Bite Problem

[Boris Zavidonov]

Dear lovers of fishing, Anglers!

I would like to invite you to take part in solution of an important fishing problem – a problem of biting.
Very often we ask ourselves questions like “Why fish is not biting?”, “Why fish suddenly stops biting everywhere?”, “Why fishing was good yesterday, but today there is not a thing?”

The first person who asked these questions was a primitive man - an inventor of a fishhook. It is known that Socrates also tried to answer these questions. But so far they are unanswered. The biting problem is one of few unresolved problems facing mankind. Without solving this problem, no reliable fishing forecast can be made.

I tried to collect and analyze all available publications concerning fishermen expertise, publications of investigators in order to understand what reasons influence behavior of fish. And also why the problem has not been solved though fishermen know a lot about bite. Results of the analysis turned out to be unexpected, but here I only touch on the priceless treasure of the accumulated knowledge. Researchers made a lot of significant discoveries. For example, scientists suppose that fish has more than 20 sense organs, but we still live with the traditional classification of five classic sense organs. All this wealth lies as unemployed capital and waits for its analysis, in other words, for enthusiastic lover of fishing and investigators. One of the reasons of this situation is that fishermen do not share their ideas about it with scientists. But this is the case when science without practice is almost blind.

It is necessary to make the accumulated knowledge and experiences of fishermen of all continents and generations, from origination of writing to today’s articles, diaries, thoughts, conclusions, suggestions and so on, a common property for all lovers of fishing and investigators. Internet gives an opportunity to open a fishing debating-society for discussions. In order for the club to normally perform the duties of its members, it is necessary to distribute all information and organize debates by topics of the bite problem.
It is quite obvious that materials will be sent from different biogeographical regions with different sets of species of fish and plants, and on different languages from many countries.

I propose for a discussion the scheme with two groups of questions: 1. Factors having an effect upon fish. 2. Fish organs responding to those factors. The factors are: electrical, magnetic, gravitational, temperature, heat, frost, light, sound, atmospheric pressure, wind, snow-storm, humidity, mist, dew, hoar-frost, cloudiness, precipitations, rain, thunder. Some internal factors: biological rhythms, nutrition, spawning, food resources available for fish.

Organs (Earlier in some publications I proposed the classification of sensory organs receptive to external factors): electrosensitivity, electrotactil, magnetic sensitivity, magnetic azimuthal orientation, gravitation sensitivity (same as biological clock of about two-week and about monthly biorhythms of animals), equilibrium, atmospheric pressure, water pressure, local pressure, tactile sensitivity, cold sensitivity, thermal sensitivity (same as biological clock of seasonal and annual biorhythms), visual, light sensitivity (same as biological clock of daily rhythms of animals), auditory, locator organ, vibration sensitivity, olfaction, taste, gas analyzer, pain sensitivity. A solution of this issue is impossible without involvement of a wide range of different spheres of science.

Dear representatives of zoology, ichthyology, zoogeography, physiology, biology, bioacoustics, biogeography, biohydroacoustics, biohydrochemistry, biorhythmology, biophysics, biochemistry, heliobiology, magnitobiology, phenology, oecology, physics, chemistry, astronomy, climatology, meteorology, weather forecasters, archivists, archeologists, without you it is very difficult to make good use of knowledge and experience of fishermen.

Dear fisherwomen, fishermen, all lovers of fishing, dear investigators, let us try now to set the biting problem going.

 

[jpbfly]

That's a great but tough question to debate that's why maybe no one posted a reply but my brother in law is called Boris and lives in Moscow so I made a little effort...when I was young I started a fishing note book where I wrote a little report everytime I went fishing...number of fish,weather,moon...but I was too lazy to carry on...I think I was wrong...according to me the two most important things are light(certainly because of our shadow and the one of the line) and noise(as I often fish for chub scientists say it has the best "ear" of all fish)as for the moon the days before the full and the new moon may be better.But if we caught as many fish as we want all the time we would quicly be bored and fed up,wouldn't we?Nobody would like to score goals when playing soccer if the keeper was tied to a post:icon_bigg

 

[Frank Whiton]

Hi JP,

I had not paid any attention to this article because it was so long until your post. I opened it up so it is much easier to read. Maybe more members will read it now.

Frank

 

[arfishinbear]

Oh boy, talk about a good one. This is a great one. (in a good way)
Countless hours have been spent around camp fires and fly shops and tackle stores on why fish dont bite. There are many reasons and any giveing time.
The weather, the water, the people, and ofcourse the fish them selves.
First lets look at weather. Most folks that have fished awhile know this, but for the newbies, fronts and high pressure are one of the most important factors on fishing. Usally right before a front moves in and for awhile after fishing can be great, the fishes lateril line tells them things you and I need a weatherman to tell us. Once the front has pushed through and the skies clear fish hang tight to cover and dont feed much.
One of the reason on my home lake and river right now is the low oxygen. The river is a tail water and the lake has not went through its fall turn over yet so the deep water has very low O2 and there for the water coeming into the river is very low O2, when a fish cant breath good, its not going to have the strength to move around alot and feed. Ever notice when you have a head cold and cant get air into your system how you feel run down and tired?
People,,,,,,, on a river, you go to a hole oneday and knock the heck out of 'em you go the next and the fish are there but dont bite, you notice an angler 50 yards up the river, blundering into the new hole and makeing the water look like froth with bad cast and beating the water with their fly line, chances are that angler was just in your hole and did the same thing, when that happens ya might as well light a smoke, pour a cup of coffee and kick back for half and hour or so.
Another reason is hunger, fish are alot like you and I, if they have been on a heavy feed for a couple days, they arent going to be that hungry.
Every day most folks eat 2-3 meals a day, thanksgieving come and we gourge ourselves, the next day most people dont eat as much as normal.
Yet another reason, look at the sky, if a good hole isnt producing like it has, look at the sky, are there alot of big birds flying around? Hawks, Egrets, herons, or eagles and others will make fish run for cover and be very shy about moveing about and feeding.
There are some thngs we can do when it gets like this. One is to be patient and wait them out. The other is going from a natueral fly to a reaction fly.
It always seems funny to me that I can go to the river at times and fish a scud or midge(tail waters to most food sources for trout) and never get a bump, but ty on a neon pink saun juan and catch a few fish. That neon pink fly looks nothing like anythng that is in the river, so why do fish eat it? Its called a reaction strike its not an eating thing at all, its more like, what the hell is that thing? I'm going to bite it to kill it or find out.
OK I've ran my fingers long enough lol
Best to all
Bear

 

[Ard]

That was good Bear.