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Posts: 417
Location: SW Ohio | ...or at least turning off the sonar w/o actually turning off the units.
Does anyone think that the sonar pings make muskies wary or turn them off? Kinda of curious if anyone has seen a difference in running sonar vs sonar off. Our local lake cooled down enough this week to let us get out. Was 80+ but now the main creek temps are low to mid 70's from the rain and unseasonably cool nights. The main creek was packed with boats, most running LS. I had SI on all day so I know the fish were there and in what numbers. The only three boats that caught fish were 2 trolling and one small 12' boat w/o sonar casting. The casting boat caught a nice upper 30's on a small spinnerbait against the bank. We fished for 10 hours with only one probable hit that missed a blade bait off the end of a laydown (saw the fish swirl on it).
With the number of boats in the mile or so stretch, the noise must have been deafening to the fish. I'm thinking the next time I get up there I'll scan the creek going up then shut everything down and fish "blind". At a minimum, I won't be looking down at my graphs every minute.
Thoughts? |
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Posts: 104
| Anecdotally casting shallow in Northern MN I do better with the livescope off. Might be something to it, might be a coincidence. Not sure. |
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Posts: 409
Location: Selkirk, Manitoba | Headline: "Musky Angler that is All-For-Forward Facing Sonar doesn't like the fact that all the other Forward Facing Sonar users Ruin his Musky Fishing."
But seriously, this was gone over thoroughly in one of the other threads - brought up by another (now former) FFS user in a Pete Maina video I believe.
What used to happen is people fished a spot blindly not knowing for sure that muskies were there. So if they didn't get a follow the negative feedback loop would be such that they would go back to spots that they got follows, or move on to try fresh areas. "Unseen" muskies on those spots would have a finite (=x) amount of exposure to lures/boat motor / trolling motor / electronic noise.
Now what happens is spotlighters do their thing, they cast to fish that are apparent, and if no results on first visit, they come back and repeat. The have a "positive" feedback and go back because they know there is fish there even though they didn't get a follow (see note below). The next FFS boat comes along, repeat. So what was "x "exposure, is now "x" times 20. Fish get caught, move off spot, and those that are "visible" reduce in number and those fish getting fishing exposure get even more attention.
Now a percentage of FFS guys doing this are adaptable, and then come up with alternatives - still using FFS but in a strategic way. I won't describe what these actions are, but ultimately there is tangible positive results from doing these things, but again reduces the pool of available and naive fish from the pool of muskies available to everyone.
One has to consider that your musky fishing experience can be "ruined" by FFS even if no muskies are being caught and mortality is not excessive (which it still is).
*Note for above point* - there was YT video from a fellow fishing up here in NW Ontario sort of describing how this type of Canadian Shield spot was so good a structure and a must visit because spot has all the elements, hence why they just caught a fish there - then mentions as an aside that they had "scanned" several fish on it earlier in the day, but no follows. Duh!! A buddy tells me a spot has several muskies on it and I'll be there at the right time too, good looking spot or otherwise. FFS is why they had success, not a hunch about giving a good spot another try. Nice try...
Edited by Angling Oracle 8/4/2025 10:59 AM
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Posts: 216
| From my past diving experience I know that 2D sonar clicks are audile to the human ear but so are voices. I could hear the guys talking in the boat 15 or more feet above me. I never play music while fish and try to keep the voices down. the electronic chatter does appear to affect walleyes. After a few minutes the school will often move. Often a little further down the break.
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Posts: 417
Location: SW Ohio | Funny thing about the music, which I play if I don’t forget my speaker, is that I do better with it than without it. But it has more to do with my cadence and rhythm changing as the songs do. Even in 2-3’ of water, music days outshine non-music days.
BTW, I did a search for this topic on here but came up blank.
Edited by OH Musky 8/4/2025 3:18 PM
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Posts: 409
Location: Selkirk, Manitoba | OH Musky - 8/4/2025 3:17 PM
Funny thing about the music, which I play if I don’t forget my speaker, is that I do better with it than without it. But it has more to do with my cadence and rhythm changing as the songs do. Even in 2-3’ of water, music days outshine non-music days.
BTW, I did a search for this topic on here but came up blank.
The whole vid is on the topic, but around 16:00 is the details I'm referring to.
https://youtu.be/BMmrU-5dSh8?si=QL1FpwCiH04OvxiY&t=901
Edited by Angling Oracle 8/4/2025 4:32 PM
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Posts: 1380
| At least a couple of the best guides for putting people on trophy walleyes through the ice on Green Bay, do not turn on a locator, as they have discovered the bigger fish react very negatively to any sonar. |
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Posts: 1324
Location: E. Tenn | That's the plan for an upcoming trip to the Northwoods.. I don't need to have the sonar pinging to use the "Follow the Contour" feature on my 'birds.. On the the "home lake", I know all of the shoreline features well enough... at least I would hope so after 60 years..
It'll be interesting to see if it makes a difference. |
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Posts: 1272
Location: Walker, MN | If it's a hot fish, then it won't matter. The rest of the time, everything matters. |
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Posts: 1296
Location: WI | When I fish high pressured areas like Lake Vermilion I will turn off 2d sonar, but usually have side imaging on. Not sure how much difference it makes, but I would rather take a more stealthy approach after seeing all the scopers lasering all the fish. |
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