Creature fishing mentioned in posts - but what is your definition of a creature bait?

[SPOONMINNOW]

I've caught fish on all types of lures and concluded decades ago that most lures ever made fall into the definition of creature: anything created, whether animate or inanimate. Of course, anglers animate objects that fish strike causing fish to react aggressively, so, reaction-innovations seem more definitive than creatures or grubs. Within that definition, you have soft plastic design categories defined by tail shapes, i.e. paddle tail, spike tail, thin flat tail, curl tail, shad tail, fin tail, claw tail, etc.

Another category under reaction innovations, whether hard or soft lures, would be: no-tail, skirted depending on skirt material such as bass jigs or hair jigs, bladed lures such as spinnerbaits and in-line spinners, having a bill or no-bill/ jointed or unjointed (crankbaits) and others I can't remember at the moment.

Angler-caused animations that enhance lure actions includes rod tip twitches, speed changes or a steady retrieve, pauses, do-nothing retrieve and others dependent on lure design.

So when it comes to what category defines lures, the word creature is too vague IMO.

 

[Creature Man]

Spoon, you are correct when calling a plastic, creature, vague!
Back in the 70’s when creature fishing seemed to be introduced , pretty much all large plastic baits were called Creatures. I think the originators wanted it that way, to keep the technique secretive.

My idea of a creature was any oversized plastic dressing, was a Creature/ my definition! I started saving, and buying any plastics that I could piece together to look inviting to a trophy fish. I would piece together plastic‘s , then create a mold of that idea. Got a bit carried away as I probably have 40-50 molds of different patterns…..afraid to go count my molds .

Today, there are unlimited amount of plastic patterns to call a Creature ….use your imagination!

Creature Man

 

[SPOONMINNOW]

You might be surprised how few the number of anglers are on the same page as you and me! What a relief to be able to relate to someone who doesn't have to buy whatever is being pushed by the media or match believers. The other belief is that only large lures catch large fish. Here are a few that didn't follow the rule:
2 3/4 lb bass caught on a 'frog' style jig trailer

same for this large 12" crappie:


12" crappie caught on grub with curl tail removed (my latest discovery this year) (the action is a waddle with rod twitches)


large pickerel caught on a small spike tail grub:

it caught over 2 dozen fish along with these white perch:

and yellow perch


And then there's the spinner with jig/grub (Beetle Spin) - the soft plastic was a thin-tail Mo Magic hand- poured grub:


Another that does well is the Ribbon Tail grub with its special whip action:


Another is the cone tail that caught small and large fish like this 6lb catfish.:

Nothing in nature looks nor moves like any of the above. More shapes also caught around 190 fish in four days last week. Could have closed my eyes and picked out any shape from my box knowing it would catch fish. But not for a second did I wonder what the lure shapes represented to fish.

 

[Thinkingredneck]

Interesting. I don't think matching the hatch is very effective in warm water. In fly tying I have found that the fly exaggerates some trigger mechanism in the fish. I often joke that to catch bass just tie a bunch of "jiggling stuff" on it.

 

[SPOONMINNOW]

In fly tying I have found that the fly exaggerates some trigger mechanism in the fish. I often joke that to catch bass just tie a bunch of "jiggling stuff" on it.

Like the term describing what provokes fish to strike. It's been around a long time. Can't believe I forgot it. My reaction-innovations do just that - trigger strikes via super sensitive senses. (..though not a sensitive as my wife's )

(Man do I like jiggling stuff to catch fish !)

 

[Hawnjigs]

Thinkingredneck, hereafter TRN, where you at & what do you catch? Is the gator head a clue?