Hi folks,

Along the lines of an earlier post I made referencing the fact that the quality of this site is directly proportionate to the quality of the input from YOU folks...I offer you some "Food for thought."

This is an intriguing analysis and I would love to hear your reaction to this intense study on bass feeding behavior in our local waters.

So what do you think?

Do we need Hab to come up with a wooden crab lure or what?

Check out http://www.nafo.ca/publications/journal/J32/nelson.pdf
and share your thoughts.

Mike

Anyone ever get the sense that saltwater s-b fisherman are about 20yrs behind freshwater largemouth fisherman?
Think of the concepts that are fundamental to largemouth fishing -walking the dog, jigs, cranbaits, topwater. These have been around for generations.
Crayfish imitations are an essential largemouth bait. Mike, in your Secrets of the Striper Pros video, you have the detailing of a lobster fly. In freshwater, guys were using rubber imitations of crayfish 15 years ago. Its common, while a lobster fly is not a part of every striper finermans arsenal. How long as the Zara Spook been around, 30, 40 years?
I think sb fisherman can learn a lot from largemouth fishing. There is more of a focus on "working" a lure for largemouths, while I see countless surfcasters just tossing swimmers and reeling in mechanicaly.
I hope I'm not "hijacking" this thread. Its just that most of our lure selectins are based on fish imitations. Has anyone thought of or used a crab or lobster imitation? It seems obvious to me, yet I dont do it. Why are most bucktail jigs white? WHy not orange to match a crab or lobster or pink to match a squid?

One of my favorite methods in the Canal is jigging, using a dark green jig. In my eyes, this resembles a crab or at least the closest thing to a crab that I can get my hands on.

I also believe Fish Eye mentioned during his TFCTF presentation that at times some would go to a local seafood market and purchase the smallest chicken lobsters they could find and use them as bait.

Excellent points and smells like a prime opportunity for some lure compnay/person to take adavantage of.

Save yourself some money if your gonna by lobster for bait and just chunk up some herring, pogey or squid and you'll do just as good.If a fish is grubbing for crustaceans they'll find that chunk on the bottom very easily. Otherwise use a green crab. I've got many stripers while blackfishing. Or just jig on the bottom.

Now you guys are thinking! Sure herring and other chum will work just fine, however what do you offer them to get them to eat? Does size matter? Study the report. I agree, it's the wiggle and waggle, it's all about action when it comes to getting them to strike...and YES we can certainly learn a lot from our sweet water bass masters.

Moses, No I didn't suggest using chic lobsters -- it might be hard to explain to the warden that you actually bought them...I had mentioned that in the old days they use to put lobbies on the hook...in fact I dug up a great story from the achieves of the Cuttyhunk Historical Society that recounted the dialogue between a couple of Gay Head anglers that were bitchin about getting ripped off by a local Wampanoag that had the audacity to charge them a $1.00 for a 100 lobsters (granted it was the 1800's but the guy probably owned a railroad).

So what do we use as lures when they're on herring, crabs, squid, etc.? Does it matter that we try to match the hatch?

Ive alway wondered why there were no saltwater plastic lobster artificials. Ive caught tons of bass with small lobsters filling their guts. My buddy who lobsters hates stripers and kills them when ever there in his traps, saying they eat all his money! Ive been planning on using some large crayfish artificials this season for a while now. I work at a banquet hall that goes through hundreds of lobsters a week. If were not making stock , i keep all the lobster bodies , crush and add a little oil, and chum away. This has worked really well for me, w/stripers but especially for fluke.Ive had many days of limit fluke using this , all from the shore too! You guys can buy lobster bodies at the market fairly cheap.

"Buy lobster chicks at the supermarket and use them for bait"........Boy, that fishing sure would get expense. Would hate to keep casting off my bait or have the crabs eat it........But I know I would love to just once stand there and hurl a lobster tail out into the surf rather than an eel.....Th possibilities.......

Bass are scavangers. Like Chipwood was saying, they sniff around the bottom to scoop up whatever food they can find. I think that when the bass are on crabs, its becasue there is no baitfish around. Should we use rubber crabs?? maybe, but a rubber eel bounced on the bottom might work just as well:huh:

I agree Eb. They forage for food. If there are schools of baitfish, thats there main dish, if not, they seek opportunities.
I love fishing with live eels, are the bass ever soley "on" eels? I've never seen it. I think eels, like lobsters and crabs are opportunity food.

I remember someone explaining to me at one time that bass actually go after eels out of more of a natural defense as eels eat a lot of the stripers' eggs up in the marshes, or something to that effect. They are natural enemies. Not sure of the scientific validity of it, but they sure do seem to eat a lot of my eels. I'm sure Fisheye or any other divers may be able to provide some insight, but I can never remember seeing an eel swimming out on the backside of the cape in the wide open sandy bottoms. There is little of any type of protective cover that they are usually found in, i.e rocks, weeds (well, beseides the dreaded mung).
I was telling my pops today about Fisheye's video (and foaming at the mouth the whole time) about how the fish seemed to hang in that spot with no visibale presence of food. So many times we have opened up fish to find their bellies completely empty, other times they have a smorgasboard of stuff in their bellies. Odd I guess.

Originally posted by cheferson
Ive alway wondered why there were no saltwater plastic lobster artificials.

There is a soft rubber imitation called "The Clobster." It is made by the same folks who brought about "The Petri Fish" (a rubber flounder lure).

I'll post a pic of one...soon as I get home...

-WW

Ive caught a couple of bass in maine that had stripers either half way down theyre throat or inside there stomachs.


Also one night while fishing my favorite rock pile on the beach in front of my house I had a nice lobster get caught up in my line on the retreive.

I let the bugger go,

Imagine a million lobsters beaching themselves because the cows were moving chasing them.

:drool:

Fish Eye,
I like to use small Rattle traps from my fresh water days. For Stripers. Small chrome ones. I also like to use small Storm shads. I think the smaller the bait the easier it is for the fish to eat. Presentation is key. Nice and slow off the bottom.....

Largies or stripers, I agree all bass are scavengers. Today I doubt you'll find many fisherman throwin real lobsters. Last year Charlie Soars was throwing artificial lobsters, made of rubber I think.....this year he didn't mention catching large on them. From shore I think that type of jigging would be done in rocky area's and I'ld think a good size lobster jig wouldn't be cheap.;) Personely I'll take a chunk or a eel.

Speaking of eels. Has anyone found an eel in the stomach of a striped bass?

Last Oct the majority of the bass I kept had small lobsters in their belly. One bass of 28# had 3 small lobsters, a couple of large sand eels and 1/2 a pogey that someone had thrown into the water. I caught this bass on squid. When they are hungry in the fall they'll eat anything. When they're looking for lobsters they'll eat chunks. When they're eating chunks they hit a plug. When they're looking down they'll eat anything.

I have caught fish with mantis shrimp inside.that was odd an I finally had a fish throw two eels in the cooler one mostly digested.A first for me.I know that when they are rooting out crabs on the shed they can be tough to fool with most presentations.a rigged eel worked near the bottom brings a strike in them times.I think out of aggression.even though I own thosands of lures I am a believer in presentation more than color in most cases.now that can mean alot of different things an it does.i think with time u seem to be able to dial up past experiences an put it together more often.I am a firm believer that there is always a fish there just gotta know what he wants to get em.I have a friend who fredives around some jetty's by me an says he almost always see's at least one bass when he does his thing out there.something I always knew.

Originally posted by Eben
Should we use rubber crabs?? maybe, but a rubber eel bounced on the bottom might work just as well

Last year my boy Bloocrab hooked me up with some of those rubba 4'' bloocrabs, I haven't tried them.....yet! If you do try rubba eels throw them in with your live ones, get'em nice n slimmy;)

http://www.riptidelures.com/Crab/crab.html

This one is the gold n glow, it has no scent or should I say rubba scent.

cool where do u put the jig head:rolleyes:

A few years ago a fish my caught had an eel in its belly. it seemed as though it had been in there for a while. Weird thing was the eel had the traditional hole through the bottom jaw and out the eye from a hook. He caught it on an eel.

Back in 99 and 2000 I did a lot of back bay mac chunking with a budy of mine who has 5 kids...they all eat bass so if he didn`t catch a keeper I`d give him mine...we caught a lot of keepers.

They were always loaded with green crabs he said.

When I do keep a bass for the table I always do an autopsy of the stomach contents and I regularly find 3-6" lobsters more often than not.

However, in the early 80's I did catch - and keep - a 38 lb bass at Pt. Jude on a live eel and in it's stomach were several small lobsters, a couple of juvenile flatties and what appeared to be a partially digested clamcake from Aunt Carries. :laughs:

I suspect the clamcake had been there for a while.