A Basic Understanding of Lure Fishing Match the Bait

According to information on the portal, “Match the Bait” means that the more similar the size, shape, and color of the lure used is to the actual food of the fish, the higher the probability of it biting. This refers to a method of increasing the probability of catching a sea bass by figuring out what kind of food the sea bass is eating and using a lure similar to the food the fish is eating.

And sea bass eat a variety of prey depending on the season, and baitfish, which are abundant at each season, are usually the main prey.

In the spring, they eat earthworms, saury, and baby mullet, as well as other fish such as mackerel, saury, and saury, depending on the season.

The act of eating these specific baitfish is called a “bait pattern”, and the method of attacking when eating gizzard shad is called a “gizzard shad pattern”, the method of attacking when eating mackerel is called a “mackerel pattern”, and especially in the spring when most fish hatch, very small fish swim in schools, and the pattern of attacking these as food for sea bass and larger fish is called a “micro bait” pattern.

Knowing these bait patterns, you can 1. know where sea bass are caught well at the current time, and 2. learn strategies for catching sea bass (lure selection and action method). Starting today, we will learn about Match the bait over a total of 3 times.

In the first part of the series that will be published in the future, today we will learn about the basics of “Match the Bait”, then in the second part we will look at fishing methods according to individual “bait patterns”, and finally in the third part we will look at “micro bait patterns” and learn about fishing methods according to them.

To put it simply, Match the Bait means matching the lure to the food that the sea bass is currently eating. Not only sea bass, but also other fish-eaters such as flounder, yellowtail, mackerel, and cutlassfish eat a variety of foods, but they are picky eaters when the baitfish that are their prey move in schools, and the movements of small fish that occur when the fish eaters chase their prey are expressed as boiling.

Here, I will explain using sea bass as an example, but I think it would be good to think of the fish eaters mentioned above as the same.

However, I’d like to point out that matching the bait to the bait pattern isn’t necessarily the best solution. When fishing microbait patterns or feeding on very small squid, it’s difficult to match the lure, and even if you do, it’s difficult to match the hook size.

Match the bait, which operates the lure according to the bait pattern above, can be said to be based on the size, silhouette (overall outline), color, water depth, action and speed of the lure.

Table of Contents

Adjust the size

Mullet is a representative prey item for sea bass. Mullet is born and grows in spring, and its size varies from a few centimeters in spring to around 10 centimeters in summer and fall. Consequently, sea bass’s response to catching mullet varies seasonally. Therefore, it’s best to use smaller lures in spring and larger ones as the season progresses.

Match the overall outline (silhouette)

The shapes of baitfish that become prey are all different, and in particular, the croaker has a thin and long shape, so it is better to use a long lure to match it, and during the spawning season for earthworms, it is better to use an even thinner lure.

Match the colors

Matching colors is a fundamental principle. Fish’s vision (do they recognize color?) is largely determined by the intensity (shading) of a color. Therefore, even if the primary colors are prominent, using lures with a darker shade will yield better results.

Adjust the water depth

The area where baitfish are active is different, with some like sardines moving near the surface and others like kanari moving on the bottom, and the depth at which they are active can vary depending on the day and night, so it is best to use lures that match the depth at which the baitfish are active.

Match the lure’s action

Baitfish vary in body shape, resulting in different movements and resulting ripples. Thin-bodied species like the croaker have poor swimming ability, so their movements create small underwater ripples. Fish like the croaker or gizzard shad have larger bodies and create larger ripples, so it’s best to adjust your lure action accordingly.

Match the speed

In addition to matching the lure action, baitfish move at different speeds, and bass respond more easily to slow-moving bait at night than during the day, so varying the speed of movement of baitfish or day and night is helpful for fishing.