Is the conditioning of fish as big of a problem as everyone makes it out to be?  I read the march issue of the magazine and there is another article about it.  I feel like one day that there is gonna be no more fish to catch.  Well not really but thats what everyone is making it out to be.

Im not sure I know what you are talking about. But there will always be fish and you will always be able to catch them.

My first experience with fish conditioning was about 50 years ago, I was casting lures to stocked trout in a stream in the Eastern Sierras and noticed that after I caught a couple, the fish would begin to visably aboid that lure. Sometimes by changing the color of the trailer, I could get a few more strikes. Sometimes they say lure "X" is the hot ticket in an area but if you go out and everyone is using this lure, success will go down, that is when a similar lure witha slightly different wobble and or rattles sometimes proves to bet the new "hot ticket".

I think catch and release has contributed to the conditioning of fish. On the other hand, the "hot lure" will stop working when this happens. At this point the anglers will switch to something else. The fish will eventually 'forget' that lure and learn to avoid something else. It's our job as anglers to stay one step ahead of those pea-brains! Tom

I think it's like that one artificial lure can only get so much interest before it loses it's attraction.

Another thing that doesn't make sense to me is when a fish have offspring the offspring should not be "conditioned".? Also, stocked fish should also not have this problem but another thing I heard was that caught fish send out a chemical that is sort of like a warning for other fish. I seems like this issue is just a bigger deal than it should be. I dont want to start any arguments just want to hear others opinions.

Could be like a genetic imprint. Something like Floridian strain bass are not as aggressive as their nothern strain cousin. So in one group of a bass, the less aggressive type that are bred will just have more less aggressive genes or something.

I fish a lot of different water, but in the smaller ponds where the bass don't move too far, I catch the same fish year in and year out. In fact, my brothers and some of my fishing buddies have named some of these fish since they get caught often enough to recognize them. I retireved a spinner bait last spring that I lost the previous fall. The skirt was gone and the blade had rusted off, but the weight and wire were still very much intact, right in the corner of the mouth. So I believe that conditioning may be an issue, but it will not keep fish from eating. I'm with Tom. When they stop hitting one lure, switch it up. Stay versatile and learn all of the techniques you can.

Posted By Pegsguy on 24 Mar 2011 09:33 AM
I think catch and release has contributed to the conditioning of fish. On the other hand, the "hot lure" will stop working when this happens. At this point the anglers will switch to something else. The fish will eventually 'forget' that lure and learn to avoid something else. It's our job as anglers to stay one step ahead of those pea-brains! Tom

Thats a good point Tom.  new lures may eventually fall out of favor with fishermen either because they become less productive or the new fangled lure catches everyones attention. a few years later the old lure becomes "hot" again. Kinda like when you were a kid and got bored of a toy and stuffed it in the bottom of the toy box and found it again a year later and it was like new again. a savy angler will not be afraid to go back to an old favorite or try the next best thing on the shelf. Like Tom said "its our job to stay one step ahead.

Brian

The lakes here in the desert are extremely pressured by LOTS of fishermen. I like to use baits I know the fish don't see often if ever. Old lures I've had for years, finishes the fish don't see ( like perch pattern here), and even salt water lures ( I love my L&S Mirro-Lures). This is another reason I love fly fishing. The bass see very few bass bugs and big flies as nearly everyone here tosses baitcast and spinning rigs. Change up what you're fishing, experiment with unusual lures.

That is a good point. Fish aren't smart they just have good memory haha. So show them stuff they've never seen.