American national distributor of fishing, hunting and other tackle Cabela’s is offering Colorado spinner blades with large holes punched in their tail parts, under the trade mark Vib-Orado. There are controversies in respect of this innovation. Some American anglers say that spinners and other lures equipped with the Cabela’s Vib-Orado blades are better than usuals, especially when fishing for walleye, Stizostedion vitreum, while others see no differences.

In our field experiments, we tested spinners with the intact and perforated blades in the foregoing manner.

Mepps Aglia spinners #2, 4,5 gr with the perforated and blank glo white blades were used in these experiments. In some lures, marked AP, 6 mm diameter holes were ideally cut in the tail parts of the blades (Fig.1). In the other lures, marked AB, 6 mm grey spots were glued instead of holes on the convex side of the blades.

Figure 1. Mepps Aglia original spinner with the perforated blade

Lures were tested in the evening twilight and night when fishing for zander, Stizostedion lucioperca, in the same manner that was described previously for zander and sabrefish:

In final sum, we found no reliable evidence that zander prefer spinners with the perforated blades (Student’s t-test). Note, under the daylight, fish could visually percieve the hole in the blade as an attractive flashing spot in comparison with the blank blade.

As reported in the previous post, common zander, Stizostedion lucioperca, ignore sounds of the Ringing Bell System used (or has been used) in the Mepps Comet spinners. In this post, we will show that common perch, Perca fluviatilis, ignore sounds of the similar system used in the Blue Fox Vibrax spinners.

Common zander, Stizostedion lucioperca, are not attracted by sounds of the Mepps Ringing Bell System

The patented Blue Fox Vibrax brass system consists of an internal cogwheel and an external bullet shaped body. According to catalogs, this system is used in the Blue Fox Vibrax and other spinners. Blue Fox Co. writes that sounds produced by the Vibrax System attract fish (in addition to eliminating line twist).

According to our field experiments, this marketing course is incorrect.

In these experiments, ringing and ringless 4 gr Blue Fox Vibrax spinners of silver color were compared with each other. One half of lures, marked VR, were intact. In the other half of lures, marked VL, internal cogwheels and external bodies were glued with the waterproof adhesive.

At each estimated locality of perch, 20 presentations (cast and retrieving) of lures were made: 5 with VR, 5 with VL, 5 with VR and 5 with VL. The same 20 lure presentations were repeated in the other fishing localities, in the reverse order. In total, 43 perch were landed for the one morning: 19 on VR and 24 on VL lures. To estimate mean differences for field data, fish were group per each 10 lure (for VR and VL) presentations. In final, perch, according to Student’s t-test, showed no preference in favor of ringing (VR) or ringless (VL) Blue Fox Vibrax spinners.

Read the post given below to understand why perch must ignore sounds of the Blue Fox Vibrax System.

Predatory fish do not respond to sounds of rattling wobblers

Cast your attention that audiograms of the Mepps spinners, that are similar to the Blue Fox spinners, is mainly represented by the powerful rhythmic sounds produced by rotating blades (click here to hear sounds). These rhythmic sounds, with the frequency that is equal to the frequency of blade rotation, overpower any other thythmic and noise sounds of any spinners.

Basic References

Protasov V.R. 1965. The bioacoustics of fishes. Moscow, Science