The usual logic suggests that the answer to the question in the header should be positive. After all, when hunting for the sacrifice of energy costs of the predator are the same as when attacking a large food object, which is small. So the same pike more profitable to attack on the largest for its own size prey. But is practice always consistent with theory? My experience says that far not always...
Once I and a partner, fishing at the beginning of the calendar autumn on the Volga, went to check one very interesting flooded lake. In the echo sounder on the edge from 2.5 on 8 meters It was visible big shoals of some small forage fish. A good sign.. We put the boat so that comfortably inflow the eyebrows in both directions from the boat, put the silicone baits standard for the autumn Pike size (about 4.5 inches) and began methodically inflow the plot. There was no normal bite ((only a few indistinct contacts showing that Pike is here. What to do? In such cases I start to pick up baits (if the bite was not at all, rather I would prefer to change the place). I got caught in the arm Milky white twister from MANNS size 2.5 inches. What the hell is not joking? Decided to make a couple of throws with this bait. And here began a biting, "As on black Stones " (c).
Almost from every cast I have with a partner (he after the first fish put the same twister) followed hard and strong bites large (4-6 kg) Pike. How's that? Why didn't she nodding on bait 4.5 inches?
Another similar case occurred on the Volga River. My uncle and I moved on an anomaly passing through one of the extensive fodder irrigation-a ditch with steep beyonds. The watering depth of 2 meters, and in the ditch 5.5-6... Fished on large twisterss from Manns, the largest and most fatty. We saw Pike in echo sounder, and it was frustrating and unclear why she did not want to peck... At some point I changed a large 15 centimeter twister to a small 5-centimeter silicone shad from the same firm and exactly the same color as Twister. And on it began effective bites large enough for this place (2, 5-4 kg) of pike.
The third case is related to the same Volga and catching in the flood zone. My father and I came to a place where a few days ago was a good catch of measuring pike. Put the same baits as last time-vibrohvosty size 4 inches. The hour moved along the zakorjazhennoj of the eyebrow, making a cast of the cast and not seeing any bite ((. Behind the eyebrow on the shallow watering periodically hunted perch. Charter from the absence of bites, I use boxes of baits to put some little twister and catch at least perches. Put 3 inch Twister from Action Plastic, golden color with sequins. Perch I caught. But in addition to the perch began and greedy bites of large pike! The answer came when I noticed that the perch belches a small fish, which all Volga predators are willing to feed...
Here is the last case and the answer to our question. The best bait will be the one that corresponds to the size of the forage object that is preferred at the moment of predator.
After all, I had a lot of cases, when catching pike about flocks large bream success brought exactly the greatest bait, and on every Melkotu Pike did not pay any attention. It was aimed only at large fodder facilities...
Interesting video was taken by cheerful guys from the Channel Kanalgratisdotse. They also seem to be haunted by the answer to the question in the title of this publication. As usual, the guys decided to find an answer, having a competition between the subjects of the dispute-large and small baits, on eralnoj fishing...
Did they get the answer?))) Don't even know how to comment... Decide for yourself))
