Aim to Cheat: Keep Going if Successful, Switch Places If Not

Humans have been fishing and hunting since ancient times.

So, from a fish’s perspective, why does it take the bait? Because it’s a deal too good to pass up. When a fish sees the bait, its natural instinct is to eat it—there’s an opportunity right in front of it.

As for the fish ending up as someone’s meal, that’s not about the mechanism itself; it’s about information asymmetry.

Humans have access to far more information than fish, and that imbalance is what ultimately determines who ends up getting caught.

Humans already know that fish won’t turn down a free meal, which is exactly why bait is used in the first place. And that very act sets off a larger cycle of exploiting opportunities.