I kept an Oscar for many years. This tropical fish looks like a big bream, but it eats minnows as well as earthworms and prepared food. Mine got about eight inches long and would eat three inch long shiner minnows. Oscars have become widespread in the wild in Florida and other warm parts of the world where they are not native due to being released by people who no longer wanted them in their tanks.
My Oscar loved shiner minnows. He would even jump out of the water and take one from my hand if I dangled it over the surface. There were several things I learned about the way fish eat from watching him.
Many years ago bass fishermen using plastic worms waited to set the hook after they felt a strike, waiting "until the bass got the worm in its mouth." I don't know what we thought they were doing, holding it in its left hand or something, but my Oscar taught me it was either in the mouth or not. I learned to set the hook as soon as I felt anything at the end of my line.
When my Oscar ate a shiner minnow, he would get near it - about three inches away. Suddenly he would flare his gills and the minnow would disappear except for maybe the tip of its tail sticking out of his mouth. That taught me the first tap you feel when fishing a worm is the bass sucking it in. The second tap is the bass spitting it out. If you feel a third tap, it is the bass tapping you on the shoulder, asking what you were waiting on to set the hook!
Something else I observed convinced me there is something to feeding times. My Oscar would be hanging in the water, doing what Oscars do all day. The minnows would be swimming around him totally unconcerned. Then, suddenly, the minnows would head for cover. There was no change I could see, but within seconds the Oscar would start stalking them. A few seconds earlier he could have sucked on in without moving. The minnows picked up some signal I could not see just before he got ready to eat. I am convinced fish in the wild feed at specific times, controlled by ... something? Maybe the sun and moon.
Watching minnows in the tank and in the wild also got me interested in what I call "finesse fishing." Minnows don't move around a lot when they swim, they glide through the water. Game fish will take advantage of an injured baitfish floundering around, moving unnaturally, if they want to eat. But, if I am trying to convince them to eat when they are not hungry, I might try to finesse them. Its like me after a big meal, lying on the couch watching fish in the tank. If someone offers me a pizza with everything, I probably won't take any. But, if there are some naturally occurring jelly beans or mints on the end table, I might eat a few.
Bass and other game fish are the same, I think. When they are not feeding, a good meal does not appeal to them. But, a small minnow cruising by might. Slider and getzitz fishing is a way to convince these non-feeding bass to eat something. I did not come up with this idea. I read about it in the book on "Slider Fishing" by Charlie Brewer. I agree with him based on my observations.
There is lots more you can learn from watching fish. And it is fun. Set up an aquairumn and see if it helps. Tell me what you think about this idea and let me know if you watch fish and learn from them. Contact me at fishing.guide@about.com and share your ideas.
