Realism in bait

[Blackduck]

Today in the Commercial Appeal (Memphis newspaper) there is an article about a fishing lure that is too good to be true. Now fishing is over-run with gimmicks--flying lure, power lure, ect. but this actually made the newspaper. The "Kick-tail" is a multi jointed lure. It looks like a Rapala jointed lure but with three joints in the back half of its body instead of just one in the middle. The article details how you can catch three times as many fish with it. It has been tested by the pro's (whatever that is worth). The interesting thing is that Tournament officials are considering not allowing this lure in tournaments were live bait is illegeal. Supposedly that would hurt it's marketing but I personally know that there are hundereds of people that would snatch up these things by the dozens just because it helps catch more fish. How do I know this. These are the same people who buy twirlies. The bottom line is that all aspects of hunting and fishing are being overun by people who love to kill and occasionally like to hunt. These people spend big dollars too. Has anyone seen a Herters' lately. There are more spinning, swimming, remote controlled decoys than there are traditonal dekes. Herters for years has pushed it "Herters' Decoys" as the finest on the market. A real hunters decoy. But they are a business and like all other businesses the need to turn a dollar and if dogsheet on a stick starts to sell then it will be on the cover of the new Cabela's or Herters' in weeks. Bottom line--Too many people want a full stringer or a limit or a 8pt. They don't want the sportsmanship and companionship that hunting brings to so many. In an era when your coffee is brewed before you even wake up and everyone has a phone crammed in their ear I think everyone need to slow the hell down for a minute and take a look around. I think that they will find that they are missing something.

That is one lonely duckhunters opinion as I wait for the first frost and first flight of fall.

[Welldoggie]

hey BD,
I saw that in the sports section...however, you'll see at the top of the article that it says "advertisement" which really means the wording is not from a newspaper reporter, but the ad agency hired to attract buyers.

...but, those writers really make it sound like it's the robo-bait to have.

those guys are sneaky that way. [img]images/smiles/icon_cool.gif[/img] same approach as those folks selling the illegal golf ball that the usga doesn't want you to have.

[damnyankee]

I've got it, Robo hunter. You program him to set up next to people, he puts out robo ducks, calls by a recording of live ducks, let's you borrow shells, coffee, food etc.. all day. If your shooting bad you can program him to shoot for you.
Once he's programed by GPS you never have to leave your house!!! He will get up(never over-sleeps) and walk whatever distance to get to the honey hole. If the ducks are working elsewhere he picks up and moves closer to where they are.
Just don't let his batteries go dead or your ducked!!
I'm heading to the shop!!

[Blackduck]

Yep it is an advertisement. Probably a big crock of nutria dung to make people think that this is the one to buy. I thought the golf channel was bad! [img]images/smiles/icon_rolleyes.gif[/img]

[jdcd8]

I saw the advertisement for them on tv and had to have some and from my experience they are not that hot. i caught alot of fish with them in farm ponds but they never would come through for me in the tournaments i caught fish on crankbaits in pickwick and they would not touch that true motion lure

just my 2cents

[Po Monkey Lounger]

The comparison of the gimmick fish bait to the twirlie in this thread is interesting. The ultimate conclusion re the new lure is that the claim of it being illegal in tournaments is just a gimmick to sell the lures. They indeed may be good lures(I don't know),but they are probably not that good. There is an old saying that if it sounds too good to be true,then it probably is not true.
Much like the twirlie. There appears to be a myth,being constantly perpetuated on this board, that twirlies are so effective, that all you have to do is set them out in a mud puddle, and you can bring in the ducks. Having used a twirlie from time to time the last couple of years, I can state from experience that the claims and concerns of its effectiveness are grossly exagerated. If you have a great duck hole, you don't need it. If you have an average to very good hole, it will make it better (provided there is no competition from a competing robo in a good to very good hole nearby). If you have a crappy hole, you will still have a crappy hole, even with a robo spinning in it.

IMO, the folks in the great holes are still killing their limits, with or without the robos. The folks in the average to very good holes may or may not be doing better with the use of a robo, depending on nearby competition. In other words, if everyonein a given hunting area which has several good to very good holes are using the robos, the comparitive net effect is negligible. The playing field is level and the holes with the best callers and decoy spreads get the ducks, just as it was before the robos came into mass use. The crappy holes are still crappy. So why use them?? Good question. Aside from ethical concerns, and concerns of traditionalists, the only reason anyone would really feel like they needed to use one would be to fairly compete with other nearby hunters with robos. Hopefully a ban of the things will be forthcoming soon.

I think the persons who perpetuate the robo myth on this board are actually persons who derive income from the things -- sales, R&D, inventors, etc. Much like the magic fish lure referenced above.

[gwall]

half of this crap on the market whether it be hunting or fishing is junk - but ther always enough yahoos out here that fall for it and make the sumbitches rich beyond belief - I've been guilty of it in my younger days - i guess as you get older you learn that reverting back to the basics is the way to go

[goosebruce]

Whut a quote...Bottom line--Too many people want a full stringer or a limit or a 8pt. Hell yeah, I want a tote sack full of ducks, and a stringer o' fish. Dont care bout the 8 point myself, but thats just me. Since when did being sucessful become bad? Never understood that reasoning, that wanting to hunt is ok, but wanting to kill is bad. I like to kill ducks. I do it all the time. I do it every chance the law allows. And I kill all the law allows. I'm not the kind of person that says, welp, its just great getting out in the great outdoors. Im outside every day. I see the sun come up every day Im off, and a lot of days I aint. It doesnt mean I don't appricate a sunrise, but it does mean when its killing time, Im ready to kill them. I get up to see them fly at sunrise before the season, and after the season. I drive over to see them sit & fly around when their is a split. But when its time to hunt, I want to kill ducks, period. Same thing with fishing, when i go fishing, i go to catch fish. And I caught 20,000 fish in a row without cleaning (or purposely killing) a single one of them, but I still wanted to catch every single fish I could, every time I went. Thats why I was there. You might be anti moto, or anti gimmick, and thats fine, but thinking folks is wrong for wanting to have sucess, doesnt make any sense. travis

[Blackduck]

Sure I kill birds. I doubt that many like to watch them splash dead in the water more than I. The question really is I guess do you consider a hunt without a limit a failure. If you had a good hole and only killed a few limits a year would you resort to twirlies? Or atleast try them out. Or would you plant some food (corn, rice) in a legal manner of course. [img]images/smiles/icon_smile.gif[/img]? If you don't catch a stringer of fish on a regular basis do you switch to telephones and "kick-tail" lures. We all have become more advanced in our hunting equipment. That is part of the fun of it. I love new shotguns and waders. Bigger toys for bigger boys. I don't suggest that we all resort to carved dekes and muzzleloaders and fish with worms we dug from our horse stable. Silly. What I don't want to be is a hunting version of Rodney Dangerfield from 'Caddyshack'. I frown on people who supplement skill with silly gimicks from television or the mass market. If you are too busy to make yourself a better hunter than fine. Thats your choice. Save the $100 for a dozen super lures and go practice casting; blow your call in the car. Take your skunking like a man and know that what comes around goes around and for every day you come up short there will be days that you reap a harvest of the kings. Load the boat. I certainly don't expect everyone to agree but there you have it.

[GulfCoast]

Has anyone seen any science (and not biased hunter anecdotes) to refute the study by University of California (Davis)?

Has anyone seen a scientific (not BS hunter) peer review of the Davis results?

I didn't think so.

[Junior P]

They ran that same "article" (add) in the Chattanooga paper back about a month ago. Pretty slick marketing idea I must say. When I first read it I thought it was written by a reporter and then saw the actual wording at the top. Just another gimic in a long line of them.

[goosebruce]

No duck hunt is a failure, skunk, limit, or in between. They all rock, period.

There is no expense I could afford that I wouldnt spend to catch a fish, or kill a duck. $100 for a dozen lures? If I thought it was worth it, Id spend a $100 on one. I used to spend a 100 bucks a weekend on gas to catch a fish, and thrown them back, just liked meeting them. Id spend a 100 bucks fishing in a hartbeat. I don't have a lot of money. I'd have a helluva lot more if I didnt hunt, fish, and run dogs.
Gimmick is as gimmick was...The question wasnt about gimmicks, it was about somehow thinking a goose egg is a badge of courage, and killing a totesack full is bad. I'll still sticky to my totesack full, thankyaverymuch. travis

[Po Monkey Lounger]

GC, with all due respect, I don't need a "scientific" study from the left coast to tell me what two years of experience in the field have taught me about these things. I cannot dispute that the twirlies increase the effectiveness of an already decent hole,allowing the hunters to harvest more birds than otherwise. But, by the same token, I have personally witnessed their effectiveness significantly decease in hunting areas where other hunting parties are using the things as well. I have also hunted in some holes, very close to large concentrations of birds, that even a hundred twirlies spinning at once would not pull in the first bird.

Based on personal experience, I assert that anyone who proclaims that the things are so effective that all you have to do is set it out in vitually any pool of water and you will pull in ducks, are either idiots or twirlie salesmen. So there. The left coast be damned.