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Posts: 194
| I was out fishing last night. We weren't seeing any action. I pulled into an area where I new where to position the boat without electronics, so I turned off the graph. Ten minutes later, a 37" fish gets CPR'd. Was it coincidence or do fish get spooked by the noise a sonar unit makes? It's not the first time I've noticed this. Thanks. |
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Posts: 723
| have often thought about this when fish come in hot, and then turn away as soon as they near the boat, was it me? or did the fish feel something they didnt like? have tried drifting without electronics on, haven't seen better results, Although I dont like the trolling motor running all the time, I think this puts out a vibe in the water more so than a sonar unit.
my $ .02
theyre just dumb fish that make us dummmmmmmerrrr. |
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Posts: 32922
Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | It was a coincedence, I believe. The boat makes tremendous noise, as do you as you cast, speak, and move about. |
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Posts: 5874
| Pretty sure that sonar doesn't make as much noise as PowerPro. Co-inkydink, is my opinion. |
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Location: The Yahara Chain | If sonar spooked fish nobody would be catching fish. |
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Posts: 1086
| Bytor - 6/15/2006 1:17 PM
If sonar spooked fish nobody would be catching fish.
Exactly.
Boat motors make a heck of a lot of noise and you still catch fish with them running.
Water is the best source for sound to travel. The slighest little movement or noise in the boat, will go through the hull of the boat and on down into the water. It's not a problem.
What you experienced was purely a coincidence.
We'll have the radio going and have a decent volume to it, not cranked or blarring by any means, we still catch fish.
This is kind of like the color of the shirt theory....
Edited by MACK 6/15/2006 1:21 PM
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Posts: 2059
| When fishing shallow the less noise the better...drifting into spots has helped me and I ALWAYS turn off the electronics ....electronics really help you very little on water you know and is less than 10 ft deep ...so why have them on?....IMO |
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Posts: 32922
Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | I leave the electronics on. ALL the time. I have never ever slightly suspected sonar noise spooks fish, that is 'waves on the water make the wind blow' logic imho. |
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| While retreiving a bucktail back to the boat, I did the L-turn and seeing nothing got ready to cast it out again, looking down there was a 36-inch muskie sitting under the transducer on the trolling motor, it was ticking right over his head, stuck the bucktail back into the water and started an oval and bam he hit the bucktail. Do electronics spook fish, i don't think so.
Tom |
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Posts: 4266
| I'm dating myself with this one.......remember when some guys were convinced that the pulses from locators and peper graphs were like "needles" going through the fish?
I was a Lowrance/Eagle rep, and I heard that for years when locators became more than a luxury in the boat.
My profile spooks them more than any locator.
Beav |
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Posts: 7077
Location: Northwest Chicago Burbs | Just thinking here.....I run electronics front and back, have the radio on.....blades of baits sounding like a whale coming through the water.....topwaters that must sound like a bunch of raccoons fighting in a garbage can.....and rattles in a crankbait that probably sound like small rocks rolling around in a beer can.......I'm thinking if the fish can hear the electronics, it probably doesnt make a difference. But who knows.
Personal experience: on Eagle Lake, running the boat with a 50hp 2 stroke merc (sounding like a truck engine), electronics on...a fish comes charging at a bait, misses the bait, but is charging so hard that when it does turn off, it slaps its tail against the side of the boat. Thinking that this fish wasnt worried about much but getting a free meal. |
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Posts: 194
| Thanks for all the replies. I have a wrinkle to throw in the mix. Would it matter if the lake were heavily pressured like the the Madison chain is? I fish these waters most of the time and I thought it might make a difference with pressured fish, but I have no idea. |
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Posts: 2059
| do they spook muskies - cant say for sure? Do they spook FISH ...YES!!! if you have any doubt come with me to my local pond.....shad (baitfish) will almost eat from your hand (surface all around the boat) with your electronics off.....turn them on and see ya! ......could turing your electronics off get you an extra muskie or two a year ...very possible ....we are never talking about aggressive fish when we share ideas on the "little things". |
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Posts: 1137
Location: Holly, MI | speaking of motor noise.. What about propwash caught fish while trolling? We also run down rods off the bow that run the lures at the back edge of the boat on the sides, with action they go out and back under the boat right near the back. |
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Posts: 32922
Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | I ice fish using a MarCum flasher, and can actually watch the fish swim up and eat the jig. I have a camera on at the same time some days, and don't see any difference in behavior when the sonar is on or off. The Pro Walleye anglers use as many as three at a time, and don't seem to have much trouble putting fish in the boat. Just my observations. |
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