Lateral Thinking

Last month we talked about noise specifically in the form of rattles and how it can hurt or help us in the pursuit of our finny friends. That is a concept that is easily understood. But another equally important tool at a fishes disposal is the "lateral line". This is as much a sensory organ to a fish as its eyes or nose and is used to detect vibration and motion in the water.

The larger the fish the larger and more developed and refined this sensory apparatus is. A fish does not have to see something in order to know it is there.
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Let's look at a lure which can really exploit this seldom thought of concept........The venerable spoon! A simple slab of bent metal which, when retrieved at the correct speed, has a simple swaying and rocking motion. As that spoon "turns over" it has a little "kick" of sorts which I suspect mimics the vibrations of a fleeing baitfish. I believe this little "kick" is felt by the fishes lateral line and triggers an impulsive response. We might get that same impulsive response by snapping our wrists with a rapala and getting a kicking motion with our lure.

Fishing.......the thinking mans game.............or not ;)

Wish me luck....heading down to the keys for 3 days offshore. I'm sick of working  :P. Hopefully the big boys will chew.

 

ahh yes. the later line. spoons and spinners. also shad body vs minnow body arguments. good times. i guess ive never really thought of spoons as lateral line baits. ive always migrated toward shiny ones that give a really good flash in the sun. i use them more in clear water on sunny days than anything else. with that said though im not a huge spoon guy so i guess my experience lacks.

my lateral line fishing goes mostly on spinners. willows vs colorado. most of my success has come on dual willow arrangements.