IN THE WORLD of tackle craft, there are millions of products designed to entice a fish to eat them.
Created by scientists, anglers and craftsmen, fishing lures have evolved with the sport and become incredibly diverse. There are those that fall into broad categories and those that are particular and specialized. The measure of success for all of these hook-laden contraptions is how likely they are to end up in a fish’s mouth.
Many fishing lures are designed to mimic smaller fish that make up a part of any big fish’s diet. These baits, often plastic, might be crank baits, jerk baits or plugs. There also exists intricate metal devices that seem to come alive when dragged through water. Spinner baits, chatter baits and spoons employ swivels, hinges and wires that work together with watch-like precision to come alive in a way that entices a hungry fish to feed.
In addition, there are hundreds of jigs, flies, plastic baits and other lures that are designed for a very specific approach to angling. With so many different types of fishing lures, it can be overwhelming to beginning anglers and obsessive to experienced ones.
As a man always fascinated by the illogical, I have recently begun an independent investigation of those fishing lures and flies that defy practicality.
When a small plastic baitfish lure catches a fish, I am content, and I proceed without further investigation. But when a fish is caught on something that imitates nothing in the fish’s diet or existence of nature, I am fascinated.
Fly fishing exemplifies the idea that fish are concentrating on a very specific food source, and the most successful anglers are those who identify and replicate it. Flying insects as small as mosquitoes are duplicated with hair, string and feathers in an effort to mimic a particular bug.
As often as I find success with matching a specific fly, I also have luck with those that do not. Sometimes referred to as “attractor patterns,” brightly colored, sparkling patterns will often be just as effective. A soft-hackle pattern known as a heron fly is one of my favorite and I have used it to catch many fish.
This fly is designed with no natural food source in mind and looks nothing like the aquatic insects that fish feed on. Although it may occasionally be confused with a small baitfish, the heron fly is drifted, twitched and slowly swung through moving water in hope of catching a fish’s eye in a way that nothing should.
The hook-up is often aggressive and quite opposite from the slow sip of a dainty mayfly. This reaction tells me that those trout and salmon that get hooked may be striking with anger or confused aggression. I’m not sure what else explains their instinct to put something so outlandish into their mouths.
A heron fly is often tipped with a metal bead, which adds another unnatural element to the pattern. Perhaps fish mistake it for the gleaming eye of a frightened baitfish or perhaps they simply want to eat something they have never seen before.
Despite its confusing appearance, the heron fly fits nicely into the category of strange yet effective flies that keep me interested in the amazing sport of angling. Every one that I tie is unique and represent the constant unknowns of freshwater fishing in New Hampshire.
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