Fishing is attention to detail on so many levels it can become a scientific discipline.

True, there are times when conditions are so favorable that line weight, rod length or action, color, lure size, hook size, stealth, type of bait, odor, attractant or approach may not matter at all.

Conversely, there are times when you simply must think outside the box and improvise, modify or improve to enjoy success.

The possibilities for improvisation are endless. Occasionally they’re very successful, sometimes a bust, but creative fishermen are always thinking; “What if?”

On Chautauqua Lake we were having a slow day. High pressure, wind, bright sun — not conditions you associate with productive fishing. Since the action was slow my friend thought perhaps the fish needed something to wake them up. He took a chartreuse plastic worm, rigged an extra hook and threaded on half a night crawler. He figured the bright color would make the bait easier to see while the nightcrawler provided the taste and smell to seal the deal.

Five minutes later Al landed a fat, 20-inch largemouth bass — then four more.

One morning throwing Rooster Tail spinners for trout I missed hit after hit. Watching closely, a cautious rainbow darted up behind the spinner, followed it, then just nipped at the extreme rear of the tail.

Finishing the retrieve, I noticed the lure’s dressing, or tail, extended back a quarter of an inch behind the hook itself. The trout were just nipping the extreme tip of that tail, avoiding the hook. Ah, ha!

Out came my Swiss Army knife and using the tiny scissors the tail was quickly trimmed to the very back of the treble. Then a tiny piece of worm was threaded on one of the tiny treble hooks.

The next time the Rooster Tail swung down into the deep water, a trout darted up and hit. I set the hook and had him, soon limiting out.

Attention to detail, shortening the skirt and adding scent or flavor, solved the problem.

The F-11 floating Rapala is a great lure for bass and walleyes. However, muskies and pike have a fondness for them as well and the smaller hooks on these lures many times bend or break under the stress of bigger fish. A conversation with a fellow fisherman revealed he’d had similar experiences, but came up with a solution. He removed the original treble hooks, weighed them and replaced them with stronger single hooks of identical weight. The lure’s action wasn’t affected and allowed him to land some impressively larger fish as well.

Man, he had on his thinking cap!

Many lure manufactures have a tendency to use smaller, weaker, cheaper hooks on their lures than they should. The small Suick is a perfect example of this; the thin wire hooks bend easily and before I paid attention, cost me some larger muskellunge, real heartbreak.

Muskies have strong jaws and are extremely powerful, effortlessly bending weaker hooks. Complicating the problem is their insane thrashing in the net. I recommend replacing bent hooks rather than straightening them. Once the original temper is gone, I’ve had problems with the strength of bent hooks.

One evening, just as the sun touched the skyline, I was casting for muskie with a favorite yellow Suick I’d previously caught several muskies on.

Without warning, just as the Suick bobbed to the surface beside the boat, a huge head shot from the waters and savagely slashed my lure. Startled, I set the hook and the muskie went wild, cartwheeling out of the water, crashing back and then rolling and thrashing the water to foam as I held desperately on to my bucking rod, astonished by the suddenness and fury of the attack.

Sickeningly, the line went slack. NO! Few experiences are as demoralizing as losing a huge muskie.

After such an emotionally shattering experience, I found it impossible to move but eventually glanced at my lure. The original factory hooks had snapped off. They should have been replaced, having been bent and stressed too often. Now I’d paid the excruciating price for not changing them.

This experience led to a frenzied search of the many brands and styles of hooks available. I discovered Mustad made a short-shanked, extra wide gap hook in size 1. Soon the hooks of every Suick and many other lures were replaced and never again did a trophy break me off. Taking the lesson even further, once a hook was bent past a certain point, it was replaced.

Big fish are few and far between, you can’t take risks so easily avoided.

Fishermen can change spinner blade sizes, hooks, colored beads, trim diving planes, use a large hook in front, smaller in back, add small split shot in front of light jigs, use WD-40 as attractant, do any number of things to help improve your lures and catch more and bigger fish.

Net Craft offers an excellent catalog with untold numbers of fishing lure bodies, tackle accessories, split rings, hooks, diving planes, screw eyes, hook holders and so on and so forth. Order a catalog online and prepare to have the time of your life scheming how to make, repair and improve every type of lure.

Catching fish on baits of your own manufacture is a rush.