Hey Smallie Guys......Depth Finder Sonar On/Off??

[Mike L.]

I recent article in Bassmaster Magazine had mentioned that Smallmouth can 'Hear' your

depthfinder's frequency and may put off some wary fish from biting....Do you believe its true???



When fishing your smallie honeyholes do you leave you depthfinder off ???

 

[Bill McElroy]

There may be some truth to it,...but I don't turn my depth sounders off! How do we know for sure if that "clicking" they hear doesn't sound like crawfish walking on rocks?!Mini and I were vertical jigging for smallies up on burt/mullet in 5ft of water and it didn't seem to bother them.......BUT,.. they were locked on beds, and they had "other" things on their mind if you catch my drift,....LOL IMHO, I'd leave you electronics on..it helps to identify "exactly" what the fish are relating too..be it weeds, rocks, or some other transition area...it helps to put the pieces of the puzzle together! Use'em!!

 

[Carlos Hathcock III]

Mac,

I can hear my depth sounds "clicking" up front and actually feel it when I pull the TM out of the water. Was a bit taken back when I first heard it.



Why do you need the DS if you know the area and know where the fish may be? Do you "see" the fish you are going for? In the River you do not really see them.



I do not always use mine. I am a bit new to know if it works or not, will let you know after this weekend, I hope.



Any ideas?



Carlos

 

[Marke Cicero]

I use them to locate areas. Once I know the area's structure and depth, I shut off the one on the bow unit and only leave on the console unit because it has GPS and I like to mark way points. I only shut them off in clear shallow water.



Does anyone know If on the LCX-15 I can shut off the transducer and only run the GPS?

 

[Spanky P]

On my rig I have a finder at the console and at the trolling motor. I use both but never at the same time. I'm a river rat and fish fairly shallow. Can't say it is bothering the fish. I have good day and bad days with it turned on. I like it for finding structure, slight ditches and drop offs.

 

[Bill McElroy]

What kind of units are you guys using?? My Lowrance units make a clicking noise,..but it's deffinitey not loud and you really have to be close to the 'ducer to hear it....maybe some units are louder than others.....i don't know, I've been using Lowrance's for the past several years and I don't notice any behavioral changes in the fish when they're close by...my boat and shadow spook them before any noise does...IMO!

 

[Jim B]

I agree with Mac. I fish for smallies a lot and i generally dont turn the electronics off. I have tried it both ways and havent noticed and real difference. With all the other noises on the lake at any given time i dont think it makes that much difference to the fish. I have even had days where i have had my stereo going in the boat playing some Jimmi Hendrix and the bass still bite fine and im sure they can hear or feel it.

 

[TOMMY RICH]

Depends on how deep I'm fishing usually determines whether I turn it off. Shoot man..smallies CAN be spooked by shadows especially in ultra clear water. If I'm fishing shallows I turn off the LCR and make sure shadows are at at my back

 

[Texas Transplant]

Personally, I believe that it's another one of those confidence things. There are all kinds of sounds in the water, especially with all the traffic nowadays. Also, I would ask what it does to the fish? Supposedly it will 'spook' them - drive them off - correct?



I think that if you are on some body of water that get's little to no boat/electronics/noise pressure, it will certainly have some type of effect. Otherwise, I don't think that it matters.



Recently, we fished a tourney at a new lake (for me), with a tremendous amound of blowdowns in the water. We were in a shallower area (5-8 feet max depth), fishing around the blowdowns and such. I was running the trolling motor, moving around and fishing with a partner. I had both the front finder on (Matrix Unit - newer), and the console finder on (older Eagle).



We had been in this one are, fishing around a big blowdown. We fished it for about 10 minutes with no real success. The wind blew us in an area that we got somewhat hung up on a major limb. After trying unsuccessfully to 'gently' move away, we then had to bump and grind to get out. In doing so, I really belted the tree limb hard. Parter on the back shouts out - 'there were at least 10 dinks in that tree that scattered like the wind when you hit that tree'.



The electronics didn't seem to bother them at all, in this case.



If you believe that having it off helps you, then turn it off. Personally, I believe that you are limiting yourself not to have one of your 'tools' working for you.



Tex

 

[Scott Hammer TOXIC]

Off.....Once I get a mental picture of the bottom, I can "read" the water with my lures.



TOXIC

 

[TOMMY RICH]

That sounds good Tex but, try that at some place like Dale Hollow. If I'm topwater fishing early and afew boats go by or you make any noise...NO FISH! And when you night fish down there the water is so clear that big fish will even be spooked by just sonar. Learn the area...then you can turn it off.

I'm with Tox on this one...at least it does seem to have more of an affect on smallies mostly. I believe that smallies are a lot more sensitive than largemouth when it comes to noise and moving shadows. I know we can drift for smallies even in the great lakes and after a couple runs those fish will scatter even with no sonar...come back later and smack em' again'

 

[Texas Transplant]

Can't testify to the smallie actions, as we don't really have any here. Clear lakes and 'sight' are another subject entirely.



I fish one of those lakes, and have to pay close attention to 'where' we are at.



Tex

 

[Corey Carrico2]

If I can see the bottom and I think of it I turn them off.

 

[Mike L.]

Tee...The article I read even mentioned especially calm moonlite fullmoon nights...Guess when I'm fishing spots I know well that hold smallies I should turn the LCR off.

This topic was just something I never though of before till I read about it!

 

[TOMMY RICH]

Did you catch that little tid-bit on fishing only "shaded" full moon banks? Really insighful stuff. Also the 6" Powerworm is something I did not know but, definitely makes sense in preference between LM & SM baits...more of a swim action.

 

[Carlos Hathcock III]

Mac,

I have a Garmin 120 and a 240. Both click rather loud up front and you can feel it on your hand when it is running.



Carlos

 

[TOMMY RICH]

Here's an eye opener for some of you who don't realize how loud they really are! I decided to take a swim last year when the fishing was in the dog days. I decided to wipe my boat down while I was in the water and WOW....I did not realize how much clicking actually goes on. So I went down about 8 ft. and I had no problem hearing it so I'm sure a fish can. IT"S LOUD!

 

[Dan J.]

I fish (primarily for Spotted Bass) on a heavily pressured COE lake 4-5 days a week and have noticed a difference in our clear water. (Average vis. on Lanier can be 12-20ft.) I can pull up on a spot that a boat hammered minutes before and "dead-boat" drift it (turning off ALL power), picking up fish or two. Many times before leaving a productive area I'll make a pass with the wind for a "dead-boat" drift and catch a few more. These fish get jet-skis, day boaters, cruisers, yachts....all day (to the tune of 24+ million visitors a year!) with surprizingly minimal impact on the fishing as a whole. I believe that the 50-75 foot range of the boat is the sensitive zone where the ducer noise can make a slight difference. (IMHO) Some of my better fish have came from a "dead-boat" drift. (Matter of fact I'm heading to the dock right now!)

 

[Texas Transplant]

Thanks Dan for the factual reporting. Always interested in those clear lake/spotted bass tips, as they apply directly to Keowee.



Tex

 

[Donald Fruge]

Scuba divers use clickers to attract fish.



I have even done it while diving at toledo bend.



Not sure if it is the same as the noise made by a ducer.



Just a tid bit of info,

Wolf

 

[Tony Payne]

If doing something raises your confidence, no matter how seemingly trivial to others, do it.



I, for one, will never fish in a red t-shirt or have a banana in my boat. I now try to wear natural/light colors only.



I have seen shadows spook fish in clear water environments, only to have the same fish return moments later.



I can attest to the fact that noise can spook fish, but you have to decide, for yourself, wether or not the fish "knows" what that noise is...



In clear, heavily pressured, "dog days", doing anything you can to limit your impact on the fish's world and make your bait look "easy" to get (and natural) will help...



Other days, I'm sure it just dont matter much.

 

[Rob LaMoy]

Whenever I'm fishing shallow clear water, say less than 10 feet, I turn it off. I'll leave it on just long enough to take a temp reading, then turn them both off. If I can hear the clicking of a ducer, then I KNOW the fish can. I don't KNOW that it makes an absolute difference, but I don't take any chances.