F_W_2015_03_

THE FISHING SCHOOL

PICK up a bottle of milk that’s a couple of

weeks past its expiry date and take a whiff

• it will no doubt smell sour and
  disgusting. Now put the bottle to your lips
  and drink it. Any adult or older child
  would probably be telling me to get stuffed
  right about now! A toddler or small child
  that doesn’t know any better might take a
  sip, however. If we relate this scenario to
  fishing, it starts to become apparent why
  fresh and live baits will often out fish old,
  smelly and frozen baits.
  As fish mature, their sensory pathways
  develop while their ability to interpret
  patterns of instinct and learning improve.
  Young fish lack this experience and will
  throw caution to the wind while larger
  specimens often employ a more considered
  approach to eating their prey. A safe meal
  will move, look and “smell” a particular
  way. Any unfamiliarity might cause
  hesitation or trigger a cautionary strike in a
  mature predator, however, smaller fish that

are yet to build a memory bank of

experiences will often eat first and ask

questions later!

Ever noticed that if using packet prawns or

old pink frozen squid that you only catch

under sized fish and pickers but rarely

anything decent?

To better understand why, it pays to look

at the main differences between live/fresh

and stale/old frozen baits. I’ve classified

these differences into three categories:

mechanical differences (how the bait moves

or behaves in the water), visual differences

and chemical differences.

Once these differences are considered it

soon becomes apparent why fresh and live

baits will almost always outfish their stale

and smelly counterparts!

Mechanical differences

A live prawn, squid, worm or baitfish

behaves in a particular way. Underwater this

behaviour manifests itself in the form of

vibration or sounds which a predator learns

to associate with a safe or easy meal. Fresh

and live baits are generally supple. As bait

ages it can stiffen due to rigor mortis, a loss

of moisture or other spoilage processes.

Conversely, some baits like nippers or f lesh

baits soften due to the degradation of

connective tissues, skin and muscle causing

them to easily fall apart. This deviation

from the movement and character of fresh

or livebait presents as an anomaly to a

predator and causes them to approach with

caution. A live baitfish will swim around

and emit vibration that a predator can sense

and relate to a prior meal and a fresh fish

bait will still be supple and waft around

with a particular buoyancy, however, an old

stiff fish bait will have minimal movement

and appear lifeless or abnormal, potentially

triggering a cautionary response and a

timid bite.

Visual differences

A fresh calamari squid has a nice green halo

around the eye with a mottled skin pattern

and translucent f lesh. Age the squid, freeze it

or let it ripen in the sun and the visual

vibrancy will be removed. Pink tinged, opaque

and dull looking stale squid are a mere

figment of their fresh and lively selves. When

predators hunt visually, they seek out familiar

sights and will target prey based on patterns

they have witnessed before. A fresh prawn will

be lightly coloured and have discernable

differences in colouration and pattern on their

legs, tail, head and back. A stale old prawn

will darken and lose this contrast and

colouration over time. The visual differences

in stale baits represent a deviation from the

norm. This deviation is another red f lag to a

predator.

Chemical differences

Along with the characteristics noted above, live

or fresh baits will also have a particular

chemical signature. Beneath the water this

chemical signature is likely to be similar to the

milk “smell test”. A blackened and sun ripened

prawn which is old and decomposing will have

a different chemical profile to a live or fresh

prawn. It stands to reason that smelly old bait

with a seemingly abnormal chemical signature

is probably picked up by fish and their sensory

organs as an abnormality and elicits caution.

Fresh and livebaits are likely to be associated

Fresh Is Best!

When it comes to bait, avoid the frozen or old stuff

and do all you can to either catch or source the freshest

morsels possible. This way you’ll catch more and bigger fish!

WITH SAMI OMARI

PROUDLY SPONSORED BY

88 | fishingworld.com.au | March 2015

A live squid is a gun bait for a number of species.

It looks, feels and smells good enough to eat –

which is probably why it’s so effective!