they refer to
memory of lures, tactics, and presentations that produced well in similar
situations in the past.

When something unexpected and wonderful happens (for instance, when they
cast out, get a backlash, take two minutes to pick it out and then
discover
a bass has picked up their inert bait off the bottom), they wonder why?
What? Where? And they may take the next step to see if what happened can
be
replicated by repeating the conditions as closely as possible. To do that
requires that they analyze the data.

Some folks are just wired that way. They enjoy working out puzzles for
themselves.

The majority, though, are completely content to let someone else come up
with solutions, and they just go along with the crowd.

In between those are those who are what you might call aspiring analytics.
They go to where the fish were biting yesterday and throw the lures that
produced well in other situations, but they haven't noodled out the
patterns
that are developing in front of them or don't have a good frame of
reference
by which to compare. Maybe they just haven't spent enough time on the
water
to recognize patterns when they recur and profit from their past
experiences.

There are several analytical anglers here in this group. It's obvious from
the observations they make. Ronnie Garrison, for instance, keeps careful
logs of his fishing experiences that help him recall past events,
conditions, and results. You can tell from his accounts of fishing
tournaments that he is experimenting throughout the day.... observing,
forming hypotheses, testing them, evaluating his results, modifying his
assumptions, coming up with alternative theories and testing them.

On the other hand, some in this group can be counted on to report success
(or failure) with the same lures, fishing the same ways over, and over,
and
over. They may have only two or three confidence baits or many... it
doesn't
matter. If they just choose lures based on esthetics, or pleasant
memories,
or what worked last spring (even though conditions have changed radically
since then)... they're not going to catch as many fish as their analytical
counterparts.

Now, having said that, I will concede an important point: much of what
makes
a bait "hot" is based not on actual performance, but on marketing hype.
Why
would someone spend three dollars for one company's jig instead of a
buck-fifty for another manufacturer's identical product? Marketing.
Marketing is intended to build brand awareness, create expectations, and
to
increase familiarity, comfort, and confidence. It also influences our
likes
and dislikes. Is it a coincidence that so many cars in the fifties had
fins?
How come cars today don't have those cool fins and bullet tail lights?
Marketing.

Marketing created the demand for cars that resembled jet airplanes, and
marketing killed the demand. In fishing lures, rods, reels, sports
clothing,
boat design, engine size, etc. changes in our choices often result more
from
our swallowing whatever ad agencies are dishing out and less on what we
actually decide we need in order to meet carefully thought out objectives.

So, Marty, you are right to be skeptical. Some of the biggest grossing
lures
on the market today are no better or worse than ones they resemble, but
they
have million dollar ad campaigns that are driving public perception, or
they
were used by an angler or two to win some major tournaments. When it comes
to putting more bass in your boat, though, they're no better than their
lower-profile counterparts.

That doesn't mean, though, that there is no difference between lures when
it
comes to performance and results. Some designs are better in certain
situations than others. Some lures actually attract more strikes and
results
in more hook-ups than their competition. As Rodney pointed out, the
cleanest
way to test the relative merits of two or more products is in head-to-head
blind tests, where one eliminates as many variables as possible so that
the
one characteristic that you're comparing alone is responsible for
different
results. That's what I used to do back when I was engaged in cancer
research
at a university. Exhaustive, repetitious, mind-numbingly slow, methodical
research, where we tested one thing after another, and then repeated the
experiments multiple times to see if the results repeated themselves.

You can do that with fishing lures, but it is expensive and
time-consuming,
and it is, therefore, rarely done. I remember a very good study that
Tru-turn hooks did twenty years ago or thereabouts, where they tested one
of
their hooks with a crooked shank against one or two competitor brands with
straight shanks. They conducted the test in stocked ponds, traded rods
between test participants after every cast, used identical rods, lines,
and
baits, casting in the same area. They caught over a hundred bass on
several
hundred casts, continuing until they had statistically valid samples, and
then they analyzed and reported their results. Of course, Tru-turn hooks
came out on top. Otherwise, that study would never have seen the light of
day. The point is, though, that they conducted an objective, controlled
study and the data clearly supported their claims to superior hook-up
effectiveness.

Analytical anglers aren't perfect. They're out to have a good time,
compete
in tournaments, and enjoy themselves. But even though they're not doing
the
kind of scientific research and much of their evidence is anecdotal, they
are having fun trying to figure out where to cast, how to modify their
lures
or their retrieves, what effect they'll have by making changes... and it
pays off. I've seen that trait in several top professional anglers I've
come
to know and observed while we fished together.

If you are acquainted with some analytical anglers, you would do well to
pay
attention to what they say, how they fish, and what they have tied on. But
more importantly, you would do even better to pay attention to how they
determine what to tie on next and how they will present it to best effect.

Joe


"Marty" wrote in message
...
Joe, I am part of that 85% who doesn't think analytically about the
subject;
I don't even know much is valid based on what the 15% think. In my
experience, less than many other members, any hunk of plastic catches
fish.
Yes, on any given day they might reject some and accept others.

As to a "hot" lure in a given area, why is it hot? Is it a superior lure
or
is it heavily used due to good marketing? Millions of fish are caught on
Senkos. Is it superior or are a lot of people using it for other reasons?
If
all the Senkoers switched to Tiki Stick or Yum Dingers, would fewer fish
be
caught? Put slightly differently, do people use Senkos because they catch
fish or do they catch fish because people use them?

The Sweet Beaver was (maybe still is?) a hot lure. I can't help but think
that one reason it became hot is because of the catchy name. Does it work?
Absolutely. But is it superior to other lures in that category? I'm a
Doubting Marty.

I'm just majorly skeptical any time I hear about one lure being better
than
another. Based only on personal observations, the Horny Toad doesn't draw
any more strikes then Sizmics or Ribbits, but they seem to be the industry
leader.

Not trying to start any ****ing contests, I'm just venting my skepticism.
There are way too many fishermen who think they can buy their way to
greater
success. The tackle industry knows this and exploits it to the max.

(End of rant).

"Joe Haubenreich" wrote in
message ...
Buying habits strongly reflect regional preferences. Few anglers are
really
analytical thinkers -- may 15% at most. For the most part, fishermen keep
their ears and eyes open to learn what other people are using to catch
fish
and then buy those lures for themselves. They are trend followers.

For that reason, when a particular soft plastic bait, spinnerbait, jig or
crankbait is reported to have caught a big fish or many fish, that
particular lure is swept off the racks by eager buyers. You will do well
to
recruit some of the leading guides and tournament anglers in your area --
the trend-setters, innovators, and early adopters -- as your store's
Prostaff. Provide them with discounts on their purchases, perhaps, or
provide some other incentive. In return, they can advise you on what is
"hot" locally. They may also be trend-setters, although that is a
difficult
thing to predict.

I suggest you buy a copy of Malcolm Gladwell's books _The Tipping Point -
How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference_ and _Blink - The Power of
Thinking Without Thinking_.

I could name some excellent soft plastics that I am confident would catch
as
many or more bass than any soft plastic in the tackle shops around you.
If
you stock them and your customers buy and use them, they would be
delighted.
For example, GoTo Baits (http://gotobaits.com/) offer soft plastics with
excellent quality, better than average productivity, much better
durability,
and vastly better value than Yamamoto or other big-name brands. But if
you
were to buy them and put them on your racks, since they have no name
recognition in your local market, they might just gather dust.

If you, your clerks, and your Prostaff use and promote them as
high-performance, high-value lures that local bass haven't grown
accustomed
to, and that will give the few anglers who know about them an edge, then
you
can drive sales. And the fact that you would carry something that few
other
shops in your region do would be a good marketing point.

I go in a lot of small mom & pop tackle shops, and I can tell immediately
which ones stock products desired by tournament anglers and people
looking
for an edge on the water. The shop owners stock plenty of the big name
brands, but they also lay in some "special" lines for their regulars and
visitors in the know. And that's how they position them, too.... If
someone
walks in and knows exactly what they want and see it on the Zoom or
Berkley
wall, then everyone is happy.... But if someone comes in and asks for
advice, the clerk or shop owner can say "here's what most people are
throwing, but the secret weapon of some of our best anglers is this right
here...."

Even though I've seen that pitch fifty times, it still works on me when I
walk into a tackle shop by an unfamiliar lake. It did two weeks ago on
Guntersville. I went in to buy some plastic frogs (having unwisely used
up
all my Watermelon Red GoTo Bait frogs in practice), and I found some that
resembled the patterns I wanted. The shop owner commented that those were
indeed popular, but that he and his son (who guide on the lake) preferred
another brand. Guess which ones I walked out of the store with?

So.... here is what I think bass anglers will expect you to carry your
sto

5" and 7" stick baits like the Yamamoto Senko
Frogs
3-inch Teaser Tubes
3", 3-1/2" to 3-3/4", and 4" Tubes
4", 7", 10" Worms
Finesse worms
Drop-shot baits, like the Wiggle lure*
Crawfish (large and small)
Jerk baits/shad bait like the Zoom Fluke
2-1/2" and 3-1/2" fat, curly-tail grubs
4-inch craw worms
Creature baits like Water Wizards, lizards, Brush Hogs, Sweet Beaver

Some national names you will want to consider: Lunker City, Zoom,
Yamamoto..
most of the ones you can find on the BPS Website.

*Consider stocking the entire SpecTastic line of products, too.... your
customers will thank you for it.

Joe
--
Secret Weapon Lures
Tackle systems engineered for innovative anglers
--------------------------------------------------------:~ 0")))
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"Sprattoo" wrote in message
oups.com...
Sorry to post so much right away, but I am pretty new to many of the
hot soft plastics out there, and the new shop... and our bass pro
catalog seems to be filled with choices that I was never able to order
before.

If you all could pick your top 3 favorite soft plastics for next
spring what would it be? Make and model?

We are practically interrogating all our bass customers for some help
in ordering plastics next spring, and i don't want to just fill the
shelves with cheap junk. I have one or two customers will to help so
far, but I would like a little education before relying on a couple of
guys.

I like the looks of some of the yamamoto samples i have seen, but also
heard they fall apart easily after just a few pitches or a couple of
fish. Have heard good stuff about wacky rigging Yums, but only from
one or two guys.

Any help in the bass field would be appreciated. Can anyone suggest a
good site or two to help educate me? Over the past few years i have
all but set aside my baitcaster for my flyrod.
Would like to pick it back up next year.

Lloyd M
http://www.mainetackle.com