Teach me about birds

[bdpettit]

With lots of baits that are bird related on the market now, what time of year do u look to throw these? Had success throwing frogs when small birds are around docks, but not so much with big baits.

Thinking specifically about Defiants crawler and walking baits painted in bird patterns

[Jim137a]

I had a pretty good season with crawlers this year and I’ll throw them anytime i think a waking bait will work, mornings, evenings and even in the middle of the day. 
 

‘’My belief is the action of the wings will draw out aggressive fish  and I honestly don’t think color matters to much 

I have seen my friend Fred Stepp @stepp_outdoors crush on the defiant bird in the middle of the day. 

[kookfarmer]

birds aren't real

[lost_avian0252]

41 minutes ago, kookfarmer said:

birds aren't real

facts.

[ThatKidInNY]

Summer would probably the most productive time to throw bird related baits. Most birds breed between May and early august. So I would think mid-June to mid-August would be the best time because young birds would be fledging (leaving the nest) and more likely to end up in the water. I've also seen bass blow up on Red-winged Blackbirds as they are walking across the lily pads. Another thing to keep in mind is that at least in the Great Lakes, migrating birds can get tired out from a lack of fat storage (energy) and end up in the water (I've seen a couple videos of this) and I don't think a smallmouth would pass up on that opportunity lol. There's a website called Birdcast that uses the same equipment meteorologists use to track large movements of birds. So maybe it would be fun to test out throwing a crawler some night when the birds are really moving. Here's a link to the site: Live bird migration maps - BirdCast Migration is slowing down atm for smaller birds but should pick back up in April. 

[Fitzy]

New around here, and also relatively new to the freshwater scene, but I had a good stretch in August with crawlers in the Northeast.  My best bites were in a lot of wind, mid-day. I got my PB 6.1lbs when it was blowing around 20.  

I see these baits as just a jitterbug on steroids… fish them slow and they just get crushed.  I don’t know what the fish think a crawler is, but I don’t see any small birds in the water where I fish. 

 

[Big Epp]

I saw a small sparrow in the water midsummer once. It was an adult bird that must have had some sort of mishap to end up in the drink. It was really surprising how much water that bird splashed around trying to get back airborne. It really made a lot of commotion!