USで人気のサイト wired 2 fish にて面白い動画が Timmy Horton氏（2000年 A.O.Y）によってアップされているので要点翻訳紹介です。お題は「Understanding Big Bait Trends in Bass Fishing=流行とルアーサイズの関係」です。英文も起こしておきますので参考までに。

年々、巨大化するルアーと魚の関係

ハイ。みんな元気にしていたかな？近年は全米中でルアーが大型化しているよね。これには明確な理由があるんだ。僕たちトーナメンターは短時間で大きな魚を釣らなければならない。だから効率よく大きな魚を釣る事ができるルアーを使う必要があるんだ。特にピックウィック湖やガンターズビル湖ではバスが年々、大きくなってきているのは有名だよね。

その理由はこれさ。ギザードシャッドっていうベイトフィッシュさ。このベイトは大群をなして回遊する、いわば淡水のニシンさ。デカバスレイクでは必ずといっていい程、生息している。

こんな感じで回遊している。

バスが吐いたエサをみての通りこんなに大きいベイトフィッシュを補食しているんだ。

ここ近年で有名になったのが、俺の友達ベンパーカー君がプロデュースした「マグナムスプーン」さ。爆発的な釣果を叩きだしているルアーでもあるよね。

あと近年の最も流行中であるのが、これらのビッククランクベイトさ。こんな大きなクランクベイトを８メートルラインに潜らせても大きな魚にアクセスできるんだ。あと一番重要な事は大きなルアーだからこそ、その場で使用できるのは一回だけなんだ。殆どのバイトは一番始めのキャストに集中する。哺乳類のライオンも狩りをする時は一番大きな獲物から狙うんだ。魚も同じだね。

Big and bold lures like magnum flutter spoons, swimbaits, and giant crankbaits are becoming commonplace in bass fishing. This fact is based on the ability of big lures to trigger strikes from the biggest and most active fish in an area. Elite Series pro Timmy Horton makes the case for huge baits, especially on waters teaming with gizzard shad, trout, and other large forage species. In doing so, he takes away the apprehension of throwing these baits baits for bass.

The last several years one thing that has really been training is big lowers. You know we we face tomas tatar pappas limit so you really need to be catching big fish and we’re finding that a lot of these fish on these d pledges rather you at lake eufaula toledo being pickwick lake lake guntersville a roomie feeding on big gizzard shad. I mean said that or even a lot bigger than this spoon. This is the ben parker magnum spoon and a good friend of mine he designed this thing and when i first seen it i thought man i don’t know i don’t know how you gonna catch one and i want to hit up without played volleyball with it said smoking on the school of fish you catch some of the biggest fish in a school.

My favorite thing that was crying that youknow fifteen years ago this year there’s a vos quien which is a standard medium running crankbaits this was considered a big lure we’ve got to 20 that come out and even now that the boss 25 and you’re talking about just a magnum big debate again going to big louies to maxies gizzard shad that these bats are feeding on this one right here wit died down into twenty twenty-five feet of water opposite a lot even in 17-18 because i like it to be digging and eating on the bottom but it’s something that’s really transcending don’t let it intimidate you i cannot tell you how many to pounders caught on as a boss 25 even on this big magnum spoon bass i tell people all the time they don’t have a mere ko how big or how little they are and i’m telling you these big lewis work till triggers try and

one of the biggest upset i like to tell people on if you’ve got a school of fish did you know we’re sitting on a spot one of the things that i like to do is throw one of these big lowers on my very first cast there’s a lot of times you can get the big fish to buy first in a specially for showing something really big you know you don’t see you know a lion going around the real small prey biggest carnivores you know they’re going to eat or go we began at the same way about this is a big bass is gonna eat big lures big bay and that’s what you want with these big bore so go check them out and don’t be intimidated by me you don’t get a lot of big fish

special thanks 2 wired 2 fish.