New BioPulse lure system gives fishermen an unfair advantage

Fishing should be an enjoyable and relaxing recreational activity but a fishing trip sometimes amounts to nothing more than a tale about “the one that got away”. Whilst fishing can be frustrating at times, is it fair game to utilize scientific technology to guarantee you not only attract fish to your line, you also get them to take the bait? The BioPulse lure system by Mystic Tackleworks was developed by John Caprio from Louisiana State University (LSU) and uses the fish's biology to make sure your fishing trip is a success – good news for you, not so for the fish.

An expert in fish taste and smell systems, Caprio has spent most of the last 30 years, researching the chemosensory systems of a variety of fresh and saltwater fish. He discovered the specific natural stimuli that cause the activation of fish taste sensors which causes the fish’s nerve reflexes to ingest food or - in the case of BioPulse – a fishing lure.

Caprio said, "If you look at how chemosensory input occurs in both our brain and that of a fish, you'll see that smell input is to forebrain whereas taste input is to the back, the highly reflexive part of the brain. The take home message from this is simple: fish learn and associate particular scents as food, but taste is an actual reflex for them. The taste of particular natural chemicals triggers a feeding response." What does that mean for the fish? It can’t control the urge to feed and therefore will take the lure. Sounds kind of cruel, doesn’t it?

Mystic Tackleworks, a fishing lure company licensed Caprio’s technology and along with other fish sensory specialists developed the Biopulse Lure System.

Caprio commented, "Because Mystic Tackleworks consulted me, along with Dr. Richard Fay, a leading expert in fish hearing, and Dr. Craig Hawryshyn, one of the world's top researchers in fish visual studies, we were able to look at this issue from a scientific position to develop a lure that would provide the appropriate natural stimuli to the various sensory systems (vision, hearing, taste, smell, mechanoreception) used by fish to locate prey and to also bite a lure."

The primary research animals used by Caprio at LSU are channel catfish, because they have a highly- sensitive taste system – in fact their whole body is covered in taste buds. Because they live in water that usually has little visibility, their taste and smell system is highly developed.

The BioPulse lure system reproduces prey-like motion and emits sophisticated sound frequencies that are similar to the sound and water vibrations of prey. It uses visible and specialized UV light wavelength based stimuli to attract the fish and releases feeding stimulant chemicals from its bite compression cavity, to encourage the fish to take the lure in its mouth.

The system uses an internal scent-disperser that release scent in measures doses and provides up to 45 minutes of fishing using one refill. It is made of bite and shock-resistant polymer and has an ambient light-sensing system that monitors the light in the water and can activate a series of LED lights to encourage more fish attacks.

Freshwater and saltwater kits are available from MysticTackleworks and cost USD33.96 which includes the lure, feeding stimulant, and a bottle of BioFlush anti-microbial cleaning solution.

I don’t know what you think, but there’s something about the BioPulse lure system that is not particularly sporting – I think I would be happier spinning a tale about the one that got away.