[darkman]

Dude I'm from Cali...swim bait city...to answer your question...no I don't think it matters much LOL!!!

[pikeman]

I always stop the lure before it hits the water just to avoid the big splash, you can't make a general rule, but I saw fishes that run away from the spot, there are species that prefer a discrete presentation of the lure and others that like it loud Mostly when you fish for active predators with topwater baits they are attracted by the sound , they probably think it is a small predator hunting in the area or a fish scared / wounded that jumps out of the water and makes noise. So, in most cases when the predators are the ones that make the noise cause they hunt actively at the surface the noise is irrelevant, but in calm waters the big spalsh IMHO it should be replaced with a discrete one, and you will imitate either a bug falling into the water or a small fish eating at the surface or a fish that went up to take some air. Just to simply answer your question , if your lures try to imitate as much as possible the looks of a natural fish, why the presentation of the lures in the water shouldn't be applied with the same principles?

I thought that a man who uses a monkey to paint his lures and a midget to put the signature on them has no questions

[hazmail]

I was doing some Bream fishing (different to yours) last week in a small river leading into a salt water lake on the coast.
The cunningest, dirty fightingest, wileyest, touchiest, cheating, ambushers, we have around here - not a lot of bites going, but as soon as a boat went past, and scared them out of their little mangrove hide'y holes, smack'o, they may have been scared, but could not pass up a free feed, even when in full flight, probably thinking the little bait fish and prawns we were using,were just as disorientated. So NO, and it was a fun morning. pete

[mark poulson]

I cast too far and put my Ika on the rocks, in the process of shaking it loose I dislodged small rocks which fell into the water with splashes, and then, when I got the Ika free and it fell into the same spot, I got hammered.
I think, as long as you're far enough away that the bass don't know you're there, a splash is an attractor. Bass are curious.
When I throw a swim bait, I know the splash is an attractor. If you've ever seen bass actively chasing trout, you'll know the trout will actually come out of the water to escape, and make a huge ruckus. And a big bass boiling on a trout makes a sound like a toilet flushing. Because big bass frequent the same "feeding stations" when they're busting trout, the slash triggers a competitive feeding instinct in them. I've seen several big bass chasing the same trout. When the stock truck pulls up, it's stupid how bold and aggressive big bass can be. And greedy.
Same thing with bass busting shad. When they have shad cornered shallow, a lure needs to make a splash, and plenty of noise, to stand out from the rest.
Now for pitching and flipping, I've heard it both ways, but Dave Gliebe, who learned flipping with Dee Thomas and who was the first west coast guy to come east and win, doesn't care if he splashes on his flips and pitches. He thinks it's a pure reaction deal, and it really doesn't matter.
There's a free video of him flipping and talking on westernbass.com, in the video section. Way cool.
As was said above, most things in nature that are at the surface make noise, especially if they're wounded.
And Larry Nixon bass have a brain the size of a pea.
My ex would say the same thing about fishermen.

[jim45498]

It's like any entry..If you do it quietly, no one knows you are there.
Same with the "splash"

[A-Mac]

i typically try to keep the splash as subtle as possible. I know that is practically impossible w/ swimbaits (unless your flipping them). I've seen a big splash scare fish but I'm confident that a fish that hits a lure on initial impact of a big splash would probably hit the lure no matter which presentation is used.

[mark poulson]

A-mac,
Did you ever post a photo of your bluegill with the changed fins, after you'd gotten it to swim.
I'd sure like to see it.
Mark

[gofish,ill]

i fish a hotwater lake south of me that gits HEAVY pressure.this time of year 50 boats on a weekday on a 1600 acre lake is common..my fishing partner got mad at me a couple years ago because he flips or pitches real quiet and i was in the front of the boat just tossin into the cover not worrying bout the entry being loud.he wanted to know why i never learned to cast properly,i mean he was MAD lol(i was outfishin him4 ta 1)..had to tell him i was doing it on purpose to trigger the fish,and it works consistently at times for me,specially when everybodies being real quiet on bait entry,or fishin behind someone in a tourney.doesnt matter if its crank,spinnerbait or tube/jig....course now theres times when quiets the way they want it too lol.....just gotta fish an let the finny fellers decide lol

[captsully18]

I think that the splash attracts fishes attention. They are curious anyway. I also think that those of us who have "seen" fish dart away after a splash have been "seen" by the fish and perhaps that is what scared them away.

Hey, it's just my opinion. But then, I always told people to get out of a burning building and then I went in. What's wrong with that pic? But then you know how warped I am anyway.

Dean, depends? Come on now.

David

[A-Mac]

Originally Posted by captsully18

I think that the splash attracts fishes attention. They are curious anyway. I also think that those of us who have "seen" fish dart away after a splash have been "seen" by the fish and perhaps that is what scared them away.

I agree. I enjoy skipping a lure a lot. However, I think the smaller splashes are more similar to bait fish jumping than one big kirplunk.