That's an interesting discussion because the area which is fished also has a lot to do with what "seems" to work better.
The last winter for instance, I have a Friend who fishes a local river every single day for winters. This last year, he saw a very large proportion taken on bobber and eggs. Corkies and even cheaters were dead last as far as catch rate. 3 years ago, it was corkies and cheaters out fishing everything else.
What the difference was? Could be that the first few fish were caught using them and everyone switched to them pushing the ratio higher for whatever was used that year.
Over in the Puget sound area, where most of the surveys are taken, it is corkies and yarn or just corkies that everyone uses. The same people come out here on the coast and can't catch a fish more often than not. When we go out to the Puget sound the same stuff we use out here works fine and often times we out fish the locals, eggs on a bobber and cheaters.
Is it shear numbers of people that fish that makes the difference? Maybe technique, confidence level, experience or something else. Who knows. I know I can catch winter steelhead on a cheater so I use them. Summers I catch on eggs and jigs.
I would definitely say that a high majority of steelhead taken here are taken on eggs for winters and jigs for summers. No ifs, ands or butts about it. I see at least 7/10 winters taken on eggs and 9/10 summers on jigs. Is the way we fish for them here and the methods out fish any other almost every day. What does this mean as far as fact, I can't say because no one who knows these rivers uses much of anything else. What is the ratio of catch when you have 48/50 anglers using eggs and catching 100 fish when the other 2 using corkies and yarn catch one fish between them? It isn't statistically measurable because the eggs are used by so many more.
Here is what I think if all methods were evenly used, out of 100 winter run steelhead caught the ratio would be like this:
28 eggs
25 cheaters, corkies, corkies and yarn assuming they are presented right
22 live bait
18 spinners, plugs, spoons, quick fish
7 on the ugly whatever that someone gets lucky on.
The point is if you are confident in using something, use it right and know what you are doing then you will catch fish in the situations that suite the way you fish.
I can catch fish on a bar hook with nothing on it if I fish it right and at the right time. It means nothing more than it can be done by me.
As for line shyness of any fish, I don't know about down there but I know 3 people who plunk the Wynoochie river here and use 60lb. Braided Power pro. This stuff sticks out like a sore thumb. They catch summers, winters, Coho, Chinook and even trout using it. They catch fish on it in water that is absolutely crystal clear. Those fish aren't line shy! The same guys throw spinners here in tidal water using the same line and catch Coho just as well as anyone else.
Confidence in your skill and what you are using outweighs anything as far as I am concerned. Scent, line shy, lure type, colors whatever variable. The only variable I see that effects fishing here is store bought vs. home made lures. Is this to do with tuning and shotty manufacturing practices, I don't know but home made lures, corkies, cheaters, jigs, spinners, etc. out fish store bought by about 3:1 here. But there again, those that know what they are doing are making the stuff and catch fish. So is it actually meaningful? Only a relevant survey will ever tell and I don't think that most fisherman are willing to give up their favorite techniques to satisfy a survey and let others know what works and what doesn't. :naughty:
One classic example:
Went fishing for Winter runs, car broke down, spend 2 hours with my hands in the engine helping fix it. Greasy and nasty to beat all hell, all 3 of us were. Got to the river, took out our gear and in 3 hours we all limitted out. Gas, deisel, grease, dirt, gunk and all that other junk wiped off with nothing more than a dirty shop rag. What does it mean? Nothing more than the fish we put our lures in front of that day didn't care and were hungry! All our fish were caught on home made cheaters that day without any bait or scent.