Why do I do it?

I’ve been doing it for over 45 years. Why stop now?

I “modified” my first lure when I was about 10 years old. I was a kid fortunate enough to have a Dad who took time to take me fishing. By the time I was 12 years old, I had mastered the fly rod and my Dad and I dragged more bream and bass farm ponds in Mississippi than I can remember. Fishing was important to the both of us. For my high school graduation gift, while some of the kids got cars, my Dad took me to the local sporting goods store and I got to pick out any fly rod outfit I wanted! It was a wonderful time in my life. I miss him dearly.

My Dad and I were fishing one hot summer day and not catching many fish. We could hear the ‘sucking’ sounds of bream but could not see them hitting anything. I was using a small yellow fly. My Dad was using the same fly but in an orange color. I had just popped a piece of Juicy Fruit gum in my mouth and the “thought occurred to me” to wrap a piece of the foil around the fly. I took a tiny piece, wrapped it around the fly (stuck on with a little gum), and cast it out there. It was an ugly cast. Flies with added weight don’t work well. The modified lure hit the water, I twitched it a couple of times, and a few minutes later, had a 2 pound bass in the boat.

That began my ‘habit’ of modifying lures. I’ll be 61 years old in 2011, and I’ve been dinking with lures for the last 49 years. Lots of failures. Lots of successes. Lots of fish caught. Lots of fish lost. The one thing I’ve learned as I’ve modified lures over the years, fish like contrast…….just like structure, they like contrast in the appearance of their food. When the lure is some distance from the fish, contrast makes the difference between a strike and just another cast.

What have I learned about a fish looking for something to attack? (1) Fish don’t see very well at a distance (you have to get their attention) and (2) what they do see, they see in color and they like red. Fish do not have binocular vision like we do. Remember, their eyes are on the side of their head. Therefore, they have sort of a ‘semi-blind spot’ between the two eyes. Therefore, they don’t really see their prey well at a distance. They can see well up close but at a distance, the lure has to get their attention and to get their attention, the lure has to be seen by the fish.

Fish have an additional ability: (3) they can see in the ultraviolet range. While humans see seven colors; fish see these plus some. That is why on a given day, take two lures that are identical in every detail but color. The fish will hit the chartreuse but not the white, for example. Most of us have experienced this. I’ve trolled for stripers and the rod with one color would consistently catch fish while the other lure of another color running in the water went untouched. The only difference was lure color. In summary, fish do not see well at a distance so some contrast in your lures, different colors in the lures, and different sizes of your lures increases your chances of catching those rascals. Fluorescent colors (glow) are popular because they “retain” light and “glow” underwater. What they really do is become visible in the ultraviolent spectrum making it easier for the fish to see them. So, rule 1; fish don’t see well at a distance…..you have to get their attention.

(4) I think this is very important to the fisherman, yes, fish see in color. With the exception of those species that live in water sufficiently deep to filter out all color, fish see in color and the color most fish prefer is red. Not necessarily an “all red” bait, but they prefer a food that has a bit of red in it. Why? Because most fish have red on them! When looking at the physics of the color spectrum, e.g. wavelengths, red is the first color in the color spectrum to disappear. This makes red a great camo color for a fish. What a conundrum if you’re a fish! You are red in color and that’s good because you tend to “disappear” if you head to deep water to avoid being a meal but at the same time, you look for other fish to eat and you look for red. Hmmmm….

These facts give guidance in practically every lure I make. Contrast and red color in them to some degree. Science has proven this to be the most common color in fish. So, why would you choose a lure that did not have some degree of red in it?

ReAxtion Lures are available in a variety of colors. I add red or orange highlights to all the lures – either the nose or the belly or the ‘eye’s.

The most popular lures ReAxtion Lures sells are white and chartreuse. These are by far the most successful colors on Lake Texoma. And, I would add that the chartreuse sells more than the white probably by a margin of 2:1. There is a difference though.....green chartreuse is what most sassy heads are......yellow chartreuse is the color of the PP Slabs. I am getting more and more orders for yellow chartreuse sassys, cohos and Tail Zingers......so somebody must know something.... :) ,

         

    
Axman and Fuzzy fish along the shore of beautiful Lake Texoma!!
FIVE YEAR GUARANTEE ON ALL LURES....IF YOU USE THE SAME LURE FOR 5 YEARS AND DON'T CATCH A FISH WITH IT, SEND IT BACK AND I'LL REFUND YOUR PURCHASE PRICE....LESS SHIPPING AND HANDLING!! :)

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