THE EYES HAVE IT - For Catching More Fish!

David Hutton, Dec 28, 2022

I have always believed that eyes on a fly or lure make it appear more realistic. In my mind, if the creature which the lure or fly mimic's has obvious eyes in real life, then, the fake should as well. This leads one to the obvious idea that the fish will then see it as "more" real, which should lead to more strikes. 

    To give this a little "unofficial" test, put two similar lures or flies on a table, one with eyes, one without. Now, ask someone to examine them, being careful of the hooks.
Invariably, they go for the one with the eyes - it is just more identifiable to them, and more appealing. 
I expect it is the same for fish, at least where there is enough light for them to see the lure.

    Note, I said, "I expect it is the same for fish”... as I’ve never actually done any thorough experimenting with the idea. 

I’m not a research scientist, and I don’t get to fish as much or as often as would be needed to develop proper sample data.
So I have mostly just come to "believe" in the idea, with little else to go on.

    That is, until now.

    Because, buried in the pages of the January 1944 issue of The Pennsylvania Angler we see the results of just such an experiment. It was well conducted, duplicable, meticulously documented and recorded, and, according to the article, it was conducted over multiple seasons by a reputable individual. That is a proper test!

    Included here are the results for your review.

    I will leave you to draw your conclusions, but in my eyes (pun intended)... well, the eyes have it!  👀

(This image was fuzzy, so I made it "pop" as best I could. I hope it works for you as a cleaned-up jpeg image.

BONUS: It’s pretty neat to look back at pages from 1944…. WWII was in full swing when this was published, and references to that conflict appear. There's even a funny little joke thrown in. I strongly encourage you to look through the entire issue if this is your kinda thing. See link in the references)

Writers should always strive for a job well done... even mediocre ones like me. So if you found value in this article, please like, comment, and share it. 

Do you have questions, gripes, or suggestions?
If so, email me at...dahutist@gmail.com

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Thanks so much for reading, and...

Tight Lines,

Dave Hutton

© All rights reserved, David Hutton/Palmetto Fly N Fish 2022, 2023 

reference:

1. PA Angler, January, 1944
https://www.fishandboat.com/Transact/AnglerBoater/LegacyIssues/1940s/Documents/01january1944.pdf