How Do You Handle Noise From Your Boat? 2024
Choporoz reply :
I suppose this could go a bit sideways like the "what do the bass see?" threads, but I'm curious as to how you feel about noises in your boat.
Do you visibly cringe when your partner drops a worm weight on the seat?
Do you turn the trolling motor off and drift in to a shallow, good looking little bay?
Leave the trolling motor on always, so the sound is constant instead of off and on?
Do you turn off your fish/depth finder(s) at times? If so, when?
Does it depend completely upon what sort of water you're on? That is, are big, busy lakes so noisy that it really doesn't matter what sounds you make in the boat?
I'm a bit anal about not banging the sides/bottom of the boat; I try to run the trolling motor fairly continuously....but I never turn off the fish finder....maybe I should?
What are your thoughts, idiosyncrasies, superstitions, etc?
I'm not talking about fishing from the banks --- I tend to believe that stealth will always serve you well when you're shore-bound.
Catt reply :
Noise happens 
everythingthatswims reply :
My kayak doesn't make much noise 
Ozark_Basser reply :
Fish holding tight to cover don't seem to mind noise as much as fish that are suspended. Long casts also help. You won't see me hucking rocks in the water, but I don't really care that much about noise because it's pretty much inevitable. It seems to me it would depend on where you're fishing though. If your lake gets lots of boat traffic, I would say most of the fish are about used to the noise. Also conditions. When it's windy I wouldn't consider noise near as much as if it was slick and calm
B-Dozer reply :
- If noise bothered my that much, I would only fish by myself.
But then would you be mad at yourself for making noise?
geo g reply :
Noise is not that big a deal unless it is banging, like slamming lids, or dropping big objects. Normal talk and low music is not an issue. Whenever possible I drift with the wind from my back so I can stay off the trolling motor and stay in stealth mode. I think this helps a lot. I will run up wind and then drift through a productive area. One of my favorite ways to fish.
WRB reply :
Lots of factors to consider.
If the area where you fish has a lot of background noise, like a marina for example, the fish there are conditioned to noise. You can fish the exact same marina after the lake has been closed at night, the same bass may react negative to noise. Fish living in a quite area react differently then those in a noisy area.
My guild line is this; quite is better than noise. If I believe big bass are active in a area I plan to fish, my approach is as stealthy as possible. Avoid getting the boat between any escape route into deeper water, turn off my sonar and big engine at least a 100 yards away and use minimum power with my electric motor.
When surveying a area I try to prevent driving directly over fish, when that happens and it does often, I drive away from the area, then return using the electric motor.
Bass hear/feel your big engines prop from a long distance through the lateral line and they are aware of your presence, it affects bass differently depending on their activity level and wariness level. For example spawning bass know you are there, they don't spook easily under those conditions. Feeding bass are less affected when in deeper water than shallower water.
Tom
Brnnoser6983 reply :
I recently went with I four stroke tiller for my little boat to help reduce the noise, but this was for the sake of my ears. My older 74 Johnson screamed when she got going.
But I always have a habit of killing the engine and trolling into my spot. I would like to think I am not sending the fish running, but all is lost when the Jack wagon on the jet ski roars by.......
Side thought
I always remember my grandpa telling me to be quite I would scare the fish away, but as I got older I was sure it was just because I was a talkative little tike that loved fishing with his grandpa.
Bluebasser86 reply :
I don't like banging around in the boat or rocking the boat any more than I have to.
Sam reply :
Yes, noise happens. It won't destroy your day. Just keep on fishing.
Now, with that said, you want to try to minimize sounds emanating from your boat and also while bank fishing.
But we are guys and we make noise so as said above, don't worry about it and just continue to fish.
ww2farmer reply :
On 12/10/2014 at 2:26 PM, Bluebasser86 said:I don't like banging around in the boat or rocking the boat any more than I have to.
Same, I also don't like running the TM on warp speed. I use just enough for the conditions I am faced with.
basscatcher8 reply :
I have a tin boat so I am just easy with my hatches and dont go stomping around the boat unless I have to but other then that I dont do much else to reduce sound. At a certain depth sonar is useless anyway so ill turn it off and just have the map up.
Choporoz reply :
Thanks for all the responses and insight. I often read about how I should turn off electronics when approaching a spot, but I've never done it. I suppose, though, that when entering a shallow bay, it might be a good idea. I don't know if the bass can hear or sense the sonar, but on the off chance that they can, I don't see why I should be taking a chance at announcing my presence.
As to trolling motors, I think that the sound is so ubiquitous, that it shouldn't matter much on most waters. I'm guessing that steady-on might be marginally better than repeated off/on.
EvanT123 reply :
I don't know if this applies but I could not tell you how many fish I've caught after a big boat or a bunch of jets skis come rambling threw in there wake. Wether it be on the bank or in my boat; it seems like the wakes sometimes stir things up and get the fish active. So no I don't worry about noise. I also fish dams where many times the water coming over the day is very loud and guess what usually the big ones are right underneath it.
Catt reply :
It really depends on the situation
I have a couple dozen spots on Toledo Bend that are in major boat traffic areas. I catch bass with boats flying by at 60-70 mph but I will say these spots are better during the week & at night.
As soon as the prop on my boat hits water at the launch I fire the big motor & turn on all electronics. They stay on until I'm back at the launch!
Deep structure bass are not bothered by the trolling motor. In shallow water I use the wind when possible & the trolling motor to keep it straight.
basscatcher8 reply :
Like you guys have said I've done well on high traffic weekends. The water is stirred up and the fish seem to stay fired up. Water gets calm and so do the fish till the next one comes through. We were fishing a rip rap wall on the outside of a marina this year and every time a boat came out of the marina through the narrow opening we would hang on cause the fish would fire right after.
Driftb reply :
The noise issue is as complex as you want to make it. The issue is actually more accurately called vibration, not noise, since fish cannot hear, but detect vibrations through their lateral line. IMHO, when one is fishing a lake that has a lot of boat traffic, the fish are likely conditioned to a higher noise level that in a wilderness situation. The whine of an outboard or a jet are definitely mood killers for me, but possibly not the fish. Guys are running boats all over a lake during tourneys, and the fish still bite. If I am on a lake and I get buzzed more than once or twice, I just hate fishing under those conditions. Especially jet skis. I'll usually move unless I am really pounding the fish. Sudden unusual noises are a different matter. Dropping a rod or weight on the floor of a tin boat is going to surprise fish. Some will move closer to cover, some will move deeper, and some may suspend in deep water. With really aggressive bass, some may even come closer to see what made all the noise. After a little while, they will start to bite again. If you are still on them. I expect that noise will adversely affect the bigger older fish more than the smaller, younger fish.
Trout area little different though. When most people think of trout, they are talking about a stocked fish raised in tanks that is acclimated to expect to be fed when it detects the vibration of feed pellets hitting the water. Wild fish are different. Wild stream trout have to survive a constant barrage of predation and so the bigger fish tend too be very wary. I have seen all the trout in a pool stop feeding many times, after a slight noise in the boat. Funny thing is, I have also seen trout continue to feed a few feet from the boat as I approach with the outboard running,
Ratherbfishing reply :
If someone accidently drops a worm weight or rod or trips over themselves and stumbles in the boat, I don't give it a second thought. If they are regularly/habitually banging around, I might explain to them how this often disturbs the fish and ask if they might tone it down a bit. As far as the trolling motor goes, the shallower or closer to the target I am, the more I try to shut it down or run it at a lower speed. I almost always shut down the outboard and coast into a spot. Sonar? I seriously doubt if it makes the least bit of difference.
WRB reply :
Fresh water black bass or what we refer to as bass have highly developed senses of sound wave detection.
Their early warning system is their lateral line nerves that pick up sound waves from a long distance and ears that define sound waves at a short distance, hearing is important to their survival.
Sound waves travel very fast in water because it is higher in density, no sound travels in zero density in a vacuum like space and travels slowly in air.
If sound detection was not important bass would not have developed 2 hearing systems. What bass can't do is determine how far away the sound is or how fast whatever is making the sound waves is traveling or the direction it's traveling using it's lateral line. Sounds picked up by it's ears gives the bass close proximity information to start looking for what is nearby, like prey.
The sounds you make in your boat can be picked up by the lateral line, if the sounds waves travel through water. How bass react depends on individual fish, some are very wary, others are not.
Tom
Bankbeater reply :
It depends on the noise. If I drop a weight I don't worry about it. If I keep hearing the same noise over and over then I get worried.
wnybassman reply :
I don't worry too much about noise in the boat, I don't go out of my way to be quite. I also don't go stomping around or slam compartment lids either. Somewhere in between I guess. Sometimes I turn my sonar off when fishing shallow, but that is more to conserve battery if needed. I never run my trolling motor on continuous because I figure if I fell in the water I would be kinda SOL. lol
Patrick Morrow reply :
I do not take any special actions to prevent noise. Have never felt thought about doing so. I am quiet doing my things and being in boat automatically.
bassindon reply :
I have hit big fish limits with two finders on, trolling motor on and off, Live well going full time and Im sure I'm making noise boating fish. I have caught them when other boats were on top of the fish. I pushed shad before into a ball with my boat and then saw bass hit them with me right there on top of them. I saw one wink and thank me LOL!
Chris S reply :
On 12/10/2014 at 2:26 PM, Bluebasser86 said:I don't like banging around in the boat or rocking the boat any more than I have to.
How Do You Handle Noise From Your Boat? I drop Sizzle back at the dock!
blongfishing reply :
I am very guilty of making alot of noise. I slam the hatches and stomp the boat when I miss fish or they break off. I often act before thinking not only in fishing but everywhere. When I am flipping docks I sometimes hit the side and often wonder if that effects the fish. Once i was fishing around a dock and I was singing and then I hit the dock several times with my jig. When I got to the other side of the dock there sat an angry elderly woman tanning that I couldnt see because a boat in the way.
Nick49 reply :
Under certain applications I have less success (fewer bites) when I find myself intermittently using my trolling motor.
Bluebasser86 reply :
On 12/13/2014 at 1:48 AM, Chris S said:How Do You Handle Noise From Your Boat? I drop Sizzle back at the dock!
Then you have to get a LONG ways away from the dock for it to be quiet again. You could always start trolling, then you just have to listen to his snoring 
Maico1 reply :
Noise....I have a whole different outlook on noise now then I did before, as noise was always a no no. Next time you are out on the water pay attention to how much noise and vibrations are created by nature alone. Could be a beaver, muskrat, otter, ducks, geese, frogs, turtles, kingfishers or even a blue heron. On the waters I fish these rascals make a heck of a lot of disturbance wether it be ducks and geese feeding or preening as they always seem to find the same waters the big girls like. Another thing to consider is how many times have you experienced that big huge splash that creates disturbance when you are fishing on flat water thinking you need to sneak up on your coveted spot. The bottom line for me is I do not worry about disturbances on the water anymore as I once did as "Nature Happens".
tatertester reply :
I think that Bass react to noise in a different way depending on their location and surrounding environment.....Bass around docks likely are accustomed to noise much more so than a nonshoreline bass....I think bass in heavy cover are not as wary about noise,and the less cover and depth the more it bothers them.......I recall fishing from shore some years ago in a harbor off the main lake , and there was people lined up on the shoreline fishing, all sorts of noise, people taking ,kids hollering , tackle boxes clanking, etc.....I had made a cast with a spoon and had the lure reeled in just to shore front of my feet. The water there was about 2 feet deep with a slight undercut bank....I was in the process of lifting my lure out of the water and Whammm! , a 4 lb bass hit the spoon, scared the hell out of me, but I landed the fish.....I sure didn't expect a fish to be there with all the racket going on.....Just goes to show ya.....Noise is only relative to numerous variables.
Ski213 reply :
I agree with those who have said it has a lot to do with what the fish are used to, or at least used to in a certain area. If you're near a high activity area then some noise probably isn't a big deal. However if you've pulled the big motor up and had to lift the trolling motor to get to where few men have been before then its probably worth the effort to be ninja silent. I try to be reasonably quiet wherever and extra quiet in those places where very few people go.
Bigbassman43 reply :
I fish shallow water most of the time pitching a jig. Normal depth would be 2 to 4 feet. I always use my trolling motor when i need it and never turn off my electronics. I have had fish hit only a few feet from the boat. So to me I don't think sound makes that big of a difference, but I could be wrong.
skeeter1980 reply :
Anyone that fishes with me,must take off their shoes,no running in the boat,and no peeing in the water.The sound of water going into water,might scare the bass.LOL
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