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As a photoluminescent chemist, I didn't realize the level of bio engineering that goes into designing fishing tackle. To say the least, I was surprised when I received a phone call from the engineer at Michigan Stinger requesting technical data. That call took place over two years ago. Since then, the Stinger engineers have performed over a hundred laboratory and real-life tests to design an efficient high end lure. As I write this review, their 2004 line of glow lures are being distributed to tackle shops around the world.
Fish think about food like a hungry teenager. If they see something that looks appetizing, they throw it in their mouth as fast as they can. Therefore, the biggest requirement of a great lure is that it can be seen from a distance. But the hard part is to design a lure that looks more appetizing than the local feeder fish. Any mom that has to prepare healthy meals to compete with junk food will fully understand the complexity.
There are about 10 companies currently manufacturing glow in the dark lures. The majority simply took existing lures and added a layer of the Ultra Green Glow Paint. While this definitely increases performance, there was a lot of room for improvement. Therefore, I will detail some of the technical aspects of the new Stinger line which sets them apart.
It is a fact that fish prefer their victims to have scales. For the last 20-30 years, it was thought that shiny, smooth lures had better performance. At the time, this was true. Shiny lures improved visibility at a distance when they reflected light from the surface. But photoluminescent pigment removes that benefit. Careful observation of fish shows that a smooth, shiny surface actually sometimes discouraged fish as they approached the lure.
To address this, Stinger's engineers stamped tiny random hexagons into the metal of the lure. Although the lure now had scales, it was still a bit too shiny, so they added a texture to the paint to eliminate reflections.
The second major fact is that fish like to eat raw fish. In Japan, they call this sushi. The best sushi is colorful and as such is more attractive. Once again, fish go crazy over something bright from a distance. But as they approach, they want something that looks edible. While a 3-mile island glowing green fish looks like caviar when you are starving, it is not so appealing as a mid-day snack. For many years, manufactures painted lures with a variety of contrasting colors in fish inspired shapes. No one has a doubt that this highly increases performance. But when it came to glow paint, that knowledge went out the window.
The remainder of Daniel's article on fishing lures can be found at Fishing Lures
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