goby patterned lures?

[rolmops]

It has become quite clear that gobies are a favorite food of browns and more and more people are running goby patterns while trolling.

I have a problem with this pattern and I would like some opinions.

Gobies are very poor swimmers and they lack air bladders. They usually lay on the bottom and propel themselves with a few tail movements that get them of the bottom and forward or sideways. Then they sink back to the bottom.

I can see goby pattern jigs as great lures ,but using this pattern while trolling seems illogical because gobies do not swim long distances and do not float. Why would fish go after an unnatural presentation?

Am I completely wrong here or does my dislike for goby patterns for trolling make good sense?

[shawn393]

I agree with you. I have a couple goby colored bay rats but have never run them to know how well they work. They probably would work well in the right conditions. when I'm smallmouth fishing I have goby imitations in the water 75% of the time

[stlhdr1st]

what i do know..i almost always now run a pair of copper spoons in the spread ..these produce low and close to bottom...tip. dirtier the better .do not polish them! .. good topic!

[Earl28]

Last year I added goby patterns to my morning spread and it produced all most every morning. I did not use coby sticks. They were effective for both browns and kings. As we entered summer I removed them from the spread because replacements were not available. Natural pattern's will be in my spread next spring.

[ilv2bfishing2]

One of our best lures out of Fairhaven in the spring for Browns has been a goby pattern Smithwick. Sadly it is no longer available as Smithwick discontinue that color pattern

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[Chowdaire]

I think you're way over thinking it. Of my best spring patterns a couple can be considered natural, the rest are firetigers and bright oranges. Even in clear water. What are they matching? Also catch the bulk of my browns on spoons or long thin stickbaits even though they're puking up tiny shad shaped fish and/or gobies.

 

To me it's about going through a rotation and finding out what's working in a given area on a given day. It's fun to think we're really clever and matching some hatch or something but my experience tells me that's BS (I'm not a fly fisherman so not saying anything about that.).

 

And the SS Bayrat in goby pattern is a killer. I don't think it looks much like a goby but it catches a lot of fish and that's all that matters.

[Earl28]

This is simply a statement about a simple observation.  I also recognize that fish may see differently than us. But when a fish takes a spoon or stick than looks the same as what I see in its full stomach how do you ignore the obvious. I do recognize that there are times when fish are opportunist and have taken 6 different patterns in a 5 hour outing. It is just what they are doing that day. You cannot place them in a pidgeon hole.

[lost a lure]

21 hours ago, rolmops said:

It has become quite clear that gobies are a favorite food of browns and more and more people are running goby patterns while trolling.

I have a problem with this pattern and I would like some opinions.

Gobies are very poor swimmers and they lack air bladders. They usually lay on the bottom and propel themselves with a few tail movements that get them of the bottom and forward or sideways. Then they sink back to the bottom.

I can see goby pattern jigs as great lures ,but using this pattern while trolling seems illogical because gobies do not swim long distances and do not float. Why would fish go after an unnatural presentation?

Am I completely wrong here or does my dislike for goby patterns for trolling make good sense?

Why do fish go after a worm? 

[hookedupf7]

Had good luck with gobie bayrat last year in the spring 

[Bosun Cowboy]

we catch a lot of Browns in the spring on Goby Bay Rats.


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[Traveling Circus]

Savant Jake 45 in goby was the best BT lure I've ever put in the water.......... behind a diver. 

[Tyee II]

Maybe the unusual Goby that is swimming away from the rest of the Gobies is easier picking and the one the fish grabs first (and last)? Fish don't stop and think "wait...this easy meal is not supposed to be here...better look for something else"

[stlhdr1st]

good point!

[ifishy]

Just because it's not natural doesn't mean it doesn't work more than a few days pink clown was the star what is that matching? Sometimes you want to be different than what's out there because that triggers the aggressive fish

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[chowder]

It's a fish- it's brain is tiny. Don't try and talk to it-let it talk to you, and then do what it likes whether it makes sense or not. Remember: Q.What the hell does a meat rig with teasers look like? Ans. Doesn't matter.

[Roys Boys]

Painted this color last year crushed the browns on it had to paint up 10 for the guy I fished with

[Fishstix]

 Kinda gobie looking ,and it works.

 

 

 

[Pierce1308]

A ss glow golby spoon seems to never fail me from spring to fall off a rigger tracking tight to bottom or off an inside slide diver close to bottom in my brown trout program and it makes its appearance off a rigger tight to bottom for staging kings in fall also

[lrg355]

Looked online for that. Hard to find and expensive. Where do you get em?

Savant Jake 45 in goby was the best BT lure I've ever put in the water.......... behind a diver. 

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[Roys Boys]

Just painted these up.. a couple were patterns from last year.. can’t wait to try them out

[chowder]

4 hours ago, lrg355 said:

Looked online for that. Hard to find and expensive. Where do you get em?

 

 

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Agreed, $12.00 for a flutter spoon?

[Traveling Circus]

6 hours ago, lrg355 said:

Looked online for that. Hard to find and expensive. Where do you get em?

 

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The ones I have are old stock. The original owner no longer runs the company, and that paint scheme has been discontinued. It stinks............... 

[greenhornet73]

I see what you’re saying but I have caught fish on frog pattern spoons and have never seen a frog actually swim like that!  Sometimes it’s better to not overthink things and experiment until something works.

[lrg355]

A few years ago I bought a few packs of the Storm WildEye live goby soft baits. Had intended to cast around from the boat when anchored. Never tried it but they look very lifelike. Maybe this year for something different on a flat day!

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[chowder]

6 hours ago, lrg355 said:

A few years ago I bought a few packs of the Storm WildEye live goby soft baits. Had intended to cast around from the boat when anchored. Never tried it but they look very lifelike. Maybe this year for something different on a flat day!

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This winter when were  jigging wild eyes or slick jigs for whitefish feeding primarily on gobys on Lake Michigan the key was short little hops- the goby doesn't really swim much.