Many animals have limited brain processing power. Possibly, because they don't really need it. For these creatures, they come pre programmed with what we call instinct. Instincts are unlearned, fixed responses to various stimuli. This applies to many functions such as reproduction, feeding, escape functions, fighting and many more. These are not learned behaviors, and are core to the very survival of the animal.
Fish fall in this category of animal. Much of fish behavior is imprinted on them at birth. A classic example is the ability of salmon to return to spawning streams, and knowing when to begin a migration for the first time. There ability to fend for themselves and seek out a suitable prey is also an inherent ability.
What does this have to do with fishing, you may ask? The answer is best explained with another question. Have you ever seen schools of monster striped bass, or other species, cruising by refusing to even look at your fly or lure? Of course
you have. The reason the fish is ignoring your artificial delicacy is not because they have just returned from a meeting where it was decreed that for the remainder of the day, they were going spurn fishermen. Quite the contrary, they can't remember what they did three seconds ago. Some set of stimuli have turned the fish off from feeding.
So why do they ignore the fisherman's attempts? That's a million dollar question. It can be for a variety of reasons, from weather, bait movements, recent feeding, boat traffic and many more we don't understand yet. I have noticed that when large bass move into skinny water only a couple of feet deep, they are more skittish than in deep dark waters. When in shallows, they will often hang close to drop offs for a quick getaway. Again, this is a pre-programmed instinct that helps keep them alive. It is not a calculated and scheming tactic devised by the most wise of bass and passed along to his brethren. Nope, it's a behavior that came with fish.
When largemouth bass are sitting on a nest, their primary role is to defend it, and will attack viscously whether they are hungry or not. The instinct to protect is paramount at that time of year. this makes them easy to catch, but when an instinct , just as strong, reverses the desire to bite, we become very frustrated with them.
So knowing this, how does it help us catch them? Well, because we know that they operate primarily on instinct, means we have to find a way to trigger that instinct response. We have to trigger a response that is so strong, it will overwhelm the current instinctive behavior of ignoring the lure. If we can do that, we should be able to get one instinct to override another. In other words, get the attack and bite instinct to supersede the "I'm not hungry" instinct. Because fish like bass are predatory, and feeding is a primary function, it should not be difficult to excite this area of the brain. I have successfully employed one method on striped bass in shallow water, where you can see the approaching fish, that induces unresponsive fish to bite.
When one or more fish are approaching, and they must be approaching, I will cast a sinking fly, like a clouser, well in front of the oncoming target. I let the fly sink down onto the sand and mentally mark the spot. When the fish is right at the spot, I will quickly strip the line, pulling the fly out of the sand. This mimics the behavior of a sand eel or other bottom dwelling bait fish fleeing the scene as the striper approaches. This frightened prey action, is often enough to excite that instinctive bite reflex. The bass will pounce on that fly because something in his brain told him to, whether he wanted to or not. That's all we care about. We have just used his predator instinct to overwhelm his lack of desire to feed.
Now this can be used for other species too. The trick is to learn what fly or lure pattern and/or behavior is required to excite that instinctive reaction we are looking for. It may be an annoyance factor, or a territory infringement factor, or even a combination of factors. This will be different for various species and may also change depending on the environment and other conditions. The point is that it is possible and when you discover it, will open up a whole world of new opportunities against uncooperative fish. It will still be harder to catch these fish, than when they are hungry and actively feeding, but it's better than being skunked.
What does this have to do with fishing, you may ask? The answer is best explained with another question. Have you ever seen schools of monster striped bass, or other species, cruising by refusing to even look at your fly or lure? Of course
you have. The reason the fish is ignoring your artificial delicacy is not because they have just returned from a meeting where it was decreed that for the remainder of the day, they were going spurn fishermen. Quite the contrary, they can't remember what they did three seconds ago. Some set of stimuli have turned the fish off from feeding.