Electronics "noise" disrupts fish?

[TexExp]

I have heard and read from Electronics mfgs. (Humminbird/Lowrance) that there is no way that the frequency of sonar or 3D imaging is in the range of crappie 'hearing' or feeling and has no effect on fish.
However, I have heard from many guides that swear it does effect them. On Lake Fork and Lake O' the Pines, they turn off their electronics after getting to their 'spots'.
Just this morning, I was watching the FLW Walleye Championship (no shows on crappie <sniff>) and the tournament finalists were all congregated on one deep hole below a bridge. One veteran pro commented on all the 'noise' from 20 boats' electronics was scaring the fish away. He wished they would turn them off.

Any experience or data?
What do you think?


Thanks

[CrappiePappy]

I'm inclined to agree with the HB/Low idea. Reason being that I've never turned my DF off, when fishing for Crappie or Bass, and caught fish right under or close to the boat in <5ft of water. I won't go so far as to "say" that the fish cannot hear/feel the "ping noise" ... but, it certainly don't seem to bother them, at times. If it did/does bother them, and they quit biting or move off ... how would you know ?? The only way I can see testing this out, would be to NOT use the DF until you were into a school of fish ... THEN turn it on & see if it affects the bite. There's still some wiggle room for doubt, even then, but it would put you on notice that it MIGHT turn them off.

I also think that fish get used to certain noises, like outboard motors/people walking on docks & marinas/etc ... and, like I've said before --- if they're already spooky (from the prevailing conditions) then it's highly likely that any added commotion isn't going to help ... but, if they're not in a spooky mood, a little extra commotion doesn't usually amount to much of a negative factor. There's been too many times I've seen a bunch of people, on a pontoon, drive it right into a stand of trees, big motor running ... tie off & start a "firedrill" aboard it, clanging & banging stuff while getting rigged/baited up, then drop/cast large bobber/minnow rigs all around the place ... and still actually catch some fish

... cp

[Crestliner08]

I believe it depends greatly on the attitude of the fish you are after. If they are suspended after a cold front and in a very negative mood, then blasting them with sonar pings is certainly not going to help your success rate. When deep water smallmouth fishing, I use to always shut off the sonar. We'd be catchin' them, then I'd switch it on and "poof" the bite stopped. So take it for what it's worth. I'll always err on the safe side myself.

[Turtlebait]

I guess sound will go though anything if not sound proof,I've been swimming underwater and could hear the finder and tm.They also say fish can hear so good they can hear you coming down the road or a leaf landing in the water.
However I'm not looking for the ones that can hear,I mainly target the deaf and dum ones.

[Cane Pole]

I guess sound will go though anything if not sound proof,I've been swimming underwater and could hear the finder and tm.They also say fish can hear so good they can hear you coming down the road or a leaf landing in the water.
However I'm not looking for the ones that can hear,I mainly target the deaf and dum ones.

The best solution by far.

[J_ROW]

In 2010 & 2011 they built a new bridge across Black Lake where I fish a lot. I would set under the old wooden bridge about 30 - 40 feet from where they were pile driving four by four concrete pilings into the lake and catch crappie by the dozens. So I don't really think noise has too much to do with whether crappie hang around or not. I caught between one and two thousand crappie there in a years time while they hammered away and the noise had no effect at all on them. Don't believe those little pings from a DF gonna have any effect on them.

[no1son]

The frequency of the sonar is not likely to have much effect, but some of the units make quite a bit of other sound. A lot depends on the mood of the fish, too. We see that on the docks all the time. Sometimes they are just plain biting; other times a fat man walking on the dock will put them down. Trolling motors will often make enough to have the fish move off; other times some real slabs come from just a couple of feet under the hull.

Just to be on the safe side, I really try to keep what noise I can down. Crappie can be real timid, even if they aren't always.

[Lowellhturner]

Am not sure if most fish can "hear' sonar pings, but am very aware they are ACUTELY aware of unusual noises and more importantly vibrations in some frequencies. And could imagine that so long as you`re "realatively ' quiet (compared to driving pilings in ) you should be OK. Do know sound travels approx 11 X further underwater than thru air, and with very cold water even further. while ice fishing I honestly try to "stealth' after drilling my holes. Anyone figure a way to QUIETLY bore thru 8" of ice?

[garyv]

I am mixed about this so called problem because I dont know how many times when out fishing even anchored at night , As soon as I crack the engine and I have done this with a 2 stroke as well as the 4 stroke I have now , but when anchored and things get real slow I have cranked the engine just to see if I am running the battery low or getting too cold to start is how it started but , a lot of times as soon as we crank the engine we have gotten bites before , and that has been plenty of times, Even last week on Blue cypress thingd got slow I reach over crannk the engine just for a few seconds and end up catch 1 or 2 really quick..
I thought coinsidence BUT have done that when fishing gets slow and get hits..
Not sure but I know the bottom machine makes a different freq than a motor but it really has worked,,, And when I was a kid I remember my dad would slap his cane pole in the water a few times when fishing got slow..and a lot of times fishing would pick up.
We talked about it sorta thinking it might trigger them like a shark feeding frenzy or something.
Also just to ad we do try to be quiet on the boat when fishing, kinda stupid when we are being quiet and then I start the motor....
Not Kidding
Gary

[birddog one]

I've seen a few show on how fish react to sound from what little I know it seems that fish come to sound to "check it out " when they're in the right mood when they're not get out the old crank phone cuz that seems to be the only way to get them.I really don't think that the bing will true them off as much as the weather or other things. But on a slow bite your guess is as good as mine