Fish Behavior

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AustinWader
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Fish Behavior

Post by AustinWader »

Hi, everyone

1: Often I feel fish(definitely fish) poking and grabbing onto my lure but then letting go, and not committing. Does does indicate a problem in my retrieval and hook setting technique or is it a problem for everyone? Could this be because the fish were too small?

2: What species of fish jump? Are Speckled trout the only species that jump? Last weekend a saw a lot of fish jumping and I saw that some were definitely Speckled trout, but could some of them be other fish? Ladyfish or mullet maybe?

I apprieciate all information, thanks.
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Ron Mc
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Re: Fish Behavior

Post by Ron Mc »

never seen speckled trout jump. Ladyfish tailstand when they're hooked up. Mullet jump in the open bay.

Specs will definitely bite short - two things to try are smaller lures and Procure to give your lure a taste they want to hang onto.
Tsunami SS3 and Storm Wildeye Shad are good short lures to try - both are heavily weighted, so you have to retrieve a bit fast with rod tip high.

I go to my long rods for heavily weighted lures (also to increase cast distance when needed) - 8-1/2' to 9', and use my 7' rods for lighter lure, sight-fishing, and neutral-density like TSL grasswalkers.
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karstopo
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Re: Fish Behavior

Post by karstopo »

I’ve only seen trout jump clear of the water when they are attacking topwaters or a popping cork. Maybe I’ve seen a bit of trout above the surface attacking pods of bait. I’m trying to remember anytime a trout has been mostly clear of the water and not been during the fight...I just can’t ever remember seeing that.

Mullet jump, probably more than any other fish around here. I’ve seen Spanish and king mackerel jump. King mackerel will make soaring, gravity defying leaps. Spinning sharks leap clear of the surface and spin. I’ve seen pompano leap. Menhaden leap to avoid predators. Mullet are the ones I see leaping the most.
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Ron Mc
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Re: Fish Behavior

Post by Ron Mc »

yes, mackerel shoot up from deep water to attack surface bait schools - they're going so fast, they're bound to fly.

Seen trout with their backs out of the water shooting through skinny water to chase finger mullet.
Most often with trout, you see their surface feeding slashes or the bait jumping out of the water - mullet and shrimp both.
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Neumie
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Re: Fish Behavior

Post by Neumie »

When it comes to predator game fish (trout, reds, flounder) I've only seen them airborne when attacking topwaters or baitfish/shrimp. If they're chasing baitfish then you'll see a spray of minnows or shrimp fleeing as it happens. Maybe if they were trying to evade a predator such as a dolphin, but I can't recall ever seeing something like that.

Mullet do it and I've seen skipjack (ladyfish) on occasion as well.

As far as short strikes, it could be any number of things. Trout will certainly do it. But non game fish such as Pinfish and Piggie Perch are more likely the culprit.
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Ron Mc
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Re: Fish Behavior

Post by Ron Mc »

Trout often use their canines to climb up the back of their prey, injuring it before they eat it.
When you're in school trout and they start getting wise to you, they short-strike for self-defense.
The old Stazo rig with a long double hook on a cocahoe is great for this.
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AustinWader
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Re: Fish Behavior

Post by AustinWader »

Thanks for all the replies! I know that the strikes were not pinfish or trash fish because I could feel the fish wasn't small and it wasn't a nibble, nibble. I was more of a bang and tug but no hook up when I set the hook.
So trout like to injure their prey before eating it? I've never heard of this before.
Also, I feel like mullet jump entirely out of the water but trout make a small splash, with their only half of their body out of the water like some of you guys said. You guys agree?
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Ron Mc
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Re: Fish Behavior

Post by Ron Mc »

If you see a trout feeding slash, you won't question what it is.
If you hear and look at the splash after a mullet has jumped, you may question what it is.
But you won't question a trout feeding slash.
If you've ever had a water fight in a pool, that's what a trout slash looks like, and for the same reason.

Likewise, you won't mistake a redfish wake for a mullet wake, but you may choose to prioritize on the latter.
If you see jumping fish, you're also seeing mullet. Trout don't jump out of the water.

You can see finger mullet as a patch of smaller ripples between the larger waves.

Life on the flats is a good thing - a dearth on the flats is a bad thing.

If you see me waving you over, count that as fish sign, too.
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TroutSupport.com
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Re: Fish Behavior

Post by TroutSupport.com »

99% of the time the nibbles that you don't connect on are perch species of some sort and also needle gar. It's rare for a trout to short strike, they may be small trout having trouble getting your bait into their mouth. But trout do not half hearted go to eat something and not suck it in. So lean more to it being pin fish, piggy perch, needle gar or something of that nature and not a trout, red, or flounder. They may on rare occasion zig when you sag and just miss the bait and you'll feel a single bump when that happens. But if your feeling tap tap tap or slow tug and then setting the hook with nothing... it's the perch.

You are not doing anything wrong it's just small fish pecking at stuff, there is nothing you can do and it even gets seasoned anglers. Hooksets are Free, set the hook on all bites. If it's a trout or red then 99% of the time they are going to be there when you set the hook.

Jumping.. trout and flounder do sometimes jump completely out of the water during the spring and early summer when glass minnows and baby shad are present, so it can happen... BUT.. it's super rare to see this. In my experience you are just seeing mullet as the others are saying. mullet jump a lot and some of them are a pound or two. Bluefish and lady fish jump out of the water while feeding as well but also much less frequent an occurrence compared to mullet. How do you tell? Mullet have that oval / squarish head while trout and bluefish have an almost spear point like nose end.
AustinWader
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Re: Fish Behavior

Post by AustinWader »

Great information and advice.

So the conclusion:
Nibble nibble or slow weak tug means: Trash Fish
Strong and big pull: Trout.

Trout usually don't jump a lot. They slash the surface without completely getting airborne. If it's airborne it's probably mullet.

Thank you everyone. :D
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Ron Mc
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Re: Fish Behavior

Post by Ron Mc »

Tobin and I have been here before, and there's no question a big trout eats a big lure without twice "thinking" about it.
But from hours and hundreds (or thousands) of trout from piers and docks, I can promise you they do short strike as a defense mechanism. The sound of power boat motors and even hull slap on the flat will make schooling trout short strike.
Smaller flounder will also use their teeth the same way, which is why they sell stinger lures for flounder.
I've watched trout short strike over green lights. They'll also follow and eat the lure on the 3rd bite, just like white bass.
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look at the pattern of bike marks on this lure
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There's a current discussion about lure bite-offs on corpusfishing. But a term for slashing (surface feeding motion) used there was greyhounding - I like that.
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Drifting Yak
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Re: Fish Behavior

Post by Drifting Yak »

Was out fishing a week ago and the spec bite was real soft. The fish would bump the lure and then let it go at the slightest pressure. I backed my drag off to about nothing and would then tighten it up as the fight ensued. Lost about 5 fish until I got the drag right (I have a natural tendency to go too heavy on the drag so they'd pull off after a bit.). But then manage to fine tune the process and brought 6 nice specs to the yak (16-19"). Generally I'd have a bump, then let it sit for a split second and then raise my rod tip. I also down sized my lure selection to make it easier for the fish to inhale it.
Note: I also caught a half dozen rat reds (around 15") and two flounder (14") but had no issues with short strikes. They'd hit the bait and run.
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AustinWader
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Re: Fish Behavior

Post by AustinWader »

Thank you everyone! :D
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TroutSupport.com
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Re: Fish Behavior

Post by TroutSupport.com »

AustinWader wrote:So the conclusion:
Nibble nibble or slow weak tug means: Trash Fish
Strong and big pull: Trout.
Not exactly. If it's a trout or red they will be there when you set the hook. It's usually a thump, weight on the line, could be a tug if you didn't feel the thump or the weight, rarely is it ever a big pull, but occasionally it is. Yes feeling that bite can be very subtle. Many times I just feel a weight (more weight that just the lure). Hooksets are free, set the hook, but if there isn't a trout or red after the hookset then it was most likely just trash fish. Sometimes even needle fish will pick up your softplastic and swim with it, and we're thinking 'Whoa, swimming fish! Game on... go to set the hook... NADA!!! Swing and miss. We wonder what we did wrong ??? question our existence. Rarely a fish does swing and miss, even on plastics, just like a topwater. you might feel the thump there and reel down but not feel anything. You might still go ahead and set the hook on that sort of feel.. hooksets are free remember. So.. nibble nibble nibble - probably trash. Weight there now when it wasn't before could be trash or trout. Slow pull could be trash or trout. I have found that if it's trout or red, when you go to set the hook, they are there. If the trout are so small that they can't get the bait in their mouth, that's when you get more of the bumps but no hook ups; I'm talking baby trout less than 14 inches. They certainly can be hard to feel many times, yes. And many times they want to hit it on the fall and you just won't feel the thump. But set the hook, and over time you'll find that when you are in fish, dinks or big fish, trout eat it and will be there when you set the hook.

As for the swirl or slashing activity, Trout and Redfish do of course will swirl and slash, but where you are seeing a lot of it it's likely just mullet swirling. mostly when trout each you'll just hear that tale tail 'pop'. it's a precisely executed suckdown that is lightning fast. Trout striking a mullet or glass minnow topwater lure will surely make a blow up or boil. Redfish blow holes in the water. You'll notice a level of aggression with predator fish that you don't see with mullet. With mullet its just jumping, swirling, boiling... there's no aggressive precision like a predator.

hope that helps.
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Ron Mc
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Re: Fish Behavior

Post by Ron Mc »

Especially the way trout follow, their eat is often subtle - you feel a light steady tug until they turn, and will usually have at least the tail of the lure in their gullet by the time they turn. The turn is where I usually set trout - Tobin has told me that's too late.
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Reds usually not subtle at all, because if they're chasing, it's hard and for a short distance, and they want to grab the food and stop, so you feel a sudden mass on your line, and probably the power pulses of their head and tail -give them time to eat before you set, and expect them to run hard on the set. Reds crush their food in the back of their mouth before they swallow it. Also a good idea to 2nd set after they begin their run. A redfish run in a kayak is a blast, and also expect a slot red to make 2 trips around the boat when you get them in. So take advantage of their run to police your boat and get everything ready for 2 trips around the boat - everything out of the water including your rudder, stringer, drift sock, lines, etc. The moment of truth is when they try to go under the boat - that you have to stop with the butt of your rod.
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AustinWader
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Re: Fish Behavior

Post by AustinWader »

Thank you!
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