Aknib
Well-known member
How much of what we take to be fact is actually myth?
I’m a big fan of the traditional way of thinking when it comes to fishing and it’s a conversation with Mark in another thread which gave way to the question.
Namely that of falling bait speed in relation to loose feed when fishing on the drop and my observation that a bait actually falls slower than the loosefeed when the additional weight of even an ‘X’ version heavy gauge hook is negated by the drag effect of the mass of the line (even of a very fine diameter) having to cut through the water as the bait sinks and effectively drags the line behind it.
Yet small, fine wire hooks (which will sink even slower and therefore even more unnaturally in relation to the loosefeed) are what I’ve always been taught and it has always worked…
To an extent.
A paradox?
I believe so and here’s why.
On that occasion the larger fish were shying away from the slower falling (than the loose feed) bait whilst I continued to catch the smaller fish so, in a way, everything was fine and dandy because I was catching fish.
But…
I had seen something more.
Because I had observed what I had, In particular the larger fish taking the loose offerings whilst spooking away from the slower falling bait whilst still catching smaller fish I’m wondering if the small, fine wire hook advice for fishing on the drop is sound but for the wrong reason?
Imagine if I hadn’t seen those bigger Roach spooking away from that different fall rate of the bait and everything was hunky dory, I’m fishing at four rod lengths out and don’t even know there are specimen sized Roach even in the water but everything seems fine because I’m catching smaller fish, many of a respectable size in their own right and on those fine wire hooks which I’ve always been led to believe offer a more natural presentation in relation to the speed of the fall of the bait.
It goes unquestioned, it’s a proven winner and it works.
But maybe it works simply because fish are just generally lazy and will pick off the easiest (or in this case slowest falling) offerings first and not because you’re presenting a bait at a natural fall rate to the loose feed, despite those fine wire hooks and what we’ve always believed to be the case?
So what about those wary, specimen sized fish that I would otherwise have not known where there?
Does it explode a myth and point to the fact that the age old way of thinking will catch you plenty of fish but for a different reason to that which you may have thought and that bigger and better is available if you can just get the ‘balance’ right?
It’s certainly a testimony to how juggling shot around can alter your catch but how many of us actually do it, thinking we’ve hit the sweet spot, because we are already catching plenty of fish but we’re oblivious to what else is there?
I’m a big fan of the traditional way of thinking when it comes to fishing and it’s a conversation with Mark in another thread which gave way to the question.
Namely that of falling bait speed in relation to loose feed when fishing on the drop and my observation that a bait actually falls slower than the loosefeed when the additional weight of even an ‘X’ version heavy gauge hook is negated by the drag effect of the mass of the line (even of a very fine diameter) having to cut through the water as the bait sinks and effectively drags the line behind it.
Yet small, fine wire hooks (which will sink even slower and therefore even more unnaturally in relation to the loosefeed) are what I’ve always been taught and it has always worked…
To an extent.
A paradox?
I believe so and here’s why.
On that occasion the larger fish were shying away from the slower falling (than the loose feed) bait whilst I continued to catch the smaller fish so, in a way, everything was fine and dandy because I was catching fish.
But…
I had seen something more.
Because I had observed what I had, In particular the larger fish taking the loose offerings whilst spooking away from the slower falling bait whilst still catching smaller fish I’m wondering if the small, fine wire hook advice for fishing on the drop is sound but for the wrong reason?
Imagine if I hadn’t seen those bigger Roach spooking away from that different fall rate of the bait and everything was hunky dory, I’m fishing at four rod lengths out and don’t even know there are specimen sized Roach even in the water but everything seems fine because I’m catching smaller fish, many of a respectable size in their own right and on those fine wire hooks which I’ve always been led to believe offer a more natural presentation in relation to the speed of the fall of the bait.
It goes unquestioned, it’s a proven winner and it works.
But maybe it works simply because fish are just generally lazy and will pick off the easiest (or in this case slowest falling) offerings first and not because you’re presenting a bait at a natural fall rate to the loose feed, despite those fine wire hooks and what we’ve always believed to be the case?
So what about those wary, specimen sized fish that I would otherwise have not known where there?
Does it explode a myth and point to the fact that the age old way of thinking will catch you plenty of fish but for a different reason to that which you may have thought and that bigger and better is available if you can just get the ‘balance’ right?
It’s certainly a testimony to how juggling shot around can alter your catch but how many of us actually do it, thinking we’ve hit the sweet spot, because we are already catching plenty of fish but we’re oblivious to what else is there?