>How do you catch a FISH?

Let's dispense with the rhetorical and metaphorical for a moment and explore this realistically.

Fishing is the task of convincing a fish to strike your offering and take the hook….

Spare me the flapper girl pic if this too much text for you. Sometimes you just gotta read stuff to comprehend it.

There are generally two accepted ways of convincing a fish to strike.

The first is to trigger a feeding response.

This is done by presenting a lure or bait that is exactly what a fish feeds upon or it can be a bait that mimics that forage. It also can be a lure or presentation that looks appealing and triggers the feeding response, though it may not be a regular part of a fish's diet [nitecrawlers don't swim in lakes but fish sure do like them]. This method of attraction can be enhanced by making the bait look as if it is dying. This 'dying enhancement' will trigger an autonomous response for the fish to strike, it 'has' to take the bait. Its brain is hardwired. It won't let the fish do anything else. Fish will also take a bait because of a hardwired scarcity awareness too. A fish will take a bait for themselves, to deny other fish the opportunity to eat it, even if it is not the best meal possible. A bait presented as food must also be convincing enough for a fish to strike, because in a forage rich environment, crappy bait or presentation will be ignored.

The second way a bait is presented to a fish, is to trigger a territorial response.

That is accomplished by presenting a lure that does not look like food, but rather a lure that is assessed by the fish as a direct threat to itself and it's territory. The fish therefore is not striking the lure to feed, but is striking to destroy the threat. In this case any attempt at subtlety or delicate presentation is usually counterproductive. Bright colors, loud noisemakers, flailing appendages and shiny flashing blades are the characteristics of a lure that excels here. This is also a presentation where having a lure that is larger than what would be considered a meal for the fish is a bonus. It enhances the territorial response. Too big and it scares the fish. Hit the right ratio and the golden adage of 'big bait catches big fish' rings loud and clear.

Whichever method of presentation is chosen, the same end result is desired: convince the fish to take the bait so the angler can set the concealed hook.

…Now. Apply that back into the rhetorical and metaphorical.