Can Steelhead Remember?

[Centerpin]

Do you guys feel that steelhead have the ability to remember? The discussion on anglingbc.com started with the "origins of the pink worm and why it works?" and now it has moved on to whether or not steelhead have the ability to recollect. I personally think that everything a steelhead does is based on instinct and not thought. An action produces a reaction. A pink worm has the action of food therefore produces a feeding response. Some guys say it triggers memories of when the fish were juveniles feeding on worms. I believe juvenile imprinting is garbage and those who use the methodologies surrounding that theory are wasting their time. Fly fishermen are notorious for over analyzing and trying to develop theories for everything (side note). I would like to hear some other opinions on the topic.

[Snagly]

You're right on, Jay, about not over estimating what fish 'think'. I'm not aware of any studies on fish brain composition, but from the small size I doubt that there's a lot of spare capacity to be filled with memories of eating mayflies as a smolt (triggering a response to rise to a dry fly as an adult). Can't see how that would help a steelhead survive on the high seas, or sniff its natal river in the saltchuck.

But if we agree that fish can't remember being hooked by a certain lure, I do have a question about why certain new lures are so hot for a few years and then cool off. For example, way back in the 1970's I was a bass fisherman growing up in Ohio. The Big-O was the hottest tournament lure around. I bought a couple and they worked. Then they didn't work so well. I waited a couple of years (time for a new generation of largemouths to grow up), and tried my remaining Big-O's again. Worked OK, but not as well as a Rapala CD minnow or some other classic lure.

The only explanation I could come up with at the time was that fish caught and released on the hot lure had learned that the particular action, speed and depth associated with this lure was a no-no. Once caught and released these fish ignored the 'hot' lure and because of this, fish in the school nearby that hadn't been hooked on the 'hot' lure wouldn't chase it either. Not because these other non-hooked fish had learned anything from their caught-and-released brothers -- that would really be stretching matters -- but because there wasn't any competition with other fish in the school to be the first to eat the 'baitfish'. (I certainly observe this in the salt all the time: a lure being chased by several fish will always get belted as chasing fish are in competition and ignore their normally more selective instincts.)

So my theory was, Put on a new brand of lure with acceptable action, and EVERY fish in the school reacts towards it, a few may even begin to chase or stalk it and BAM one of them bites it. Eventually, however, either the fish that reacted to that particular action have been caught and kept (so selective breeding/ Darwin got rid of those genes), or released and are no longer chasers. The next generation of fish growing up and schooling with adults also repsonds (or fails to respond) to others in that school's reaction (or lack thereoff) to the 'hot' lure. In that way, a hot lure one year cools off subsequently and never is as hot as it first was, even years later.

So that was my theory for a long time. Only problem was that for it to be true fish would have to be as smart as chimpanzees or maybe dogs. It would be feasible only if fish have the ability to form and recall long term memories. That would suggest a brain bigger than a match head (whatever). Other than brain biology, it constantly gets contradicted by experience, too.

e.g. Do fish feel pain? Maybe, but not enough to keep the same (super dumb/ aggressive) fish from biting the same or similar lures every couple of hours or day-after-day in the same pond or run.

e.g. Do fish associate boats with danger? A drift boat or esp. a jet boat overhead may spook fish in a deeper lie, but within 5-10 minutes they always settle down (provided they're still in the hole!). Often stale fish become biters after having been stirred up. This doesn't seem to be evidence of any long term memories being formed.

So I ended up back at square one. A fish doesn't "think". A fish doesn't know what a hook, leader or line is. (A fish DOES know what prospective food items are drifting exactly with the current, a little slower than the current or being dragged in a totally unnatural fashion -- by thick line or a big hook perhaps -- downstream and THAT can make a big difference. But fish that eat size 22 baetis can surely see 4lb tippets, too.)

So what about the "hot lure" that doesn't work so well after a while? Maybe the answer is that these lures possess certain (but not all) the features that signal 'eat me' to a fish's primitive brain. As such they appeal to a subset of the overall fish population (vs. the whole school would react to a live nightcrawler with the same response: "Steak!"). After a while the FISHERMAN change (not the fish!), and go back to fishing the old reliables (pink worms, spoons, hotshots) that appeal to the entire fish popluation (at certain times/ under certain conditions), and therefore outfish the 'hot' lures. And so the Banjo Minnows end up back in the tackle box.

So there's no such thing as a 'hot lure that goes cold', just so-so lures that get fished hard by everyone for a while (and catch some fish). But every once in a while an innovation like the pink worm comes along and catches fish cast after cast, year after year. I wonder if steelhead fry feed on small near microscopic pink thingees and that years later as adults steelhead remember . . . aw, time to go to work!

[smilesforu]

CP
My answer is absolutely they can remember, but I feel it is not for a long time. Here is my example.

On a smaller stream I fish I had the opportunity to fish a stream that had a fish in a log jam. I couldn't see it but it came out of the jam to short strike my spoon "bcsteel silver". I cast repeatedly with this spoon with no return visits. So I changed colors to "bcsteel brass"...Instant strike..but short. I continued to try it with no luck, so I switched back to the silver....nothing, back to silver....nothing, switched to "black bc steel"...wham struck immediately again...another short strike. These spoons were identical in size and action. The only difference was the color. The presentation was actually the same also since for me to get the lure to hang infront of the Jam I had to cast around a limb so it would hold in the current.

The one who didn't remember was me since I didn't use a trailer after the second short strike.

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Marty M
Steelheader.net

[Richter]

Centerpin,

The U of W fisheries did numerous studies on this same subject 20 years ago, when I was going to school up there. I was in forest engineering and I had a friend that was in the fisheries program. Most of the studies were on salmon however. They found that the memory recollection of most of the salmon was about 45 minutes. In other words, they would bite a lure/bait and then a short time later they would bite it again. This was in a controlled environment and it has been sometime since these studies were done. But, I will try to relate this to your question on steelhead. A few years ago I was fishing on the Sol Duc. I hooked, landed, and released a steelhead that was about 23-24 lbs. That fish had five hooks in its mouth and mine was number six. One of the hooks still had fresh eggs on it with a small red/chartreuse spin glow. When we dropped down to the next hole we spoke with another boat. They were nice guys, and one was still upset with the big fish that he had lost about an half hour ago. I asked him what he was using, and sure enough it was exactly what was in the fishes mouth. It was the same fish. That fish was aggresive, and obviously he couldn't remember all those hooks in his mouth. As far as steelhead remembering what they feed on when they were young, I'm not so sure of that.

Take Care, Rich

[Snagly]

OK, OK, I'll recant. Steelhead have a short term memory of some description. (To Marty's and Rich's stories we could all add several similar versions.) I stand by my assertion that they don't form any lasting memories.

I like Rich's point about salmon memories being 45 minutes long. That's about the time it takes for someone who's dropped a fish or had a short strike to give up and leave the run. The next angler through, "Fish on!"

Now if only wives had memories as short as salmon and steelhead . . . .

[This message has been edited by Snagly (edited 12-03-2000).]

[Centerpin]

Snagly,

I wouldn't mind riding the in truck with you on long trips. There would be a lot of figuring going on in between fishing trips. There is no way I can possibly get into this with the detail that I would like. Perhaps when you come my way next year. Mid to late November. I like the part about learning from their brothers. Often all it takes is one hooked fish in a pool to create a feeding frenzy and non stop steelhead action. If you have ever jigged buzz bombs for coho you would be amazed to see how many fish are trying to hit the sliding bomb when you are fighting the hooked fish. I don't think they like missing out on a meal.

Marty,

I have thought your example over many times. It is a hard one to explain. All I can come up with is the fish get used to seeing the same thing go wobbling by. A change in color might just spark enough interest to move a fish. Apparently you are the color man so you might want to get deeper into why you change colors

Richter,

Great post! I am a firm believer that there is a physiological reason as to why are not at aggressive after being hooked. I would consider being hooked as a traumatic experience to the fish. With an elevated level of stress (fight or flight reaction)we see physiological changes in the fish. If the fight is prolonged the stress will take a greater toll on the fish. The fish must then rest and recover before it "feels" like eating again.

[smilesforu]

Cp
The reason to change color is because the fish have learned..(be it short term) that they shouldn't eat that. This is also the main reason I like using bait. When a fish strikes bait it actually gets a positive feedback unlike hitting plastic. Fish will keep hitting bait until they get hooked if presented correctly. I regularly fish a hole with one color and refish it with another after I can't get any to strike that color again. Works for me

I also think steelhead eat lots of ghost shrimp while in the oceans or on their return journey. If you look at the colors in a ghost shrimp you can see my favorite colors in clear water. By clear water I mean 4-6 ft visibility.
I watched a show about ghost shrimp(sand shrimp). They would use the big claw they have to stun or kill small fish with the clacking sound when it was close to the fish. They also said the shrimp clacking noise could be heard up to TWO MILES away. Talk about ringing a dinner bell.
Another silly thing to ponder is the phosphorus in the saltwater that lights up when disturbed. I think the fish will key into the light disturbance for food. We tend to think of light in the spectrums that we can easily see with the human eye. Fish are not human and can probably see wavelenghts we are unable to see.

Tight Lines

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Marty M
Steelheader.net

I've never heard about the shrimp clacking sound that attracts predator fish Marty. Interesting. Maybe it sounds similar to the rattling beads in such as Warts?

CP, I go with the short term memory only theory. However, I can think of an exception. The 3rd or 4th steelhead I ever hooked I slide up on an inclined rocky slope and the leader snapped. As it slide back toward the river I took a giant leap, just like the phony pro wrestlers do off the ropes, and did a full body slam pounce on that slippery chromer. Unfortunately for me I missed a little high with my heroic leap and the dang thing squirmed out thru my legs and down into the river. Now I bet that fish remembered this 'Hulk Hanson' for a few weeks. Probably had nightmares about it when it was able to sleep.