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Posts: 20
| I was watching a catfishing show from down south and the guide was describing how if you look at a catfish's jaw bones, you can tell what water column that catfish likes to feed in. For example, some catfish had a lower jaw bone that extended out past the upper, I forgot what water column he said a fish like that would typically feed in, but you get the point.
My question is does this also apply to muskie's? I haven't caught enought muskies to really say, but after I saw that TV show, I started to look at some pictures and wonder. |
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Location: Illinois | Sounds like hogwash to me and not applicable if you are a release fisherman, which I is! |
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Posts: 2024
| Form and function. Certainly to some extent a fish's jaw and mouth position can tell you a bit about their behavior. For example, think about a stingray, sturgeon, or nurse shark; they feed exclusively (or nearly exclusively) on the bottom. Think about an arowana with its up-turned mouth; clearly they like to feed on things above them. These are extremes, though, and for other fish I think it's really difficult to tell with any certainty "where" they feed. I'm not sure I buy that gentleman's theory without some other form of verification... |
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Posts: 78
Location: In the Weeds | I know that channel cats have a mouth where there top jaw extends farther out than their bottom so they can pick baits up off the bottom easier. |
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Posts: 2687
Location: Hayward, WI | Without being a biologist, I would think that most predatory fish like muskies are best suited to feeding straight ahead or "up." It's pretty close, but their bottom jaw extends just a little farther than the top, which I suppose could facilitate ahead to up feeding. The position of the eyes being forward and towards the top of their head also point to the same.
I would say that through experience, most of us agree that most fish we fish for will feed up and you'd rather be above them than below. Goes for Muskies, walleyes, bass, crappies, etc. |
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Posts: 2024
| Most fish have eyes positioned above the mid-line of their bodies. For predators, this offers a distinct advantage to attack from below and why the surface is such a crucial "edge" that predators use to corral prey. All one has to do is watch the breaching great white sharks of False Bay, South Africa to see this in action (albeit with seals instead of fish).
However, I personally don't believe that just because a fish's eyes are positioned above the mid-line of their body that your lure has to above the fish to get them to strike your lure. I have caught plenty of bass Texas rigging a plastic worm, which sits on the bottom. Google "largemouth bass" and notice the eye position. Same as a musky's, including the slight under-bite. Use a flasher in the winter and drop an ice jig through a school of panfish. Watch them follow your offering straight to the bottom and wait for the bite. Pounding bottom during the winter is a great way to trigger strikes from a variety of species.
I've observed musky behavior in aquariums and they are keenly aware of prey associating to the bottom. Their eyes swivel like any other fish and they orient their bodies to the prey, and strike for the kill. Bottom bouncing Jakes and other crankbaits takes fish every year, as does hopping tubes along bottom. Bass guys get plenty of muskie dragging plastics, too.
I don't think there's a hard-and-fast rule to be learned from the morphology of a species. I think it can help you understand a lot about their biology, but food is food and whether it's above or below is no matter to a hungry fish. Heck, take a look at BloodyCarp's avatar. Carp *typically* feed down as supported by the positioning of their mouths, but they also feed on the surface as that picture demonstrates. |
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Posts: 2687
Location: Hayward, WI | esox50 - 10/1/2012 2:46 PM
Most fish have eyes positioned above the mid-line of their bodies. For predators, this offers a distinct advantage to attack from below and why the surface is such a crucial "edge" that predators use to corral prey. All one has to do is watch the breaching great white sharks of False Bay, South Africa to see this in action (albeit with seals instead of fish).
However, I personally don't believe that just because a fish's eyes are positioned above the mid-line of their body that your lure has to above the fish to get them to strike your lure. I have caught plenty of bass Texas rigging a plastic worm, which sits on the bottom. Google "largemouth bass" and notice the eye position. Same as a musky's, including the slight under-bite. Use a flasher in the winter and drop an ice jig through a school of panfish. Watch them follow your offering straight to the bottom and wait for the bite. Pounding bottom during the winter is a great way to trigger strikes from a variety of species.
I've observed musky behavior in aquariums and they are keenly aware of prey associating to the bottom. Their eyes swivel like any other fish and they orient their bodies to the prey, and strike for the kill. Bottom bouncing Jakes and other crankbaits takes fish every year, as does hopping tubes along bottom. Bass guys get plenty of muskie dragging plastics, too.
I don't think there's a hard-and-fast rule to be learned from the morphology of a species. I think it can help you understand a lot about their biology, but food is food and whether it's above or below is no matter to a hungry fish. Heck, take a look at BloodyCarp's avatar. Carp *typically* feed down as supported by the positioning of their mouths, but they also feed on the surface as that picture demonstrates.
I agree that there are exceptions to every rule. I've seen plenty of bluegills and crappies chase a jig downwards. However, they are usually more likely to do it when they are active and when they have 1st seen it coming from above. If you were to drag the bait underneath them I think they would be less likely to see it.
I've caught plenty of panfish, walleyes, bass, and a few muskies by fishing right on the bottom, but I still feel that most predator fish are "built" with feeding ahead or up in mind. They certainly are able to eat anything, anywhere though.
Tucker |
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