Small Tigerfish that ate a plastic frog in the Kilombero River, Tanzania
Why Do Fish Bite?
Fish bite lures and baits for a number of reasons. Hunger is the most obvious one, but far from the only one. Fish, like every other animal, need to eat to survive, so the longer it has been since they have had a meal, the more eager they typically are to bite an angler's offering. Fish generally do not know when their next meal is coming, so they will often continue to eat even after their stomachs are stuffed, sometimes to the point of regurgitating. This is good for fishermen, since even fish that have recently fed heavily may still be coaxed to eat due to their strong feeding instinct. Getting fish to eat based on hunger often (although not always) involves trying to use lures or baits that closely mimic what they are eating in a certain area.
Fish often bite not out of hunger, but out of aggression. Sometimes this is due to territorial instincts, other times to protect eggs or young, and other times because certain fish just do not accept other fish in their space. Some fish species are so aggressive, they will even attack lures and baits that are larger than they are. All Largemouth Bass fishermen have stories of catching small fish on lures far too large for them to eat. Largemouth Bass are just one of many aggressive species that will charge out and hit things out of anger.
When fish are just hitting out of aggression, natural baits sometimes do not work well. A worm, for example, is just not going to provoke an aggressive response if fish are not feeding. Anglers are often better off using lures that splash loudly on the surface or have a lot of flash or vibration or otherwise provoke a response of aggression. Fishing near spawning beds or schools of fry can also provoke and aggression response, although fishermen differ in their opinions about the ethics of this.
Fish that are not actively feeding and are not aggressive will often bite out of curiosity. Fish do not have hands, so any time they want to check something out, they have to do it with their mouths. Fish that bite out of curiosity usually do not bite hard or hold on for long, so you have to be observant and set the hook quickly if you do get a bite. Fish that are not actively feeding or aggressive will usually not chase fast moving things, so if you are trying to get the curiosity bite you will likely need to fish you lure or bait very slowly and see if you can get a fish interested enough to grab it to check it out.
There are probably other reasons that fish bite, but the three broad categories of feeding, aggression, and curiosity probably account for over 90% of strikes.
Fish bite lures and baits for a number of reasons. Hunger is the most obvious one, but far from the only one. Fish, like every other animal, need to eat to survive, so the longer it has been since they have had a meal, the more eager they typically are to bite an angler's offering. Fish generally do not know when their next meal is coming, so they will often continue to eat even after their stomachs are stuffed, sometimes to the point of regurgitating. This is good for fishermen, since even fish that have recently fed heavily may still be coaxed to eat due to their strong feeding instinct. Getting fish to eat based on hunger often (although not always) involves trying to use lures or baits that closely mimic what they are eating in a certain area.
Fish often bite not out of hunger, but out of aggression. Sometimes this is due to territorial instincts, other times to protect eggs or young, and other times because certain fish just do not accept other fish in their space. Some fish species are so aggressive, they will even attack lures and baits that are larger than they are. All Largemouth Bass fishermen have stories of catching small fish on lures far too large for them to eat. Largemouth Bass are just one of many aggressive species that will charge out and hit things out of anger.
When fish are just hitting out of aggression, natural baits sometimes do not work well. A worm, for example, is just not going to provoke an aggressive response if fish are not feeding. Anglers are often better off using lures that splash loudly on the surface or have a lot of flash or vibration or otherwise provoke a response of aggression. Fishing near spawning beds or schools of fry can also provoke and aggression response, although fishermen differ in their opinions about the ethics of this.
Fish that are not actively feeding and are not aggressive will often bite out of curiosity. Fish do not have hands, so any time they want to check something out, they have to do it with their mouths. Fish that bite out of curiosity usually do not bite hard or hold on for long, so you have to be observant and set the hook quickly if you do get a bite. Fish that are not actively feeding or aggressive will usually not chase fast moving things, so if you are trying to get the curiosity bite you will likely need to fish you lure or bait very slowly and see if you can get a fish interested enough to grab it to check it out.
There are probably other reasons that fish bite, but the three broad categories of feeding, aggression, and curiosity probably account for over 90% of strikes.